Customer Success Manager

Column is the software platform for public information. We build automated tools and workflow solutions that help governments, law firms, and media organizations notify the public. Today, thousands of publishers and tens of thousands of agencies, firms, and individuals rely on Column to keep their communities informed every day. We're reimagining how public information connects people, institutions, and media.

We're a remote-first team of engineers, designers, and builders who are committed to creating software that supports an informed public.

We are seeking a commercially minded Customer Success Manager who is responsible for the successful implementation, ongoing management, retention, and growth of an assigned book of business (BoB). This role combines customer relationship management, account health, revenue protection, and operational execution.

The ideal candidate is financially accountable, highly organized, proactive with customers, and comfortable owning the overall health and sustainability of their portfolio.

Key Responsibilities

Customer Success & Account Management

• Own the overall health, retention, and performance of an assigned book of business.
• Lead the implementation and onboarding of new accounts , ensuring a smooth transition from sale to successful launch.
• Develop strong relationships with customers and serve as a trusted point of contact throughout the customer lifecycle.
• Optimize customer revenue capture rates based on contracted value
• Maintain and drive revenue retention , proactively identifying risks that could impact customer or account revenue.
• Identify opportunities to improve customer feature adoption, engagement, and satisfaction.
• Partner with internal teams to resolve customer issues and ensure timely delivery of commitments.
• Assist with invoice collection and accounts receivable follow-up , working with customers and internal finance teams to resolve outstanding balances.
• Maintain accurate account records, forecasts, and customer status updates in appropriate systems.
• Manage customer expectations and communicate proactively regarding performance, billing, and account-related issues.

Success Metrics & KPIs

Performance will be measured against clear, quantifiable business outcomes:

• Revenue Retention: Minimum 90% revenue retention .
• Book of Business (BoB) Utility: Maintain below 10% (salary / BoB revenue).
• Minimum Capture Rate: 90% .
• Trailing Capture Rate: 90-day trailing capture rate measured at the end of each half year.
• Invoice Collection Support: Proactively assist in resolving outstanding invoices, minimizing overdue balances, and manage Days Sales Outstanding for invoices.
• Account Implementation: Successfully launch new accounts according to established implementation timelines and standards.

Required Qualifications

• 3+ years Customer Relationship Management : Proven ability to build trusted relationships, manage customer expectations, communicate effectively with a diverse range of stakeholders, and comfort with handling conflict with customers and maintaining alignment and accountability. As well as demonstrated experience managing and growing a book of business.
• Commercial & Customer Acumen: Strong understanding of customer retention, revenue protection, and account health, with demonstrated financial and commercial acumen to manage accounts and identify opportunities for growth.
• Product & Technical Acumen: Strong understanding of products and technology, with the ability to lead customer onboarding, drive product adoption, and translate technical concepts into clear, easy-to-understand language.
• Data-Driven Approach: Comfortable using customer health metrics, usage data, and performance indicators to identify risks, prioritize engagement, and measure customer success.
• Project & Time Management: Highly organized with the ability to manage multiple accounts and competing priorities, including onboarding, training, adoption initiatives, and ongoing customer needs, while consistently meeting milestones and deadlines.
• Strategic Thinking: Ability to understand customer business objectives, align those goals with product capabilities, identify opportunities for growth and expansion, and proactively drive retention.
• Communication & Empathy: Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with strong active-listening abilities and the confidence to present, navigate challenging conversations, and communicate effectively under pressure.
• Voice of the Customer: Ability to gather, synthesize, and communicate customer feedback and insights to internal teams to help inform product improvements and roadmap priorities.
• Cross-Functional Leadership: Demonstrated ability to collaborate and influence across teams to coordinate resources, solve customer challenges, and deliver successful customer outcomes.

Preferred:

• Experience in B2B SaaS or marketplace environments
• Familiarity with Front, HubSpot, Looker, or similar CRM and BI tools
• Experience working with publishers, governments, and law firms

Ideal Candidate Profile

The successful candidate will demonstrate:

• Financial Accountability: Understands the connection between customer retention, portfolio economics, and revenue performance.
• Customer Ownership: Takes responsibility for the customer experience from implementation through ongoing account management.
• Operational Excellence: Can effectively coordinate implementations, follow through on commitments, and keep accounts on track.
• Revenue Protection: Proactively identifies risks to revenue and takes action to maintain strong capture and retention rates.
• Collections Mindset: Comfortable having professional conversations with customers regarding invoices and outstanding balances.
• Portfolio Sustainability: Builds healthy, profitable customer relationships that support long-term retention and account success.

What Success Looks Like

Success in this role means maintaining a healthy and sustainable book of business while delivering an exceptional customer experience. The ideal candidate will successfully implement new accounts, maintain strong customer relationships, achieve 90%+ revenue retention , maintain a minimum 90% capture rate , keep BoB utility below 10% , proactively manage account health, and assist in ensuring invoices are collected in a timely manner.

Alignment with our Core Values

1. Be the person people can count on.
2. 1. We set clear expectations, take responsibility for our work, and deliver results.
3. Clear focus.
4. 1. We communicate clearly, prioritize effectively, and stay focused on what truly moves our work forward.
5. Grit and growth mindset.
6. 1. We raise the bar, take ownership, and view challenges as opportunities to learn and improve.
7. T.E.A.M (Together everyone achieves more)
8. 1. We uplift each other, celebrate progress, and succeed as a team.

Compensation & Benefits

• Compensation: $73,800 + performance bonus tied to upsells and rate of contracted revenue captured.
• Equity participation in a high-growth, mission-driven company
• 401K with match
• Health, dental, vision, life, short-term and long-term disability insurance
• Flexible PTO and fully remote work environment (U.S.-based)