Technical Implementation Manager

Technical Implementation Manager

Schaumburg, IL, hybrid · Full time · Occasional travel for customer training and go-lives

About Aptaero

Aptaero is a team of roughly 25 people building software for airlines, airports, and government customers. Our products include the Airline Choice departure control system, Local DCS, and the Visitor Pass / Gate Pass access management platform.

Every implementation brings our software into a working airline or airport environment. We are looking for someone who can configure the systems, guide the customer, and see the implementation through to a successful launch.

About the Role

You will own customer implementations from the sales handoff through go-live, 30 days of post-launch support, and a documented transition to Support and Account Management.

This is a hands-on individual contributor role with no direct reports. You will personally configure systems, prepare and import data, run testing, and train users. You will also manage the project plan, timelines, and customer communication. As a general guide, about 70% of the role is delivery work and 30% is project management. You will work through our admin tools; coding is not required.

Good implementations start with understanding what the customer is deploying our software to do: the operational problem, the workflows they run, and the environment they run in. You will configure to the customer's operation, not just to the spec.

Projects vary in size and complexity. A full customer implementation may take several months. Adding a module for an existing customer may take a week or two. You will manage several projects at different stages and help the team prepare for upcoming work.

What You Will Do

Configure and deliver implementations

• Learn the customer's operation and workflows, then translate their requirements into system configuration and a practical implementation plan.

• Configure airlines, airports, stations, users, business rules, and integration settings.

• Prepare, validate, and import the customer's reference and operational data.

• Write test scripts and run functional testing and customer user acceptance testing. Document defects and verify fixes.

• Prepare training materials and train end users and administrators, remotely or on site.

• Plan and carry out cutover, go-live, and 30 days of post-launch support.

• Complete a documented handoff to Support and Account Management.

Own the project and keep delivery visible

• Maintain project plans, milestones, customer status meetings, and follow-up actions.

• Keep customers and internal teams informed of progress, decisions, risks, and dependencies.

• Run a structured sales handoff that captures the agreed scope, customer commitments, and any custom work.

• Support occasional pre-sales scoping by estimating implementation effort and identifying delivery risks.

• Estimate project hours and costs, track time against estimates, and use actual results to improve future planning.

• Maintain the implementation schedule and a clear project dashboard. Lead a weekly implementation update for the wider team.

• Work with Sales to understand upcoming projects and flag capacity constraints early.

• Coordinate scope changes with Sales and your manager. Obtain approval for customer go-live commitments and changes that add cost or development work.

Work with Product and Development

• Identify requirements that existing functionality or configuration cannot meet.

• Write clear requirements and tickets with the customer need, expected behavior, and acceptance criteria, complete enough for Development to estimate and build from.

• Work with our development team to set dates and negotiate priority across competing customer needs.

• Keep customer commitments aligned with agreed development dates.

• Follow work through completion and verify that delivered changes meet the requirement.

Improve how implementations get done

• Own and maintain the implementation playbook and runbooks.

• Improve configuration checklists, data templates, test scripts, project templates, and training materials.

• Turn lessons from completed projects into practical changes the team uses.

What You Bring

• Typically 3 to 6 years of experience implementing B2B software.

• A track record of personally configuring systems, importing data, testing workflows, training users, and bringing customers live.

• Curiosity about how customers actually operate, and the habit of asking why they bought the software before deciding how to configure it.

• Comfort working in admin tools, spreadsheets, and data templates.

• Strong organization and follow-through across several customer projects. Status, follow-ups, and decisions get documented as they happen.

• The ability to write clear requirements and work effectively with developers.

• Practical troubleshooting skills and sound judgment about when to involve another team.

• Clear communication with both operational users and customer leaders.

• Confidence raising concerns when a requested date or commitment does not match the work required.

• Ability to travel occasionally and pass a Department of Homeland Security background check.

A bachelor's degree is not required. We welcome candidates with strong software implementation experience from other industries.

Helpful Experience

• Airline, airport, or travel industry experience.

• Familiarity with common-use airport systems such as CUTE or CUPPS.

• Basic SQL, reading application logs, or API and integration testing.

• Experience delivering software for government customers or security-sensitive operations.

What Success Looks Like

Within six months, you can independently deliver standard implementations across our platforms, from sales handoff through launch and support transition. Project status and estimates are current and visible. You have also made practical improvements to the implementation playbook that the team has adopted.

Compensation and Benefits

Base salary range of $90,000 to $115,000, depending on experience, plus a performance bonus. Benefits include health and dental insurance, 401(k) with company match, paid time off, and job-protected leave as provided by law.

How to Apply

Send a resume and a short note about one implementation you personally delivered: what you configured yourself, what you had to get built, and what you would do differently. Learn more about us at aptaero.com.

Aptaero is an equal opportunity employer.