Principle CS Strategy & Operations Manager
PagerDuty is seeking a Principle CS Strategy & Operations Manager to join our talented, customer-focused team! The Principle CS Strategy & Operations Manager is the operating backbone of PagerDuty's Customer Success organization. This role sits at the intersection of strategic planning and operational execution: defining how the CS org should grow, then building the systems, data, and processes that make that growth measurable and repeatable.
You'll partner directly with CS leadership to translate top-line retention and expansion goals into segmentation, coverage models, and playbooks — and you'll own the tooling, metrics, and forecasting infrastructure that lets the org run itself with rigor. This is a hands-on, high-visibility role for someone who is equally comfortable building an executive narrative for the board and getting into the weeds of a Gainsight workflow.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Strategy & Planning
Define and drive the multi-year strategy for Customer Success, aligned to net revenue retention (NRR), gross retention (GRR), and product adoption goals.
Partner with CS leadership on org design, segmentation, and coverage models (scaled, digital-led, and high-touch) as the customer base and product portfolio evolve.
Own executive and board-level reporting on CS performance — translating operational data into a clear narrative on retention, risk, and growth.
Identify and prioritize the initiatives with the highest impact on retention and expansion, using data to build the business case and secure cross-functional buy-in.
Represent the voice of the customer to Product and GTM leadership, shaping roadmap and go-to-market decisions with CS insights.
Partner with Finance on the annual operating plan for CS — headcount, budget, and productivity assumptions — and revisit as the business fluctuates.
Operations & Execution
Own the CS technology stack (e.g., Gainsight, Salesforce, and adjacent tools) — including customer health scoring, journey automation, and reporting infrastructure.
Design, instrument, and continuously improve the end-to-end customer journey: onboarding, adoption, renewal, and expansion playbooks.
Build and maintain the KPI framework and executive dashboards CS leadership and the broader business rely on to run the function, using BI tooling (e.g., Tableau, Looker, Power BI, or Sigma) alongside native Salesforce reporting.
Evaluate and deploy AI tools and workflows that increase CSM productivity, surface proactive churn/risk signals, and streamline customer engagement — in line with PagerDuty's own AI-first platform positioning.
Own capacity planning, book-of-business design, and territory/account assignment in partnership with Sales Ops, Finance, and People teams.
Partner with CS leadership and People/Comp teams on CS compensation plan design, ensuring incentives align with retention and expansion priorities.
Lead the renewal operations process end-to-end — forecasting, risk segmentation, and engagement strategy for at-risk accounts.
Drive cross-functional programs that connect CS with Sales, Support, Marketing, Product, and Finance, including OKR setting, execution tracking, and post-program measurement.
Lead and mentor a high-performing CS Strategy & Operations team, building a culture of ownership and continuous improvement.
What Success Looks Like
Improved NRR & GRR
Health score & risk model adopted org-wide
Scalable renewal & segmentation model in place
Trusted, self-serve CS reporting for execs
AI-enabled workflows measurably reducing manual CSM effort
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
6–8+ years in Customer Success Operations, Revenue Operations, or Strategy & Ops, with at least 3 years leading direct reports.
Track record building or scaling CS operations in an enterprise SaaS or subscription business.
Deep, hands-on experience with CS/CRM platforms (Gainsight, Salesforce, or similar) and BI tooling (Tableau, Looker, Power BI, or Sigma).
Experience evaluating or deploying AI-powered tools for customer success or revenue operations workflows.
Experience partnering with C-suite/board-level stakeholders on strategy and reporting.
Experience leading cross-functional initiatives across Sales, Product, Support, and Finance in a mid-to-large organization.
Sharp analytical instincts — comfortable turning messy, cross-system data into a clear point of view.
Strong program management discipline: can define OKRs, run execution cadences, and hold cross-functional teams to deadlines.
Excellent written and verbal communication; able to flex from a board deck to a process doc.
Bias toward action and ownership — genuinely embodies "Ack + Own."
Comfortable operating with ambiguity in a fast-moving, distributed organization.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
Experience with digital/tech-touch customer engagement models, incident management or observability domain knowledge, experience with CS compensation plan design, and experience supporting a public-company reporting cadence.
The base salary range for this position is 131,000 - 220,000 USD. This role may also be eligible for bonus, commission, equity, and/or benefits.
Our base salary ranges are determined by role, level, and location. The range, which is subject to change based on primary work location, reflects the minimum and maximum base salary we expect to pay newly hired employees for the position. Within the range, we determine pay for an individual based on a number of factors including market location, job-related knowledge, skills/competencies and experience.
Your recruiter can share more about the specific offerings for this role, as well as the salary range for your primary work location during the hiring process.