Partner Implementation Manager Jobs in Des Plaines, IL

The Sr. Manager, Implementation Excellence leads Inspira Financials' implementation standards function, a shared service serving the Partner & Employer Onboarding team. This role is designed to build and manage the infrastructure, tools, and processes that power the onboarding function.

The Sr. Manager will build from the ground up: establishing cross-team standards, designing and delivering training infrastructure, owning the implementation playbook library, managing change in a fast-paced environment, and partnering with internal stakeholders on onboarding best practices and collateral. This role requires a builder mindset - the ability to create structure where little exists, move fast under ambiguity, and earn trust across organizational boundaries.

Duties & Responsibilities:

Tools & Process Design

• Own and evolve the implementation toolset across all platforms, driving prioritization and adoption while eliminating manual tracking workarounds.
• Standardize implementation workflows across employer and partner onboarding, identifying and closing process gaps.
• Build and maintain the infrastructure required to support partner and employer onboarding processes end to end.

Training & Onboarding

• Design and deliver the training curriculum and program for the onboarding team, addressing documented gaps in platform documentation and readiness.
• Build structured onboarding programs for new implementation associates, ensuring rapid ramp to full productivity.
• Partner with the partner onboarding team to codify processes as training content for the broader implementation organization.
• Track and report new platform fluency across the employer group team, providing leadership with visibility into onboarding readiness and capability development.

Change Management

• Lead the change management strategy for new implementation infrastructure, process rollouts, and the ongoing build-out of the onboarding center of excellence.
• Partner with Sr. Director to develop and execute communication plans for platform transitions, process changes, and career framework rollouts.
• Track and communicate the implementation organization's readiness progress to leadership on an ongoing basis.

Playbooks & Documentation

• Build and maintain the implementation playbook library covering all market segments and platforms.
• Document requirements gathering processes for complex implementations, developing templates and standards for Business Analyst-level work.
• Own the white label implementation playbook - defining what varies by partner and what remains standardized underneath.
• Ensure playbooks are living documents, updated continuously based on post-implementation feedback and evolving onboarding best practices.

Implementation Collateral & Stakeholder Partnership

• Partner with marketing and internal stakeholders to develop and maintain client-facing implementation materials and onboarding communications.
• Partner with internal stakeholders to maintain continuous feedback loop to identify opportunities for improvement.

Team Leadership

• Directly manage Implementation Coordinators, providing coaching, direction, and career development.
• Assess and recommend additional dedicated roles (Project Coordinator, Business Analyst) as the team matures and workload warrants.
• Act as interim chair of the Implementation Excellence working group until the function is fully staffed.
• Partner with implementation team leaders to ensure shared service resources are allocated fairly and effectively across teams.

Education & Experience:

Required

• 7+ years of experience in implementation, operations, or program management within financial services, benefits administration, or a related regulated industry.
• Demonstrated experience building processes, playbooks, or standards functions from the ground up - not inheriting an established team.
• Strong change management capability with experience leading teams through platform migrations or significant operational transitions.
• Excellent cross-functional collaboration skills - able to earn trust and drive alignment across teams with competing priorities.
• Experience designing and delivering training programs for operational or technical subject matter.
• Strong written communication skills with the ability to translate complex processes into clear, actionable documentation.
• Ability to manage ambiguity and build structure in environments where it does not yet exist.

Preferred

• Experience with HSA, FSA, HRA, COBRA, or related health and benefits products.
• Project Management Professional (PMP) certification or equivalent.
• Experience working within complex, matrixed organizations with multiple stakeholder groups.
• Prior experience standing up a center of excellence or shared service function.

Other Requirements:

• Typical schedule is Monday-Friday, 8 am to 5 pm CT; ability to work evening/weekend hours may be required during peak periods.
• Employees within a 90-minute radius of the Oak Brook, IL headquarters are required to adhere to Company in-office work guidelines of 4 days per month minimum from 10 am to 2 pm CT (1 of the 4 days must be a Monday or Friday).
• Occasional travel up to 15%.
• Ability to provide personal transportation for training or meetings may be required.
• Occasionally lifts up to 25 pounds; prolonged periods of sitting and operating standard office equipment.