Principal Professional Services Solutions Consultant

Blackline Systems Inc; United States; Hybrid; USD 126,000 - 158,000; Full time

Job summary

BlackLine is seeking a Principal Professional Services Solutions Consultant to lead services sales for our SaaS accounting platform in the United States. You will manage the services sales process, consult with customers to understand needs, estimate LOE for implementations, and prepare comprehensive SOWs.

You will collaborate with sales, product, and customer success teams to craft tailored PS offerings, drive adoption, and ensure successful deployments.

Qualifications

• Proven experience selling SaaS or accounting-related services.
• Strong knowledge of accounting principles and financial software.
• Ability to translate client objectives into services solutions.
• 8+ years in a customer-facing role.
• Experience drafting and negotiating Statements of Work (SOW).
• Excellent communication, presentation, and relationship skills.

Responsibilities

• Manage services sales pipeline and forecast opportunities.
• Lead PS solutioning for high-complexity customers and customize strategies.
• Collaborate with sales, product, and support teams to align on requirements.
• Prepare comprehensive SOWs with scope, deliverables, timelines, and cost.
• Provide hand-offs from sales to service and ensure smooth deployments.
• Maintain up-to-date activity in CRM and report on KPIs.

Skills

SaaS sales

Account management

SOW drafting

Client consulting

CRM tools

Project management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business, Accounting, Information Systems, or related fields

Tools

CRM software

Project management software

Job description

Make Your Mark

The Principal Professional Services Solutions Consultant (Principal PSSC) will be responsible for selling services related to the company's SaaS accounting software. This role involves managing the services sales process, consulting with prospective and existing customers to understand their business needs, estimating the level of effort for implementation, and preparing a comprehensive Statements of Work (SOW). The ideal candidate will have a blend of sales acumen, technical knowledge, and project management skills to effectively sell and guide customers through the software adoption process.

Sales and Customer Engagement

• Develop and manage a pipeline of new business opportunities by identifying and targeting existing and prospective customers.
• Partner with the Sales and Partner teams responsible for product sales to collaborate on the services aspect of the deals.
• Coordinate product demonstrations and consultations to showcase how the accounting software meets customer needs from a Services Sales perspective.
• Build and maintain strong customer and partner relationships, acting as a trusted advisor during the sales cycle.
• Collaborate with internal teams (e.g. sales, technical, customer support) to ensure alignment on customer requirements.
• Lead Professional Services (PS) solutioning for high‑complexity customers and prospects, developing customized strategies and tailored collateral to drive successful business outcomes, as needed.
• Drive the adoption and successful rollout of new Professional Services (PS) offerings, proactively navigating ambiguity to deliver structured, high‑impact results.

Effort Estimation & Implementation Planning

• Analyze customer needs and business processes to develop an accurate understanding of the scope and complexity of each implementation project.
• Estimate the level of LOE for software setup, customization, integration, and training services.
• Manage discussions on project timelines, resources, and budgets based on customer requirements.
• Communicate estimations and timelines clearly to internal teams, customers and/or partners.
• Apply retrospective learnings through effective communication and collaboration with PS teams to improve accuracy of estimates.

Statement of Work (SOW) Creation

• Prepare comprehensive Statements of Work (SOW) outlining project scope, deliverables, timelines, and costs.
• Ensure SOWs clearly define all aspects of the engagement, including functional and technical requirements, out of scope elements, integrations, customizations, and training.
• Elicit, document, interpret and translate client business outcomes to be used for SOW creation and project delivery.
• Coordinate with Legal team where necessary to ensure all documents meet company standards.

Collaboration & Coordination

• Work closely with the product, customer success, and technical teams to ensure seamless hand‑offs from sales to implementation.
• Provide a comprehensive Sales to Service hand‑off to ensure continuity in the customer journey.
• Collaborate and contribute to team goals and successes, including development of new processes, partnering cross‑org to assist with offering development or rollout, identifying PSS process improvements, and delivering training across the teams and subject matter expertise.
• Mentor and advise less experienced team members on BlackLine PSS and PS processes and procedures.

