Strategic Customer Success Manager

Job Description

Job Description

Job Name: Strategic Customer Success Manager

Department: Customer Success

About Us:

At BenchPrep, we are committed to revolutionizing learning by delivering the most advanced and flexible learning experience for certification, credentialing, test prep, continuing education, and training. Our learning platform helps associations, credentialing bodies and training companies deliver a highly engaging and effective learning experience for individuals looking to advance their careers. We incorporate the latest in learner-centered technology, including personalization, gamification, data science, usability and omni-channel delivery. The number of learners using our cloud-based learning platform has grown significantly, reaching nearly 12 million humans around the world in 2024, a testament to the success and impact of our innovative learning solutions.

Role Overview: As a key member of our Customer Success organization, the Strategic Success Manager (SSM) plays a vital role in renewing and growing our customer relationships. You will strategically manage customer accounts, focusing on long-term business goals, contracts, renewals, and upsell opportunities. By building and maintaining strong relationships with decision-makers, you will ensure our customers derive ongoing value from our solutions and are set up for continued success.

The SSM is the primary point of contact for strategic business engagements and manages less frequent but impactful touchpoints like Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs) and contract discussions. You will work closely with internal teams, including Sales, Product, and Support, to deliver on customer expectations while driving revenue growth.

Strategic Success Manager vs Customer Success Manager

We are hiring for both key and critical roles on the Customer team. So what's the difference?

Strategic Success Managers:

• Are the account owners. Meets less frequently with customers but works with them more strategically on long-term goals. Manages all contracts and expansion opportunities. Their primary customer outcome is customer renewal & growth.

Customer Success Managers:

• Are the day-to-day customer advocates; have deep product knowledge and can triage with customers on things like SSO, webhooks, data and product functionality. Their primary customer outcome is customer satisfaction & product adoption.

Key Responsibilities:

Renewals and Growth:

• Manage the full renewal cycle for your portfolio of customers, ensuring high Net Revenue Retention (NRR).
• Identify and close upsell opportunities

Strategic Account Management:

• Build and maintain relationships with executive-level stakeholders, acting as a trusted advisor for strategic decision-making.
• Conduct QBRs and milestone reviews to align customer goals with BenchPrep's offerings.
• Proactively anticipate customer needs and ensure alignment with their long-term business objectives.

Collaboration and Feedback:

• Partner with Customer Success Managers and Solutions Engineers to address customer needs.
• Provide feedback to internal teams on product enhancements and strategic opportunities.

• Renewals and Revenue Growth: Consistently achieve or exceed renewal and Net Revenue Retention (NRR) targets by effectively managing contract cycles and identifying upsell opportunities.
• Customer Relationships: Build and maintain strong, trusted relationships with key stakeholders and decision-makers. Customers view you as a strategic partner integral to their success.
• Customer Engagement: Successfully execute QBRs and other milestone touchpoints to ensure alignment between customer goals and our product capabilities, driving satisfaction and long-term loyalty.
• Internal Collaboration: Seamlessly collaborate with Customer Success Managers, Solutions Engineers, and other internal teams to deliver exceptional outcomes for customers, and provide actionable feedback to product and leadership teams, contributing to enhancements that improve customer satisfaction and retention.

Key Impact Metrics:

• Net Revenue Retention
• Renewals
• Upsells
• Organic Growth
• Customer NPS

Required/Preferred Skills and Experience:

• 7+ years of work experience at a SaaS company in a customer-facing role supporting complex, technical products
• Strong ability to build relationships with C-level executives and decision-makers.
• Exceptional communication and negotiation skills, with a focus on contracts and renewals.
• Strategic thinker with a track record of achieving growth targets.
• Excellent time management, organizational, and prioritization skills.
• A passion for driving customer success and aligning business goals.

Travel Requirements : Willingness to travel to customer locations and company retreats as needed, up to 30% (but typically more like 20%).

At BenchPrep, we value our differences, and we encourage all to apply—especially those whose identities are traditionally underrepresented in tech. Research shows that candidates from underrepresented backgrounds often don't apply for roles if they don't meet all the criteria. We strongly encourage you to apply if you're interested and even if you don't meet 100% of the listed requirements. We'd be excited to see how you can boast our team with your unique experience.

Life at BenchPrep:

We work at BenchPrep because we're dedicated to the mission and each day we have an opportunity to be challenged and learn. We work hard and have lots of fun. Culture is our lifeline at BenchPrep. We celebrate our people, both professionally and personally. We care about learning so much that we offer employees annual stipend dollars to develop their skills so they can continue to operate everyday with new skills. It's no wonder we've been selected so often on various Best Places to Work lists!

Flexibility :

We're a remote-first company that empowers our team to work where they thrive. We hire talent from across the U.S., embracing the flexibility and inclusivity that remote work offers. Our interviews, onboarding, and daily collaboration happen virtually, with intentional moments for connection.

While remote work is our foundation, we also believe in the value of in-person collaboration. That's why we host "Together Weeks" each year at our Chicago office—three days of learning, innovation, and celebration with the entire team. These gatherings help strengthen relationships and fuel creativity while maintaining the flexibility of remote work year-round.

Comp & Benefits:

This role offers flexibility in terms of experience and expertise. Throughout the interview process, we'll evaluate your background to determine where you align within our compensation range. The salary range for this position is between $90,000 - 105,000 plus commission. Please note this refers to the amount BenchPrep is willing to pay at the time of this posting.

• Medical insurance covering 80% of premiums for you and your dependents.
• Dental, Vision, Short & Long Term Disability, Life Insurance and other Voluntary benefits.
• 401(K) Safe Harbor Non-Elective 3% Contribution
• Flex PTO (our version of unlimited PTO), Wellness Days, Birthday PTO, Winter Break + a generous company holiday calendar
• Annual Learning Stipend of $1,200
• Parental Leave
• $500 towards workstation setup upon hire, and a monthly stipend for other expenses after that
• … and the list goes on!

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. Please note, we are unable to accept applications from candidates outside of the US at this time.

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