Senior Director, Customer Success

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**What we do**

SAS is the Founder and Future of Analytics Through our software and services, we inspire customers around the world to transform data into intelligence. Our curiosity fuels innovation, pushing boundaries, challenging the status quo and changing the way we live. We are now looking for a Leader to build up our Customer Success team for Emerging EMEA and APAC.

**What you’ll do**

The Director of Customer Success for EME-AP region is responsible for building, leading and developing a high-performing, expert team of Customer Success Managers (CSMs) charged with ensuring the promotion, adoption and utilization of SAS solutions by our customers. The position is also responsible for the management and strategy of the renewal lifecycle for these regions.

Our Customer Success (CS) team helps our customers drive business value from their SAS investments, which are increasingly being served through a SaaS model and deployed in a Cloud environment. Our customers rank among the largest and most successful in their industry across the region.

As the leader of the Customer Success team, you will ensure your team works closely with our Sales, Presales and Consulting teams and the extended Support organizations. You will be personally involved in the most strategic and high potential customer success activities within the region, building trust with key decision makers and supporting the Customer Success team building and executing actionable Customer Success plans in their accounts.

The Customer Success Director reports directly to the VP Customer Success for EMEA/APAC and will be a member of EMEA/APAC leadership team.

**You will**:

- Actively contribute to the Customer Success Strategy for EMEA Emerging/AP and its execution by developing strategies that increases the effectiveness of the CS function and organisation and defining service levels and resources necessary to satisfy these needs
- Provide strategic and operational leadership and partnership with key cross-functional stakeholders and key partners to accelerate unified customer success practices and other initiatives
- Determine equitable territory assignments; set and review performance goals and establish priorities for all reporting staff
- Develop procedures and guidelines to support complete territory account management processes.
- Serve as an advisor and resource to team members and management in all aspects of customer relationship management skills and techniques, territory management, policies and procedures, SAS software/hardware platforms, market trends and preparation of complex Customer Success Plans as needed, and formulation of resolutions and responses related to unusual complex problems and exceptions.
- Assume a leadership role in collaborating with Sales Business Units and Marketing to improve the customer experience by making suggestions for process enhancements and educating their staff.
- Participate with CSM’s and support staff in customer calls and presentations, goal identification, evaluation of account needs, and design of appropriate strategies.
- Lead and grow the function with a talent first mindset - recruiting excellent talent, developing talent, and scaling to meet the demands and challenges of our customers, company, and products
- Foster a service minded culture, demonstrate energy and enthusiasm with employees and customers, and build teamwork
- Monitor new staff during their initial training program period and evaluate their skills throughout the program based on training objectives; identify internal training needs and make recommendations where appropriate.
- Keep abreast of customer relationship management methodologies and practices.
- Promote and utilizes SAS selling concepts and techniques.
**What we’re looking for**
- Demonstrated proven record of complex solution selling and strong negotiation skills.
- Demonstrated understanding of strategic sales techniques and principles, specifically in the software industry, as well as selling to Fortune 500 companies and/or large governmental institutions.
- Demonstrated knowledge of at least three industries and/or market segments.
- Demonstrated ability to understand the customers’ needs and provide thought leadership to influence and build trust at different customer levels including senior/executive management, all leading to increased customer satisfaction
- Preferably experience in building and developing a Customer Success team and function driving software renewals and growth, and ideally for a Cloud / SaaS portfolio
- Proven ability to create and implement complex, cross-organization programs to drive efficient, innovative operations and contain expenses
- Aptitude with reporting and analytics tools
- Proven track record as a people manager with the ability to coach and develop a team
- Strong leadership, supervisory, interpersonal and oral communication skills.
- Ability to work and learn independently; demonstrated ability to interact p