Sales Support & Reporting

• Maintain up‑to‑date services sales activities, opportunities, and customer interactions using CRM tools.
• Provide regular updates and timely and accurate forecasts for owned opportunities on a regular cadence. Communicate risks and changes to forecast timely and as needed.
• Meet or exceed services sales quotas and KPIs related to service bookings.

Go‑To‑Market Assets

• Assist in the ongoing development of Go To Market playbooks.
• Work closely with product, marketing and service to assist in the development of other assets (e.g., workshop enablers, use cases, competitive comparisons, sales/partner training, whitepapers, webcasts, etc.)

What You’ll Bring

• Proven experience in selling SaaS or accounting‑related software services.
• Strong knowledge of accounting principles and financial software applications (BlackLine preferred).
• Proven ability to translate prospective and existing customer objectives into services solutions.
• 8+ years in a customer facing role.
• Ability to estimate project complexity and the LOE required for software implementation.
• Experience in drafting and negotiating Statements of Work.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and relationship‑building skills.
• Ability to manage multiple service sales opportunities simultaneously.
• Familiarity with CRM tools, project management software, and accounting systems.
• Bachelor's degree in Business, Accounting, Information Systems, or related fields is preferred.

Key Competencies

• Customer‑focused with a consultative selling approach.
• Strong analytical skills for effort estimation and project planning.
• Attention to detail, especially when drafting and reviewing SOWs.
• Ability to thrive in a fast‑paced, dynamic environment.

We're Even More Excited If You Have

This role is ideal for someone who is both services sales‑driven and technically adept, with a deep understanding of SaaS implementations in the accounting domain.

Thrive at BlackLine Because You Are Joining

• A technology‑based company with a sense of adventure and a vision for the future. Every door at BlackLine is open. Just bring your brains, your problem‑solving skills, and be part of a winning team at the world's most trusted name in Finance Automation!
• A culture that is kind, open, and accepting. It's a place where people can embrace what makes them unique, and the mix of cultural backgrounds and varying interests cultivates diverse thought and perspectives.
• A culture where BlackLiner's continued growth and learning is empowered. BlackLine offers a wide variety of professional development seminars and inclusive affinity groups to celebrate and support our diversity.

BlackLine is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity or expression, race, ethnicity, age, religious creed, national origin, physical or mental disability, ancestry, color, marital status, sexual orientation, military or veteran status, status as a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking, medical condition, genetic information, or any other protected class or category recognized by applicable equal employment opportunity or other similar laws.

BlackLine recognizes that the ways we work and the workplace itself has shifted. We innovate in a workplace that optimizes a combination of virtual and in‑person interactions to maximize collaboration and nurture our culture. Candidates who live within a reasonable commute to one of our offices will work in the office at least 3 days a week.

Salary Range

$126,000.00-$158,000.00

Pay Transparency Statement

Placement within this range depends upon several factors, including the applicant's prior relevant job experience, skill set, and geographic location.

In addition to base pay, BlackLine also offers short‑term and long‑term incentive programs, based on eligibility, along with a robust offering of benefit and wellness plans.

We are committed to pay transparency and ensuring candidates have clear information about compensation expectations. For roles that include variable incentive components such as an Incentive Compensation Plan (ICP) or On‑Target Earnings (OTE), the compensation structure may follow a split model - for example, a 50/50, 70/30, or 60/40 ratio between base salary and variable incentive.

Accommodations

BlackLine is committed to creating an inclusive and accessible experience for all candidates. If you require a reasonable accommodation that would better enable your success during the application or interview process, please complete this form.

Accommodations

BlackLine is committed to creating an inclusive and accessible experience for all candidates. If you require a reasonable accommodation that would better enable your success during the application or interview process, please complete this form.