Customer Success Manager

Position Overview 

The Manager, Customer Success (CS Manager) is a pivotal leadership role within the Customer Success organization. Your full professional capacity is invested in one outcome: building, developing, and leading a high-performing CS team that consistently delivers exceptional retention, expansion, and customer outcomes across the portfolio.

The CS Manager is not a removed administrator. You are a hands-on people leader who is deeply connected to the day-to-day work of your team — present in account reviews, coaching conversations, renewal pipelines, and at-risk escalations. You understand the team’s accounts well enough to guide strategy, spot risk early, and develop each CSM's capabilities in the context of real work; but do so as a leader and coach, not as an account owner.

The ideal candidate brings mastery of CS execution and is now ready to direct that expertise entirely toward the growth and performance of others. You are energized by developing people, committed to building scalable team systems, and commercially literate enough to hold the team accountable to the metrics that matter.

Key Responsibilities

• Own team-level GRR, NRR, and expansion targets — accountable for aggregate performance across all direct reports' portfolios

• Maintain a real-time view of the team's renewal pipeline, at-risk accounts, and expansion opportunities through regular account reviews and reporting

• Identify commercial risk early across the team's portfolio and drive proactive mitigation — not just flag issues when they surface

• Ensure every CSM on the team has a documented account strategy, active success plans, and clear renewal and expansion plans for key accounts

• Partner with CS Leadership to set team targets, forecast performance, and report on retention and revenue outcomes at the portfolio level

• Serve as the executive escalation point for the most critical or complex account situations within the team's portfolio

• Own the consistent application of CS playbooks, processes, and standards across the team — identifying where gaps exist and driving improvement

• Partner with CS Leadership to develop, refine, and operationalize playbooks, renewal frameworks, and success plan standards

• Manage a team of CSMs across levels with direct accountability for their performance, development, and career progression

• Conduct regular 1:1s with each direct report — structured, purposeful, and focused on both immediate performance and longer-term development

• Deliver honest, specific, and actionable performance feedback on a consistent cadence — not just at formal review periods

• Develop and maintain individual development plans for each direct report, aligned to their career goals, current gaps, and the needs of the team

• Identify high-potential team members and proactively create stretch opportunities, exposure, and development experiences that accelerate their growth

• Address underperformance early and directly, with clear expectations, documented support plans, and consistent follow-through

• Actively contribute to hiring decisions, onboarding design, and ramp planning for new CS team members

• Build a team environment where feedback flows in both directions — where CSMs feel safe to raise concerns, share ideas, and push back constructively

Competencies: 

• People Leadership & Talent Development – Builds and develops a high-performing CS team through structured coaching, actionable feedback, individualized development plans, and clear accountability for performance and career growth. 

• Commercial & Retention Leadership – Owns team-level GRR, NRR, retention, and expansion outcomes, ensuring CSMs understand their commercial responsibilities and have clear strategies to achieve portfolio targets. 

• Strategic Account & Risk Oversight – Maintains visibility across renewal pipelines, account health, expansion opportunities, and at-risk customers, identifying trends and driving proactive strategies before risks impact retention. 

• Performance Management & Accountability – Sets clear expectations, evaluates performance consistently, recognizes high potential, and addresses performance gaps early through direct feedback, structured support, and follow-through. 

• CS Coaching & Execution Excellence – Coaches CSMs on account strategy, success planning, renewals, expansion, and executive engagement while ensuring consistent execution of CS playbooks and standards. 

• Operational Excellence & Scalability – Builds and improves CS processes, reporting cadences, playbooks, onboarding programs, and team systems that create consistency and enable the organization to scale effectively. 

• Executive Escalation & Customer Leadership – Provides leadership in complex or high-risk customer situations, helping shape strategy and executive communication while enabling the CSM to maintain appropriate account ownership. 

• Cross-Functional Leadership & Influence – Partners effectively with Sales, Product, Finance, Operations, and CS Leadership to align customer strategy with broader retention, expansion, and business objectives.

Required Qualifications 

• 8–12 years of experience in Customer Success, Account Management, or Customer Growth in B2B SaaS

• Demonstrated track record of excellence as an individual contributor in CS — equivalent to CSM 3 or CSM Team Lead performance — providing the commercial credibility needed to coach and develop senior CSMs

• Prior people management experience with direct reports in a CS, account management, or related customer-facing function

• Proven ability to develop CS talent — identifying gaps, designing development plans, and delivering feedback that produces measurable improvement

• Strong commercial literacy: fluency in NRR, GRR, ARR, churn, and expansion mechanics and the ability to hold a team accountable to these metrics with depth and confidence

• Experience managing team performance — setting targets, reviewing pipelines, identifying risk, and driving accountability across a group of individual contributors

• Demonstrated cross-functional influence: working with Sales, Finance, Product, and Operations to align around customer and revenue outcomes

• Strong operational instincts — able to design and improve team processes, reporting cadences, and playbook execution standards

• Experience with CS and CRM platforms at both a user and team-management level

• Exceptional communication skills — able to give difficult feedback, navigate executive conversations, and represent the team's perspective with authority

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in a CS Team Lead, pod lead, or senior advisor role before moving into direct management — demonstrating a natural progression through the player-coach model

• Background building or redesigning CS team structures, onboarding programs, or career frameworks

• Experience managing CSMs across multiple levels simultaneously — including both early-career and senior team members

• Strong data fluency: designing team dashboards, renewal forecasts, and health scoring systems that inform management decisions