Director, Global Scaled CS

Kong; North Carolina; Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading API and AI technology firm seeks a Director of Scaled Customer Success to lead a global team and redefine customer support strategies. The ideal candidate has over 10 years in Customer Success within SaaS, with a proven track record in leadership and automation. Responsibilities include designing a 'one-to-many' customer journey and implementing AI-driven tools for scaling customer experiences. This role offers the opportunity to impact customer success strategies at a global level.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in Customer Success, Account Management, or Professional Services within SaaS.
• 5+ years leading high-performing teams, ideally in global environments.
• Experience leading a Technical Account Manager or Technical CSM function is preferred.
• Track record of building automated customer journeys.
• Ability to translate complex data into actionable retention strategies.

Responsibilities

• Directly manage a global team of 15 Customer Success Managers.
• Design and execute a 'one-to-many' customer success strategy.
• Build automated onboarding and adoption paths.
• Implement AI-driven tools for personalized customer experience.
• Shift manual support to a digital-first resource engine.
• Monitor commercial base health to prevent churn.
• Develop precise annual and quarterly retention forecasts.

Skills

Customer Success

Leadership

Data-Driven Decision Making

API Management

SaaS Experience

Tools

Gainsight

Totango

ChurnZero

Job description

Are you ready to power the World's connections?

If you don’t think you meet all of the criteria below but are still interested in the job, please apply. Nobody checks every box - we’re looking for candidates that are particularly strong in a few areas, and have some interest and capabilities in others.

About the Role

Kong is looking for a visionary Director of Scaled Customer Success to redefine how we support, retain, and grow our expanding global commercial base. This is not a traditional "hands‑on" account management role; we are looking for a digital‑first architect who can blend human expertise with cutting‑edge automation and AI.

You will lead a high‑performing global team of Customer Success Managers (CSMs) focusing on a "one‑to‑many" approach that ensures every customer—regardless of size—achieves world‑class API connectivity and business value.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead a Global Team: Directly manage a Manager and a global team of 15 CSMs (and growing), fostering a culture of technical excellence and proactive customer advocacy within the Commercial segment.

• Low‑Touch Strategy Development: Design and execute a sophisticated "one‑to‑many" CS strategy. You will move away from manual intervention toward a scalable model that maintains high engagement through innovation.

• Scaled Digital Journeys: Build end‑to‑end digital customer lifecycles. You will automate onboarding and adoption paths to accelerate "Time to Value" (TTV) milestones for thousands of users.

• AI‑Enhanced Customer Experience: Act as a pioneer in the "new age" of CS. Identify and implement AI‑driven tools and workflows to provide a personalized, high‑touch feel at a massive scale.

• Scale‑Focused Content Strategy: Shift the paradigm from manual support to a digital‑first resource engine. Lead the creation of automated webinars, interactive documentation, and self‑service hubs.

• Value‑to‑Utilization Alignment: Monitor the health of the commercial base to identify and bridge "Value Debt." You will ensure that customer technical utilization directly translates into realized business outcomes to prevent churn.

• Strategic Forecasting: Partner closely with the Renewals Manager to develop precise annual and quarterly forecasts, driving higher retention and expansion rates across the scaled segment.

Requirements

• Experience: 10+ years of professional experience in Customer Success, Account Management, or Professional Services within the SaaS or Infrastructure space.

• Leadership: 5+ years of experience leading and scaling high‑performing teams, ideally in a global or remote environment.

• Technical Pedigree: Experience leading a TAM (Technical Account Manager) or Technical CSM function is highly preferred. You should be comfortable discussing API management, microservices, or cloud infrastructure.

• The "Digital First" Mindset: A proven track record of building automated customer journeys and utilizing CS platforms (e.g., Gainsight, Totango, ChurnZero) to drive scale.

• Data‑Driven: Ability to translate complex data sets into actionable retention strategies and accurate financial forecasts.

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About Kong:

Kong Inc., a leading developer of API and AI connectivity technologies, is building the infrastructure that powers the agentic era. Trusted by the Fortune 500 and startups alike, Kong's unified API and AI platform, Kong Konnect, enables organizations to secure, manage, accelerate, govern, and monetize the flow of intelligence across APIs and AI models. For more information, visit www.konghq.com.