Lead Strategist, Customer Success Strategy and Operations

Job Description

Job Description

Here at Appian, our values of Intensity and Excellence define who we are. We set high standards and live up to them, ensuring that everything we do is done with care and quality. We approach every challenge with ambition and commitment, holding ourselves and each other accountable to achieve the best results. When you join Appian, you'll be part of a passionate team dedicated to accomplishing hard things, together.

Appian is looking for an experienced Customer Success Strategy and Operations professional to join the Chief Customer Office's team. In this role, you will lead a portfolio of adoption and customer satisfaction programs and strategic initiatives that directly shape how our enterprise customers experience value with Appian. You will serve as a trusted partner to Customer Success leadership - helping define objectives and strategy, building scalable processes, and driving measurable improvements across the customer lifecycle. This is a high-impact, cross-functional role that sits at the intersection of data, strategy, and customer advocacy. It requires equal parts strategic vision, operational rigor, and cross-functional influence and the ability to contribute to a team that continuously raises the bar for how enterprise customer success is defined and delivered.

This role is based at our HQ in McLean, VA. Appian was built on a culture of in-person collaboration, which we believe is a key driver of our mission to be the best. Employees hired for this position are expected to be in the office 4 - 5 days per week to foster that culture, ensure we thrive through shared ideas and teamwork, and maximize opportunities to connect with the exceptional people across Appian. While working in-person with customers is our main priority, we also believe the office environment enables more opportunities to celebrate wins, collaborate effectively, and build strong relationships across teams.

In this role, you will:

• Set the vision and own the creation, maintenance, and continuous improvement of the customer health framework - defining the signals, scoring models, and data inputs that give the organization a real-time, accurate view of customer health across the entire portfolio.

• Design and operationalize programs and playbooks that enable CS, Sales, and cross-functional teams to act on health signals - including early warning triggers, risk escalation protocols, intervention strategies - and establish a feedback loop to improve them based on results.

• Collaborate on a structured VoC program that systematically captures feedback across internal and external touchpoints (CSAT, churn interviews, support signals) and closes the loop internally with CS, Product, Engineering, and leadership.

• Defining how customers are segmented (by size, industry, health, lifecycle stage) and how that segmentation drives differentiated coverage models and program design.

• Map and own the end-to-end customer journey - defining what "good" looks like at each stage, diagnosing friction, and driving improvements in collaboration with cross-functional teams to influence retention, expansion, and adoption outcomes.

• Provide strategic and technical leadership over the analytics platforms and data infrastructure that power customer-facing decisioning. Translate large, complex datasets into clear insights on engagement, adoption, and risk.

• Leverage data to develop customer journeys, targeted interventions and methodologies that accelerate value realization, deepen product utilization, and improve overall satisfaction.

• Drive alignment across Sales, Product, Marketing, Engineering, Customer Success, and Support; ensuring CS strategy is embedded in broader business objectives and that the customer experience is consistent and cohesive across all touchpoints.

• Partner with a high-performing team of CCO Office professionals, contributing to a culture of analytical rigor, ownership, and continuous improvement.

• Own executive reporting on customer health, satisfaction, retention, and expansion - presenting performance, recommendations, and emerging risks to CCO and CS leadership.

• Stay ahead of industry trends in CCO functions and SaaS lifecycle management, championing innovation in how Appian defines and delivers customer success.

Required Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in Customer Success Strategy, Success Management at Scale, Customer Success Management Operations or a related function, with at least 3 years in a role within an enterprise SaaS environment.

• Demonstrated track record of owning and scaling customer success programs at a strategic level (e.g., health scoring frameworks, customer satisfaction programs, lifecycle strategy, risk mitigation).

• Proven ability to design and launch net-new programs from the ground up; identifying unmet needs, building the business case, and translating ideas into structured, scalable initiatives that deliver measurable outcomes.

• Exceptional analytical and data strategy skills, able to architect measurement frameworks and translate complex datasets into executive-ready narratives and organizational action.

• Proven experience in high-performing teams; comfortable managing through ambiguity and driving change across a high performing organization.

• Ability to influence senior stakeholders, present with clarity, and drive alignment across functions.

• Proficiency with CS platforms and analytics tools (e.g., Gainsight, Salesforce, Tableau, or similar).

• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in a Chief Customer Office or equivalent CCO-aligned function.

• Experience as a Customer Success Management for Enterprise Customers

• Familiarity with process automation software and Appian.

• MBA or advanced degree in Business, Data Analytics, or a related field.

The base salary range provided represents a good faith and reasonable estimate of the range at the time of posting. In addition to the base salary, this position is eligible for a government clearance differential. Actual compensation will be dependent on a number of factors including, but not limited to, the candidate's relevant work experience, qualifications, internal peer equity, and market and business conditions that exist when extending an offer. A discretionary bonus may be awarded in recognition of individual and company performance.

In addition, Appian provides generous benefits offerings that include a 401(k) plan with company match, flexible time off, paid parental leave, medical, dental, and vision plans, life insurance, disability insurance, wellness programs, flexible spending accounts, health savings account contributions, an employee referral bonus program, and learning and development resources. Certain positions may be eligible for equity awards.

Pay and benefits are subject to change at any time, consistent with the terms of any applicable compensation, commission, bonus, or benefit plans.

Base Salary Range

$125,000—$250,000 USD

Tools and Resources

• Training and Development: During onboarding, we focus on equipping new hires with the skills and knowledge for success through department-specific training. Continuous learning is a central focus at Appian, with dedicated mentorship and the First-Friend program being widely utilized resources for new hires.
• Growth Opportunities: Appian provides a diverse array of growth and development opportunities, including our leadership program tailored for new and aspiring managers, a comprehensive library of specialized department training through Appian University, skills based training, and tuition reimbursement for those aiming to advance their education. This commitment ensures that employees have access to a holistic range of development opportunities.
• Community: We'll immerse you into our community rooted in respect starting on day one. Appian fosters inclusivity through our 8 employee-led affinity groups. These groups help employees build stronger internal and external networks by planning social, educational, and outreach activities to connect with Appianites and larger initiatives throughout the company.

Benefits

Appian offers a comprehensive benefits package designed to support your health, wellbeing, and financial future. Benefits may include health coverage, Employee Assistance Program (EAP) with free mental health support, life and disability insurance, an Employee Stock Purchase Program (ESPP), a retirement/pension plan, wellness dollars, tuition reimbursement, family-forming benefits and more. Benefits vary by country—please ask your Talent Acquisition contact for details specific to the location you are applying to.

About Appian

Appian provides AI automation for mission-critical work. We automate complex processes in large enterprises and governments. Our platform is known for its unique reliability and scale. We've been automating processes for more than 25 years and understand enterprise operations like no one else. For more information, visit appian.com. [Nasdaq: APPN]

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Appian is an equal opportunity employer that strives to attract and retain the best talent. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

Appian provides reasonable accommodations to applicants in accordance with all applicable laws. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please contact us by email at View email address on ziprecruiter.com. Please note that only inquiries concerning a request for reasonable accommodation will be responded to from this email address.

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