Manager, Customer Success

About Customer.io

Over 9,000 companies — from scrappy startups to global brands — use our platform to send billions of emails, push notifications, in-app messages, and SMS every day. Customer.io powers automated communication that people actually want to receive. We help teams send smarter, more relevant messages using real-time behavioral data.

About the role

Hi, my name is Ali Bowen, Sr. Director of Customer Success at Customer.io, and I'm looking for a Manager, Customer Success to lead one of our Americas CS pods and help me build the kind of team that raises the bar for everyone around them.

You'll own a pod of 5-7 CSMs — responsible for their performance, their development, and the commercial outcomes across their book of business. This isn't a coordinator role or a team lead position. I need someone who sets the agenda for their segment, coaches their team to operate with real autonomy, and comes to me with solutions — not just problems.

We're in a moment of active change: new leadership, new product motion, a commercial model we're building out. The person who thrives here is excited by that, not intimidated by it. They've navigated ambiguity before, they know how to hold a team steady through it, and they have a genuine bias for figuring it out and moving forward.

What we value

• Ownership over activity: We care about outcomes, not effort optics. You set the agenda for your pod, and you're accountable for what comes out the other side — whether that's a renewal saved, a rep developed, or a pattern surfaced to leadership that actually changes something.
• Coaching as a core skill: Managing CS is not about doing the work for people. It's about setting clear standards, holding them, and helping your team get there. We want someone who's great at the craft of coaching — call reviews, development conversations, holding the mirror up with care and directness.
• Commercial literacy: You see CS as a retention and growth engine, not just relationship management. You know how to connect what your team does day to day to those numbers, and you help your directs see it too.
• Comfort in the gray: We move fast, priorities shift, and not everything is figured out. If you need a fully built playbook before you can execute, this isn't the right environment. If you're energized by being part of building it — this is the place.
• AI-forward thinking: We expect our leaders to be ahead of their teams on AI adoption — not just advocates, but practitioners who can show what AI-native CS work actually looks like and push their teams to operate differently because of it.

What you'll do

• Lead a pod of 5-7 CSMs through structured 1:1s, performance feedback, and development conversations — with a clear standard for what good looks like at every level
• Own retention and growth outcomes across your pod's book of business; engage directly on escalations, at-risk renewals, and high-value accounts where your involvement matters
• Translate org-level priorities into team-level goals, workloads, and clear expectations your directs can execute against
• Manage the full performance spectrum — accelerate high performers, address underperformance early and directly, and document with the rigor that People Team processes require
• Surface patterns and insights from your pod's book to senior leadership — with proposed solutions, not just observations
• Drive AI adoption on your team, identifying efficiency opportunities and modeling what AI-native CS work looks like in practice

What we're looking for

• 2-3 years of people management experience in a B2B SaaS CS environment, with a track record of developing CSMs — not just managing their workload
• Commercial accountability in previous roles — you've owned or closely partnered on GRR/NRR targets and know how to connect team behavior to those outcomes
• Demonstrated experience leading a team through change — org shifts, model changes, ambiguous environments — while keeping performance and morale intact
• High autonomy — you operate without day-to-day direction, surface risks before they become fires, and bring a point of view to every conversation
• Genuine AI fluency — you can speak to specific ways you've used AI to change how your team operates, not just tools you've explored
• Comfortable getting on the phone — you're coaching-first, but you know when manager involvement on an escalation or renewal is what actually moves things

Compensation & Benefits

We believe in transparency. Starting salary for this role is $120,000 – $140,000 USD (or equivalent in local currency) depending on experience and subject to market rate adjustment.

We know our people are what make us great, and we’re committed to taking great care of them. Our inclusive benefits package supports your well-being and growth, including 100% coverage of medical, dental, vision, mental health, and supplemental insurance premiums for you and your family. We also offer 16 weeks paid parental leave, unlimited PTO, stipends for remote work and wellness, a professional development budget, and more.

See full benefits here →

Our Process

No gotchas, no trick questions - just a clear, human process designed to help both of us make an informed decision.

• Recruiter Screen (30 minutes)
• Hiring Manager Interview (45 minutes)
• Leadership Case Presentation (60 minutes)

All final candidates will be asked to complete a background check and employment verifications as part of our pre-employment process.

Customer.io recognizes the stifling impact of systemic injustice on diverse communities. We commit to using our influence to increase inclusion and equity within the tech industry. We strive to build an inclusive team culture, implement bias-free hiring practices, and develop community partnerships to expand our global impact.

Zoom is the only video conference platform that we use, virtual interviews will be conducted using the video capability (i.e., not via the chat), and offers will be extended in writing on official Customer.io letterhead. Please be vigilant in all of your job search activity, and if you have any questions please contact jobs@customer.io.

Join us!

Check out our careers page for more information about why you should come work with us! We believe in empathy, transparency, responsibility, and, yes, a little awkwardness. If you’re excited by what you read — apply now.