Strategic Customer Success Manager

Overview

Expands customer relationships to create cross-sell and upsell opportunities. Leads and coaches business value conversations key stakeholders. Reviews and communicates the status of delivery programs linked to customer priorities with internal stakeholders. Coaches team members on and stays current with industry and Microsoft technical insights through consultation with the Customer Success community, peers, partners, and customer stakeholders. Leads the team to adopt organizational and customer success strategy to maximize customer's investments and value across all solution areas. Coaches team on developing and delivering strategic roadmaps in partnership with key stakeholder and executives for executing program planning, managing key stakeholder and executive expectations via delivery of a Customer Success Plan, and prioritizing engagements to address agreed-upon customer outcomes and account priorities to deliver ongoing customer success. Coaches team to deliver and articulate customer value, drive business growth, maximize customer retention and minimize customer churn. In addition, this role has people management responsibilities including driving employee growth and development, executing projects, and managing performance.

Responsibilities

Customer Relationship Management

Collects feedback from internal and customer stakeholders on business needs, preferences, values, and goals to identify important customer patterns, pain points, attitudes, and expectations and coaches others to do the same. Prioritizes resource efforts to meet the most critical needs and expectations of customers, including customer security and resiliency needs. Reviews and communicates the status of delivery programs linked to customer priorities with internal stakeholders.

Identifies, understands, influences, and challenges and manages the needs, expectations, and interests of key customer technical, business, and executive stakeholders. Ensures key stakeholders (including partners) are satisfied with agreed upon objectives and outcomes and that their interests are protected and valued. Leads and coaches business value conversations key stakeholders, incorporating a focus on security and resiliency and enabling team to drive security-focused conversations.

Leads by example, modeling a security-first approach, through owning operational executive relationships with key customer, partner, and internal contacts to further Microsoft's customer success goals, targeting executives (as appropriate). Ensures the customer is recognizing value as planned. Anticipates, identifies, and manages potential issues, escalating to appropriate teams for resolution. Expands customer relationships to create cross-sell and upsell opportunities.

Customer Success Leadership

Guides team in mobilizing resources for identifying, resolving, and mitigating blockers to accelerate consumption. Coaches team to identify pipeline opportunities, be accountable for milestones, and ensure committed milestones are completed to deliver growth in their customer portfolio. Coaches team to support customer adoption and active usage of Microsoft products and services aligned to outcomes and objectives defined within agreed-upon customer success plans. Coaches team to deliver and articulate customer value, drive business growth, maximize customer retention and minimize customer churn.

Coaches team on developing and delivering strategic roadmaps in partnership with key stakeholder and executives for executing program planning, managing key stakeholder and executive expectations via delivery of a Customer Success Plan (CSP), and prioritizing engagements to address agreed-upon customer outcomes and account priorities to deliver ongoing customer success. Coaches team on leveraging, improving upon, and streamlining the use of Microsoft delivery management methodologies, processes, and tools to improve and mitigate risks to customer operational health. Coaches team on anticipating, identifying, and mitigating customer blockers and risks (including security and compliance risks) by leveraging Microsoft solutions and services, and developing deliverable programs of work. Guides team through leading delivery program reviews with internal stakeholders to ensure alignment on customer outcomes and account priorities. Leads executive escalation management and communications for delivery programs in the customer account. Runs rhythms of business (RoBs) reviewing delivery excellence metrics (e.g., delivery backlog, bookings, unstaffed requests).

Drives conversations with customers to demonstrate alignment between customer objectives and the current Microsoft portfolio of work in the customer account, promoting identified opportunities for growth. Leads the team to adopt organizational and customer success strategy to maximize customer's investments and value across all solution areas. Works with customers to define and agree upon a long-term approach to fuel adoption of Microsoft technology and services in alignment with the customers' current and future goals and objectives, and includes security as a core component. Supports account team planning, promoting business and technical needs for change to challenge customer thinking that drives transformation towards modern digital approaches. Drives the security-first mindset in strategic planning and mentors teams to align Microsoft solutions with customers' security and business objectives.

People Management

Managers deliver success through empowerment and accountability by modeling, coaching, and caring. Model: Live our culture. Embody our values. Practice our leadership principles. Coach: Define team objectives and outcomes. Enable success across boundaries. Help the team adapt and learn. Care: Attract and retain great people. Know each individual's capabilities and aspirations. Invest in the growth of others.

Technical Relevance

Coaches team members on implementing training plans focused on technical and industry knowledge development aligned with organizational goals. Coaches team members on and stays current with industry and Microsoft technical insights through consultation with the Customer Success community, peers, partners, and customer stakeholders. Advises customers on Microsoft technology trends and direction with relevance to Microsoft's competition.

Qualifications

Required/minimum qualifications

Master's Degree in Business, Sociology, Psychology, Computer Science, or related field AND 4+ years customer success, solution delivery, practice management, customer-facing consulting, or portfolio management experience OR Bachelor's Degree in Business, Sociology, Psychology, Computer Science or related field AND 6+ years customer success, solution delivery, practice management, customer-facing consulting, or portfolio management experience OR equivalent experience.

Additional or preferred qualifications

Master's Degree in Business, Sociology, Psychology, Computer Science, or related field AND 10+ years customer success, solution delivery, practice management, customer-facing consulting, or portfolio management experience OR Bachelor's Degree in Business, Sociology, Psychology, Computer Science or related field AND 12+ years customer success, solution delivery, practice management, customer-facing consulting, or portfolio management experience OR equivalent experience.

5+ years relevant work experience within customer industry.

3+ years people management experience.

3+ years experience managing a consumption portfolio.

Project Management Institute (PMI) or equivalent Project Management certification.

Prosci or equivalent certification.

Customer Success Account Mgmt M5 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $130,900 - $251,900 per year. There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $165,600 - $272,300 per year.

Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here:

This position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance with religious accommodations and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations. (