Chief Experience Officer

Ad Astra is a higher education technology company and trusted partner to colleges and universities committed to graduating more students faster. Through data-informed academic planning and course scheduling software, Ad Astra helps institutions remove barriers to completion while promoting financial sustainability for academic programs. The company partners with more than 550 institutions and provides AI-powered Smart Scheduling tools that unify courses, faculty, rooms, and events to improve institutional efficiency and help more students graduate on time. The Position The Chief Experience Officer is the operating executive accountable for converting contracted revenue into retained, growing, and referenceable client relationships, owning the full post‑sale P&L from implementation through renewal and driving the unit economics that determine whether the business scales profitably. This role carries direct accountability for gross revenue retention (GRR) as the primary value‑protection metric, and the P&L performance of the onboarding, implementation, and professional services organizations, measured through services revenue, gross margin, billable utilization, and optimized cost of goods sold (COGS). The Chief Experience Officer builds the operational infrastructure to onboard clients at speed and at scale, installs the repeatable systems that convert newly signed contracts into measurable outcomes, and deploys the capacity management and workforce discipline required to sustain margin as the business grows. This role partners tightly with sales and finance to align post‑sale capacity to bookings velocity, manages churn risk through rigorous health monitoring and escalation protocols, and leads the teams responsible for retaining and growing the existing client base. Key Responsibilities Own gross revenue retention (GRR) as the primary performance metric of the post‑sale organization, setting renewal, churn, and downgrade targets, building the forecasting and early‑warning infrastructure to track against them, and holding the organization accountable to the numbers. Define and enforce the operational standard for what a best‑in‑class client experience looks like at Ad Astra, translating that standard into measurable service‑level benchmarks, staffing models, and delivery protocols that the organization executes consistently at scale. Architect the end‑to‑end post‑sale operating model, spanning migration, onboarding, adoption, and support, so that each stage of the client journey has defined entry and exit criteria, clear ownership, and measurable outcomes tied to time‑to‑value and net retention. Direct client migrations from previous platform with the discipline of a program office, enforcing data integrity standards, on‑time cutover commitments, and go‑live readiness. Build and operate a modern onboarding and deployment function as a disciplined P&L, accountable for services revenue, gross margin, billable utilization, and optimized cost of goods sold (COGS). Define and enforce capacity models that match deployment staffing to bookings pipeline, set utilization targets per delivery role, and establish the project governance infrastructure (statement of work standards, milestone‑based billing, change‑order protocols) that prevents scope creep and protects margin. Drive continuous reduction in average time‑to‑value through standardized implementation playbooks, tiered onboarding tracks by client complexity, and reusable delivery assets that reduce per‑engagement labor cost without sacrificing outcomes. Report services P&L performance monthly with clear variance analysis against plan on revenue, margin, and utilization. Instrument the client base with a rigorous health scoring framework that converts usage data into actionable leading indicators of churn risk and expansion readiness, enabling the success organization to intervene early, reallocate capacity to at‑risk accounts, and systematically convert high‑health clients into expansion revenue. Run the support organization as a cost‑managed service function, setting response and resolution SLAs, tracking performance against them, and managing support headcount and tooling costs as a component of overall COGS. Build a structured feedback loop from recurring support issues into the product roadmap so that high‑volume client problems are systematically eliminated rather than repeatedly serviced. Partner with the CRO and finance to align post‑sale capacity planning to bookings trajectory, integrate renewal forecasting into the company’s ARR model, and ensure the post‑sale cost structure scales in line with revenue growth. Establish services pricing discipline, standard rate card governance, and project‑level margin tracking that allow leadership to evaluate services contribution and make informed capacity investment decisions. Direct the value and insights function as a force multiplier for both client retention and revenue growth, translating Ad Astra’s institutional data and benchmarks into the analytics infrastructure that powers QBRs and ABRs, quantifies ROI for renewal conversations, supports go‑to‑market positioning, and enables the revenue organization to close new business on the proof of existing client outcomes. Qualifications Required Experience Proven track record as an operating executive leading post‑sale organization, spanning client success, implementation, professional services, and support, with direct P&L ownership and accountability for GRR and services margin in a SaaS business. Demonstrated ability to improve gross revenue retention and setup client expansion opportunities through structural improvements in implementation efficiency, adoption depth, client engagement models, and overall support quality. Experience leading complex, large‑scale client migrations with repeatable program management, data integrity controls, and risk mitigation under tight cutover timelines. Fluency in the full post‑sale metrics stack (GRR, NRR, time‑to‑value, health score, CSAT/NPS, services gross margin, billable utilization, and COGS) with detailed, analytical rigor to build dashboards, identify performance gaps, and drive operational decisions from data. Bachelor’s degree required; MBA or graduate degree strongly preferred, particularly candidates with quantitative or general management training. Minimum of 12 years of progressive post‑sale leadership experience, including at least 5 years operating at the VP or C‑suite level with full organizational and P&L accountability. Hands‑on experience running a billable professional services or consulting organization, including ownership of the services P&L, capacity planning, utilization management, and COGS optimization. Additional Preferred Qualifications Experience scaling post‑sale client organizations through rapid growth, building the processes, org design, and performance infrastructure to maintain service quality and margin as volume compounds. Quantifiable track record of improving GRR and NRR with specific data on retention rate improvement, churn reduction, and expansion revenue supported. Experience leading large‑scale data migrations from legacy or competitor platforms with documented on‑time delivery and margin performance. Fluency with the modern post‑sale technology stack, including health scoring platforms, CRM, ticketing, adoption analytics, and services PSA tools, and the judgment to build vs. buy vs. configure each component. Experience building or scaling a data, analytics, or insights function that serves both internal revenue enablement and external client reporting with demonstrated impact on win rates or retention outcomes. Key Success Metrics Gross revenue retention (GRR), renewal rate, churn rate, saves, and downgrade rate, reported monthly against plan with full variance analysis. Client outcomes delivered—including measurable student progress metrics, retention improvements, and graduation rate gains at partner institutions—along with client NPS, CSAT, and referral rate. Onboarding and deployment P&L performance: services revenue vs. plan, gross margin %, billable utilization by role, COGS efficiency, and average time‑to‑first‑value by client segment. Ongoing product adoption: client health score distribution, product usage depth and breadth metrics, re‑engagement rate for declining‑adoption accounts, and expansion revenue influenced by success motions. Support efficiency and quality: first response time, time‑to‑resolution, ticket deflection rate, CSAT/NPS, and support COGS as a % of ARR. Professional services financial performance: delivered services revenue, gross margin %, billable utilization by role type, rate card compliance, and COGS vs. budget. Quality and business impact of analytics and reporting outputs—including ABR/QBR completion rates, renewal influence attributed to business review conversations, and go‑to‑market content utilization by the revenue organization. #J-18808-Ljbffr Cornerstone Executive Search