Client Strategist

7Seventy; United States; Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus opportunity

Flexible paid time off

Flexible remote/hybrid work options

Medical, dental, and vision coverage

401(k) with generous company match

Company-paid life insurance

Company-paid disability insurance

Job summary

7Seventy seeks a Client Strategist to own the long-term relationship and strategic direction for a portfolio of institutional clients, primarily in higher education. You will align each institution's goals with the platform, set measurable targets, monitor progress, and adapt strategy as priorities evolve.

You will lead a team of Engagement Managers, drive renewal outcomes, identify upsell opportunities, and collaborate with Product, Support, and Sales to inform the roadmap.

Qualifications

• 6+ years of experience in client success or account management in higher education, SaaS, or a similar environment.
• Experience leading, mentoring, or managing a team.
• Proven success managing renewals and growth for institutional or enterprise clients.
• Experience using customer success or CRM platforms such as ChurnZero and Salesforce.

Responsibilities

• Lead annual strategy sessions with institutional stakeholders to align organizational goals with platform capabilities.
• Establish clear strategic targets and provide direction on platform usage based on each institution's priorities.
• Connect platform capabilities to broader institutional goals related to student success, advancement, enrollment, and other strategic initiatives.
• Monitor progress against established targets and adjust account strategies as institutional priorities change.
• Identify opportunities to expand platform usage in ways that directly support client goals.
• Balance one-to-one strategic guidance with scalable one-to-many programming.
• Help shape client-facing events, including webinars, conferences, campus visits, and hosted events, and identify which opportunities should be planned, organized, and attended based on portfolio needs.
• Represent the collective voice of clients internally by sharing feedback and insights with Client Success leadership, Product, and Engineering teams.
• Own the renewal strategy for the assigned portfolio, including forecasting, timing, and negotiations.
• Identify risk indicators and monitor overall account health.
• Partner with Engagement Managers to recognize at-risk accounts early and implement appropriate intervention strategies.
• Identify upsell and cross-sell opportunities and transition qualified opportunities to the New Sales team.
• Serve as the senior point of contact for institutional leaders across the assigned portfolio.
• Represent client priorities internally and collaborate with Product, Support, and Sales teams to address gaps and help inform the product roadmap.
• Develop a network of institutional champions who can communicate and advocate for the value of the partnership.
• Manage and coach a team of Engagement Managers, establish priorities, and review progress against adoption goals.
• Support Engagement Managers in developing and implementing scalable engagement strategies across their client portfolios.
• Conduct regular one-on-one meetings and support the professional development of team members.
• Help onboard and train new Engagement Managers as the team grows.
• Track monthly gross retention, net retention, logo retention, account health, and adoption metrics across the portfolio.
• Report on portfolio performance and identify risks early enough to take corrective action.
• Use performance data and account insights to determine where the team should prioritize engagement efforts.

Skills

Strategic thinking

Consultative management

Data-driven decisions

Team leadership

Relationship building

Education

Bachelor's degree in related field

Advanced degree preferred

Higher education or SaaS background

Tools

ChurnZero

Salesforce

Job description

The Client Strategist owns the long-term relationship and strategic direction for a portfolio of institutional clients, primarily in higher education. This role focuses on aligning each institution's goals with the platform, establishing measurable targets, monitoring progress, and adjusting strategy as priorities evolve.

The Client Strategist also leads a team of Engagement Managers responsible for carrying out the client strategy in day-to-day interactions and is accountable for renewal outcomes across the assigned portfolio. Success in this role requires strong strategic thinking, consultative client management, data-driven decision-making, team leadership, and the ability to manage multiple institutional relationships in a fast-paced environment.

What You'll Do

Strategic Planning & Account Direction

• Lead annual strategy sessions with institutional stakeholders to align organizational goals with platform capabilities.
• Establish clear strategic targets and provide direction on platform usage based on each institution's priorities.
• Connect platform capabilities to broader institutional goals related to student success, advancement, enrollment, and other strategic initiatives.
• Monitor progress against established targets and adjust account strategies as institutional priorities change.
• Identify opportunities to expand platform usage in ways that directly support client goals.
• Balance one-to-one strategic guidance with scalable one-to-many programming.
• Help shape client-facing events, including webinars, conferences, campus visits, and hosted events, and identify which opportunities should be planned, organized, and attended based on portfolio needs.
• Represent the collective voice of clients internally by sharing feedback and insights with Client Success leadership, Product, and Engineering teams.

Renewal Management

• Own the renewal strategy for the assigned portfolio, including forecasting, timing, and negotiations.
• Identify risk indicators and monitor overall account health.
• Partner with Engagement Managers to recognize at-risk accounts early and implement appropriate intervention strategies.
• Identify upsell and cross-sell opportunities and transition qualified opportunities to the New Sales team.

Client Relationships & Advocacy

• Serve as the senior point of contact for institutional leaders across the assigned portfolio.
• Represent client priorities internally and collaborate with Product, Support, and Sales teams to address gaps and help inform the product roadmap.
• Develop a network of institutional champions who can communicate and advocate for the value of the partnership.
• Manage and coach a team of Engagement Managers, establish priorities, and review progress against adoption goals.
• Support Engagement Managers in developing and implementing scalable engagement strategies across their client portfolios.
• Conduct regular one-on-one meetings and support the professional development of team members.
• Help onboard and train new Engagement Managers as the team grows.

Metrics & Reporting

• Track monthly gross retention, net retention, logo retention, account health, and adoption metrics across the portfolio.
• Report on portfolio performance and identify risks early enough to take corrective action.
• Use performance data and account insights to determine where the team should prioritize engagement efforts.

Qualifications

Experience

• 6+ years of experience in client success, account management, or a related role within higher education, SaaS, or a similar environment.
• Experience leading, managing, or mentoring a team.
• Demonstrated success managing renewals and account growth for institutional or enterprise clients.
• Experience using customer success or CRM platforms such as ChurnZero and Salesforce.

Skills

• Strong strategic and consultative skills with the ability to set direction alongside senior stakeholders at colleges or universities.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including confidence presenting to groups and senior decision-makers.
• Data-driven approach to monitoring account health, measuring performance, and identifying risk.
• Ability to manage multiple institutional relationships and competing priorities simultaneously.
• Strong relationship-building, negotiation, organizational, and leadership skills.

Education

• Bachelor's degree in a related field required.
• Advanced degree is a plus.
• Background in higher education, SaaS, or both is preferred.
• Annual bonus opportunity.
• Flexible paid time off.
• Flexible remote and hybrid work options.
• Medical, dental, and vision coverage.
• 401(k) plan with a generous company match.
• Company-paid life insurance.
• Company-paid disability insurance.