Principal Customer Success Engineer (San Mateo)

Company DescriptionOrganizations everywhere struggle under the crushing costs and complexities of “solutions” that promise to simplify their lives. To create a better experience for their customers and employees. To help them grow. Software is a choice that can make or break a business. Create better or worse experiences. Propel or throttle growth. Business software has become a blocker instead of ways to get work done.There’s another option. Freshworks. With a fresh vision for how the world works.At Freshworks, we build uncomplicated service software that delivers exceptional customer and employee experiences. Our enterprise-grade solutions are powerful, yet easy to use, and quick to deliver results. Our people-first approach to AI eliminates friction, making employees more effective and organizations more productive. Over 72,000 companies, including Bridgestone, New Balance, Nucor, S&P Global, and Sony Music, trust Freshworks’ customer experience (CX) and employee experience (EX) software to fuel customer loyalty and service efficiency. And, over 4,500 Freshworks employees make this possible, all around the world.Fresh vision. Real impact. Come build it with us.Job DescriptionThe Customer Success Engineer (CSE) serves as a strategic advisor and product subject matter expert (SME), helping customers maximize business outcomes from their Freshworks investment. Operating at the intersection of Customer Success, Product Expertise, Operational Transformation, and AI Innovation, CSEs partner with customers to drive product adoption, accelerate value realization, support revenue growth, mitigate customer risk, and influence product evolution through strategic customer insights.The CSE role directly contributes to the six strategic pillars of the Global Solutions organization: Create Demand, Increase Win Probability, Expand Accounts, Scale the Revenue Engines, Protect Revenue & People.Core Responsibilities1. Create DemandSupport customer engagement activities that create awareness, demonstrate value, and generate future opportunities.ResponsibilitiesConduct workflow audits, discovery sessions, operational assessments, and stakeholder workshops to understand customer requirements and identify improvement opportunities.Participate in webinars, customer communities, advisory boards, executive roundtables, and thought leadership initiatives.Promote AI best practices, customer use cases, and success frameworks that demonstrate measurable business value and generate customer interest.2. Increase Win ProbabilityPosition Freshworks as a trusted strategic partner by providing consultative guidance and industry expertise.ResponsibilitiesAct as a strategic advisor on industry trends, AI innovation, service management evolution, and digital workplace transformation.Develop and showcase customer success stories, transformation journeys, and measurable business outcomes.Provide consultative guidance across ITSM, ESM, ITAM, and ITOM capabilities, aligning platform capabilities with business outcomes such as:Enhanced employee and customer experiencesIncreased self-service adoptionData-driven decision makingProductivity improvementsOperational efficiency3. Expand AccountsDrive customer adoption and identify opportunities for long-term growth.ResponsibilitiesPartner with Customer Success Managers and Account Managers to support expansion strategies through adoption insights and business outcome alignment.Analyze product utilization trends and recommend initiatives that improve platform adoption and support revenue growth.Provide strategic recommendations that align customer objectives with long-term transformation initiatives.Guide customers on embedding AI into workflows, self-service experiences, automation strategies, and employee support operations.Improve AI adoption and value realization by helping customers achieve measurable business outcomes.4. Scale the Revenue EnginesDevelop scalable programs, assets, and operational best practices that increase organizational effectiveness.ResponsibilitiesBuild scalable enablement assets, including: Playbooks, Best practice guides, Maturity models, Adoption frameworks, FAQs, Dashboards, ROI methodologies.Lead workshops, webinars, and enablement programs that can be reused across customer segments and internal teams.Standardize customer engagement methodologies and value realization practices.Consolidate customer insights, adoption trends, feature requests, and operational challenges to influence product strategy and roadmap prioritization.Participate in product reviews, beta programs, steering committees, and strategic customer initiatives.Identify and implement AI-driven efficiencies that improve productivity, accelerate execution, and enhance team scalability.5. Protect RevenueDrive proactive customer engagement to improve adoption, reduce risk, and support retention.ResponsibilitiesPartner with Customer