10+ years of experience in Customer Success, Account Management, or Strategic Consulting, with 5+ years managing multi-million dollar enterprise accounts in B2B SaaS.
Proven ability to operate as a Principal/Senior CSM in a matrixed organization, driving initiatives without formal authority.
Deep expertise in developing and presenting business cases, ROI analysis, and value-based consultative strategies to C-level executives.
Exceptional executive presence and communication skills, both written and verbal.
Bachelor's degree in Business, Technology, or a related field.
Responsibilities
Drive strategic initiatives to ensure customer adoption and expansion of Certinia's products.
Proactively identify and mitigate risks for complex accounts, managing escalations effectively.
Act as a key advisor, providing functional expertise and troubleshooting support to enhance customer experience.
Cultivate strong relationships with senior stakeholders, aligning their objectives with Certinia's offerings.
Monitor customer health and usage data to identify opportunities for greater platform adoption.
Identify upsell and cross-sell opportunities based on customer needs and strategic alignment.
Serve as the voice of the customer internally, influencing product development and service improvements.
Benefits
Remote work flexibility within the US.
Opportunity to work with high-value, complex accounts.
Engagement with senior executives and strategic stakeholders.
Collaboration with cross-functional teams to influence product and service strategies.
Full Job Description
Principal Customer Success Manager
Remote US
THE ROLE
As a Principal Customer Success Manager (CSM) at Certinia, you are the trusted strategic advisor and partner for our most complex and high-value customers. You are responsible for leading the post-sale customer journey, leveraging product expertise to connect customer business outcomes to Certinia's product capabilities,and ensuring they realize the full value of their investment in our products. This role requires a unique blend of technical expertise, strategic account management, and a passion for building lasting relationships.
WHAT YOU WILL DO IN THIS ROLE
Drive Value Realization: You will lead strategic initiatives to ensure our customers are successfully adopting and expanding their use of Certinia's products. This includes facilitating executive-level business reviews and collaborating with stakeholders to align on long-term goals.
Manage Risk and Escalations: You'll be responsible for our most complex accounts, proactively identifying and mitigating risks. When critical issues arise, you will lead the charge in managing escalations, driving cross-functional resolution, and communicating with executives to protect the customer relationship.
Provide Strategic Guidance: You will act as a key advisor, offering functional expertise on standard configurations and best practices. You'll also answer "how-to" questions and troubleshoot common user issues, ensuring a smooth and effective customer experience.
Build and Grow Strategic Relationships: You will cultivate strong, strategic relationships with senior and executive stakeholders within your accounts. You'll understand their long-term objectives and act as a strategic partner, collaborating with the Account Executive to craft and execute a comprehensive account plan for growth, renewal, and advocacy.
1. Strategic Account & Relationship Management
Establish and maintain executive-level relationships (C-Suite, SVP) across the customer's organization, acting as a trusted advisor and business consultant.
Develop and execute a Strategic Account Plan for each assigned customer, aligning their business goals with the utilization and capabilities of our SaaS platform.
Lead quarterly and bi-annual Executive Business Reviews (EBRs), presenting data-driven insights on realized value, strategic progress, and future roadmap alignment.
2. Value Realization & Adoption
Proactively monitor and analyze customer health, usage data, and business KPIs to identify risks and opportunities for greater platform adoption and utilization.
Partner with the customer's executive sponsors to define and track clear, measurable success metrics (Value Drivers) post-implementation.
Identify business process gaps and advocate for solutions that leverage our product to deliver tangible Return on Investment (ROI).
3. Strategic Growth & Expansion
While not responsible for the renewal transaction (managed by Finance), the PCSM is accountable for the renewal readiness of the account, ensuring high satisfaction and deep product adoption.
Actively identify and qualify potential upsell, cross-sell, and expansion opportunities within the strategic account base based on observed customer needs and strategic plan alignment.
Collaborate closely with the Sales team to architect and hand off qualified opportunities for revenue generation.
4. Cross-Functional Leadership & Advocacy
Serve as the voice of the strategic customer internally, collaborating with Product, Engineering, Marketing, and Sales to influence product development and go-to-market strategies.
Drive continuous process improvement within the Customer Success organization based on feedback and challenges from the most complex enterprise accounts.
Lead resolution of complex account issues, leveraging internal resources (e.g., Technical Success, Support) to deliver exceptional service.
WHAT YOU NEED TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN THIS ROLE
Proven Experience: You have a strong background in customer success, account management, or a related field, with a track record of managing complex enterprise accounts.
Strategic Acumen: You can develop and execute strategic account plans that align with customer goals and drive value. You're comfortable mapping out executive stakeholders and influencing decision-makers.
Problem-Solving Skills: You are a natural problem-solver who can quickly diagnose issues, provide effective technical guidance, and lead resolution efforts for critical escalations.
Excellent Communication: You are an expert at communicating with all levels of an organization, from end-users to C-suite executives. You can clearly articulate a customer's needs and provide concise updates on complex issues.
10+ years of progressive experience in Customer Success, Account Management, or Strategic Consulting, with at least 5 years dedicated to managing multi-million dollar enterprise accounts in a B2B SaaS environment.
Proven ability to operate as a Principal/Senior CSM within a matrixed organization, driving initiatives without formal authority.
Deep expertise in developing and presenting business cases, ROI analysis, and value-based consultative strategies to C-level executives.
Exceptional executive presence, communication, and presentation skills (written and verbal).
Bachelor's degree in Business, Technology, or a related field.
WHAT ELSE WOULD BE GREAT
Experience with Certinia products. or a strong understanding of professional services automation (PSA), enterprise resource planning (ERP), or customer relationship management (CRM) software.
Experience working in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.
Experience working with Salesforce and the Salesforce ecosystem.
