Principal Customer Success Manager

Principal Customer Success Manager

Unleash your potential: whether two years or twenty, discover rewarding journeys with us! The Principal Customer Success Manager is an experienced and highly strategic individual contributor responsible for overseeing the success of the most critical and complex customer accounts. In this role, the Principal CSM acts as a trusted advisor to high-value enterprise clients, driving customer outcomes, assisting with service delivery optimization, and contributing to revenue growth through strategic account management. The Principal CSM manages the relationship lifecycle for these key accounts, acting as the main point of contact and collaborating cross-functionally with internal teams to ensure service excellence. This role requires a deep understanding of customer needs, a proactive approach to identifying challenges and opportunities, and the ability to influence both customer and internal stakeholders. While the Principal CSM does not manage a team, they serve as a thought leader within the Customer Success department, contributing to process improvements and best practices.

Duties and Responsibilities

Strategic Account Management

• Serve as the lead point of contact for high-value, strategic enterprise customers, developing strong, long-term relationships with key stakeholders and decision-makers.
• Develop and execute tailored customer success strategies that align with the customer's business objectives, ensuring the delivery of tangible outcomes.
• Conduct executive business reviews, providing insights on performance metrics (SLAs/KPIs), risk assessments, and recommendations for future success.
• Drive strategic discussions with customers to identify and capitalize on opportunities for optimization, growth, and innovation in service delivery.

Customer Advocacy and Escalation Management

• Act as the primary advocate for customers, ensuring their needs and concerns are heard and addressed within the company.
• Manage and resolve complex customer issues and escalations, coordinating with internal teams to deliver timely and effective solutions.
• Monitor customer satisfaction, anticipate challenges, and proactively address potential issues to maintain strong relationships and customer health.

Operational Excellence

• Stay current with the delivery of managed services on the account (if applicable), ensuring that service levels meet or exceed contractual obligations and customer expectations.
• Collaborate closely with internal teams (Consulting, Operations, PreSales and Sales) to ensure value alignment on customer goals, service delivery, and long-term planning.
• Identify areas for process improvement and work with cross-functional teams to drive initiatives that enhance the customer experience.

Revenue Growth and Business Impact

• Proactively identify opportunities for account expansion through up-sell and cross-sell initiatives, collaborating with Sales and Product teams to drive additional value for customers.
• Partner with Sales and PreSales on contract renewals, contributing to negotiations and ensuring mutually beneficial terms that support both customer success and business growth.
• Contribute to the company's overall business strategy by providing customer insights and feedback that inform product development and go-to-market efforts.

Thought Leadership and Best Practices

• Act as a thought leader within the Customer Success organization, contributing to the development of best practices and innovative approaches to account management.
• Mentor and share expertise with other CSMs, fostering a collaborative culture focused on customer-centric solutions and continuous improvement.
• Lead by example in customer communications, project management, and issue resolution, demonstrating excellence in all aspects of account management.

Reporting and Insights

• Track, analyze, and report on key metrics for assigned accounts, including customer satisfaction, retention rates, NPS, and overall health.
• Present insights and recommendations to senior leadership, using data to influence decision-making and drive customer success strategies.
• Regularly assess the health of key accounts, providing proactive recommendations and action plans to ensure continued success.

Position Requirements/Qualifications

Education: Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree (MBA or equivalent) preferred.

Experience:

• 10+ years of customer success, account management, or related experience in a leadership or high-impact individual contributor role, preferably in SaaS, managed services, or cloud environments.
• 7+ years of SAP, ERP, or similar industry experience, with expertise in managing large-scale, complex enterprise accounts.
• Demonstrated ability to manage complex, high-value customer relationships and deliver successful outcomes.
• Proven track record of driving customer satisfaction, retention, and growth in a customer-facing role.

Skills:

• Exceptional communication, presentation, and relationship-building skills, with the ability to engage and influence executive-level stakeholders.
• Strong strategic thinking and problem-solving abilities, with the capability to develop and execute long-term customer success plans.
• Expertise in ITIL and/or Agile frameworks, project management methodologies, and customer success platforms.
• Proven ability to collaborate across teams and departments to achieve customer and business goals.
• High business acumen, with the ability to identify opportunities for revenue growth and drive value for both the customer and the company.