Success Managers and Account Managers on retention strategies through proactive engagement and adoption planning.Identify adoption barriers, utilization gaps, operational inefficiencies, and customer risks using data-driven analysis.Monitor customer health indicators, operational performance metrics, and adoption trends to proactively address risks.Support at-risk account mitigation through Technical consultation, Workflow optimization, Solution recommendations and Executive alignmentCollaborate with the Risk Steering Committee by providing customer insights and contributing to mitigation strategies.6. PeopleContribute to organizational excellence while fostering collaboration and continuous learning.ResponsibilitiesSupport organizational initiatives that drive business impact and operational excellence.Enable customer-facing teams through coaching, knowledge sharing, and technical enablement.Foster a culture of continuous learning, innovation, accountability, and customer obsession.Collaborate effectively across Go-to-Market (GTM) teams to drive strategic programs and organizational priorities.Continuously build AI expertise while contributing to team-wide AI initiatives andQualificationsExperience5+ years of experience in Customer Success, Solutions Engineering, Technical Consulting, Service Management, or related customer-facing roles.Experience conducting workshops, process consultations, enablement sessions, and executive-level customer engagements.Proven experience collaborating cross-functionally with Product, Engineering, Support, Sales, and Customer Success organizations.Technical & Domain ExpertiseWorking knowledge of ITIL principles and service management best practices (ITIL certification preferred).Strong understanding of Employee Service Management (ESM), workflow automation, operational transformation, and digital workplace processes.Experience working with enterprise SaaS platforms related to service management, workflow orchestration, employee experience, or operational support systems.Deep understanding of workflow optimization, automation, integrations, analytics, and AI-enabled operational experiences.Business & Consulting SkillsStrong analytical skills with the ability to interpret customer health indicators, adoption metrics, and operational performance trends.Excellent communication, presentation, and stakeholder management skills with the ability to engage both technical and executive audiences.Demonstrated ability to influence product direction through structured customer feedback and strategic insights.Additional InformationWillingness to travel up to 30%, based on business needs.Compensation Package$150,000 - $185,000 Base Salary. This role is also eligible for variable compensation. Freshworks offers multiple options for dental, medical, vision, disability and life insurances. ESPP, flexible PTO, flexible spending, commuter benefits and wellness benefits are also offered. Freshworks also offers adoption and parental leave benefits.At Freshworks, we are creating a global workplace that enables everyone to find their true potential, purpose, and passion irrespective of their background, gender, race, sexual orientation, religion and ethnicity. We are committed to providing equal opportunity for all and believe that diversity in the workplace creates a more vibrant, richer work environment that advances the goals of our employees, communities and the business.At Freshworks, we have fostered an environment that enables everyone to find their true potential, purpose, and passion, welcoming colleagues of all backgrounds, genders, sexual orientations, religions, and ethnicities. We are committed to providing equal opportunity and believe that diversity in the workplace creates a more vibrant, richer environment that boosts the goals of our employees, communities, and business. Fresh vision. Real impact. Come build it with us.At Freshworks, we have fostered an environment that enables everyone to find their true potential, purpose, and passion, welcoming colleagues of all backgrounds, genders, sexual orientations, religions, and ethnicities. We are committed to providing equal opportunity and believe that diversity in the workplace creates a more vibrant, richer environment that boosts the goals of our employees, communities, and business. Fresh vision. Real impact. Come build it with us.At Freshworks, we have fostered an environment that enables everyone to find their true potential, purpose, and passion, welcoming colleagues of all backgrounds, genders, sexual orientations, religions, and ethnicities. We are committed to providing equal opportunity and believe that diversity in the workplace creates a more vibrant, richer environment that boosts the goals of our employees, communities, and business. Fresh vision. Real impact. Come build it with us.SummaryType: Full-timeFunction: OtherExperience level: Mid-Senior LevelIndustry: Information Technology And Services