Customer Success Program Manager

Autodesk; Portland (OR); On-site; USD 102,000 - 183,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

Time off

Wellness programs

Job summary

Autodesk seeks a Customer Success Principal Program Manager to lead cross-functional programs aligning CS priorities with measurable customer and business outcomes. The role designs governance, roadmaps and decision rights, coordinating stakeholders to improve retention, adoption and growth across global customers.

You will influence senior leaders, manage risk, and apply data-driven approaches to deliver value while advancing CS capabilities and change across the organization.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent relevant professional experience.
• 8+ years leading complex, cross-functional programs in SaaS/subscription businesses.
• Ability to influence senior stakeholders and lead without direct authority.
• Experience in governance, integrated roadmaps, prioritization, dependency management and risk escalation.
• Ability to build outcome measures and evidence-based recommendations using business and financial data.
• Strong written communication and executive presentation skills.

Responsibilities

• Design and lead complex programs spanning multiple workstreams, functions or strategic priorities.
• Develop and maintain integrated program roadmaps; assess value, dependencies, risk and capacity.
• Lead cross-functional delivery; secure sponsorship, align stakeholders and manage resistance.
• Lead executive governance forums, communicate concise decision-oriented narratives, surface options and recommendations.
• Manage risk, issue and escalation; establish mitigations and timely escalations.
• Apply AI-enabled workflows to improve program planning, coordination and execution.

Skills

Stakeholder influence

Executive communication

Program governance

Risk management

Value analytics

Cross-functional collaboration

Analytical skills

Change management

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Job description

Job Requisition ID #

26WD101584

Customer Success Principal Program Manager

Position Overview

The Customer Success (CS) Principal Program Manager leads complex, cross-functional programs that translate CS strategic priorities into measurable customer and business outcomes. The Customer Success Principal Program Manager performs activities that enable the CS team to operate at a higher level of performance by optimizing how and when the team engages with customers to prevent and mitigate risk to revenue as well as find opportunities for growth in our existing customer base. This role establishes clear program strategy, governance, roadmaps and decision-making, aligns stakeholders across functions, and drives sustainable operational change. Through evidence-based prioritisation, risk management and benefits realisation, the role strengthens how CS delivers customer value, adoption, retention and growth. This role will report to the Senior Manager, Success Delivery Practice within CS Business Excellence organisation. This is a global role supporting multiple segments and regions. It has no direct reports and leads through influence.

Responsibilities

• Program strategy and governance: Design and lead complex programs spanning multiple workstreams, functions or strategic priorities. Define objectives, scope, outcomes, ownership, decision rights, governance and success measures aligned to CS and company goals.
• Customer engagement models: Design, test and evolve CS coverage and segmentation models, playbooks, and digital and high-touch engagement approaches. Align CSM capacity to customer risk and growth opportunity.
• Portfolio and roadmap management: Develop and maintain integrated program roadmaps; assess strategic value, customer impact, dependencies, risk and capacity; make trade-offs transparent and align leaders on sequencing, investment and priorities.
• Cross-functional leadership and change: Lead cross-functional delivery without relying on formal authority. Secure sponsorship, align stakeholders, manage resistance and build readiness, adoption and sustained changes in ways of working.
• Executive influence and communication: Lead executive governance forums, communicate concise decision-oriented narratives, surface options and recommendations, and secure timely decisions on complex or sensitive issues.
• Risk, issue and escalation management: Anticipate systemic risks and cross-program dependencies; analyze root causes and downstream impacts; establish mitigations, contingencies and timely executive escalations.
• Business outcomes and financial acumen: Define measurable customer and business outcomes using CS metrics such as retention, churn, renewals, health scores, adoption and time-to-value. Identify baselines, targets and benefits and build credible value cases, evaluating costs and resource trade-offs, and tracking benefits beyond delivery milestones.
• Data, insights and performance: Integrate relevant program, customer and business data to identify trends, performance drivers, risks and opportunities. Challenge weak assumptions and translate evidence into decisions and actions.
• Methodologies and operating practices: Apply fit-for-purpose program methods, standards, tools and operating rhythms. Improve cross-functional processes and balance scalable standards with legitimate local or segment needs.
• AI and automation: Design and apply responsible AI-enabled and automated workflows to improve program planning, coordination, insight, reporting and execution; establish human validation and measure resulting quality or productivity improvements.
• Continuous improvement and domain expertise: Use deep CS lifecycle and operating-model knowledge to diagnose systemic problems, test solutions, scale successful approaches and embed measurable improvements. Share reusable practices and coach colleagues.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent relevant professional experience.
• 8+ years of experience leading complex, cross-functional programs or strategic initiatives, including 4+ years in Customer Success, customer lifecycle management, or a related post-sale, customer-facing role within a SaaS or subscription-based business.
• Demonstrated ability to influence senior stakeholders, facilitate executive decision-making and lead teams without direct authority.
• Experience in program governance, integrated roadmaps, prioritization, dependency management and risk escalation.
• Ability to build outcome measures, value cases and evidence-based recommendations using business and financial data.
• Strong written communication, executive presentation, facilitation and analytical problem-solving skills.
• Experience leading organizational change and embedding new operating practices; proficiency with modern program-management, reporting and collaboration tools.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in Customer Success, customer lifecycle management, SaaS or a related customer-facing operating environment.
• Experience with portfolio planning, operational excellence, process redesign or management consulting.
• Experience using analytics, automation and responsible AI to improve program delivery and organisational effectiveness.
• Experience developing reusable program standards, coaching peers or contributing to enterprise-wide practices.

About Autodesk

Welcome to Autodesk! Amazing things are created every day with our software - from the greenest buildings and cleanest cars to the smartest factories and biggest hit movies. We help innovators turn their ideas into reality, transforming not only how things are made, but what can be made. We take great pride in our culture here at Autodesk - it’s at the core of everything we do. Our culture guides the way we work and treat each other, informs how we connect with customers and partners, and defines how we show up in the world. When you’re an Autodesker, you can do meaningful work that helps build a better world designed and made for all. Ready to shape the world and your future? Join us!

Benefits

From health and financial benefits to time away and everyday wellness, we give Autodeskers the best, so they can do their best work. Learn more about our benefits in the U.S. by visiting https://benefits.autodesk.com/

Salary transparency

Salary is one part of Autodesk's competitive compensation package. For U.S.-based roles, we expect a starting base salary between $102,000 and $182,710. Offers are based on the candidate’s experience and geographic location, and may exceed this range. In addition to base salaries, our compensation package may include annual cash bonuses, commissions for sales roles, stock grants, and a comprehensive benefits package.

Sales Careers

Working in sales at Autodesk allows you to build meaningful relationships with customers while growing your career. Join us and help make a better, more sustainable world. Learn more here: https://www.autodesk.com/careers/sales

Equal Employment Opportunity

At Autodesk, we're building a diverse workplace and an inclusive culture to give more people the chance to imagine, design, and make a better world. Autodesk is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and considers all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status or any other legally protected characteristic. We also consider for employment all qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with applicable law.

Belonging

We take pride in cultivating a culture of belonging where everyone can thrive. Learn more here: https://www.autodesk.com/company/global-belonging

In-Person Onboarding and Identity Verification

This role may require in-person onboarding and/or in-person ID verification.