Sr Customer Success Manager

Workday; Ohio; Hybrid; USD 108,000 - 192,000; Full time

Job summary

Workday is seeking a Senior/Principal Customer Success Manager to support higher education institutions across North America. You will bridge executive strategy with product insights in HCM, Financials, and Student solutions, guiding complex programs to renewal and growth.

In this role you will manage a portfolio of 20–25 institutions, collaborate with Sales, Services, and Product teams, and drive adoption with data-driven, proactive customer journeys while leading with inclusive,

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in enterprise Customer Success, consulting, or account management ideally within the Higher Education industry (public, private, research, or system‑level settings).
• 5+ years of Functional domain experience and familiarity with HCM, Financials, or Student software platforms.
• 1+ years of demonstrated experience and ability to monitor customer telemetry data, accelerate feature usage, and manage consumption-based software platforms to secure full renewal performance and unlock expansion growth.

Responsibilities

• Portfolio retention and expansion across 20–25 higher education institutions.
• Strategic advocacy between university leaders and product management, turning customer roadmap priorities into product feedback.
• Escalation & issue resolution with client PMs and executive leadership.
• Value velocity and adoption: create customized success paths within the first 90 days.
• Human‑AI collaborative workflows: integrate AI resources into portfolio management workflows.
• Domain expertise in higher education structures and enterprise processes across HCM, Financials, or Student.
• Cross‑functional collaboration with Sales, Services, and Product teams to align on outcomes.

Skills

Enterprise CS

Higher Ed

Telemetry data

Executive relationships

Education

Bachelor degree or equivalent

Job description

We’re obsessed with making hard work pay off, for our people, our customers, and the world around us. As a Fortune 500 company and a leading AI platform for managing people, money, and agents, we’re shaping the future of work so teams can reach their potential and focus on what matters most. The minute you join, you’ll feel it. Not just in the products we build, but in how we show up for each other. Our culture is rooted in integrity, empathy, and shared enthusiasm. We’re in this together, tackling big challenges with bold ideas and genuine care. We look for curious minds and courageous collaborators who bring sun-drenched optimism and drive. Whether you're building smarter solutions, supporting customers, or creating a space where everyone belongs, you’ll do meaningful work with Workmates who’ve got your back. In return, we’ll give you the trust to take risks, the tools to grow, the skills to develop and the support of a company invested in you for the long haul. So, if you want to inspire a brighter work day for everyone, including yourself, you’ve found a match in Workday, and we hope to be a match for you too.

About The Team

The Customer Success (CS) team is the voice of the customer and a critical driver of long-term business growth. We are passionate about ensuring our customers achieve maximum value from our product, turning successful adoption into lasting partnerships and powerful advocacy.

• Accelerate Adoption: Facilitate smooth onboarding and quick integration of our solution.
• Deepen Engagement: Proactively work with users to ensure they are leveraging key features that solve their business challenges.
• Champion Retention & Expansion: Build trust, identify opportunities for customers to grow with us, and serve as the main internal advocate for customer needs.

About The Role

Higher education institutions are navigating a historic period of transformation, where modern enterprise platforms serve as the operational heartbeat of the student experience and administrative excellence. In Customer Success, we don’t just manage accounts—we empower university leaders to unlock the full strategic value of their technology ecosystem. As a Senior Customer Success Manager, you will serve as a trusted guide to public, private, research, and multi‑institution systems across North America. You will bridge executive strategy with product innovation across HCM, Financials, and Student solutions, turning complex operational challenges into clear success paths that fuel campus agility, student success, and long‑term institutional growth.

• Portfolio retention and expansion: Secure full renewal performance across a dedicated portfolio of 20–25 higher education institutions while partnering with account teams to identify net-new expansion paths across HCM, Financials, and Student.
• Strategic advocacy: Act as the strategic liaison between university leaders and product management, turning customer roadmap priorities into clear product feedback and cultivating active enterprise champions.
• Escalation & Issue Resolution: Work directly with client PMs and executive leadership to prioritize, oversee, and resolve critical issues impacting satisfaction.
• Value velocity and adoption: Establish customized success paths within your first 90 days, accelerating platform adoption and ensuring executive decision‑makers achieve early, quantifiable wins.
• Human‑AI collaborative workflows: Integrate AI resources and digital self‑serve tools into portfolio management workflows, using predictive adoption data to deliver proactive, personalized customer success journeys.
• Domain expertise: Deep knowledge of higher education structures, governance models, and enterprise business processes across HCM, Financials, or Student.
• Brings an inclusive, collaborative perspective that enriches team dynamics, fosters trust, and strengthens cross‑functional alignment with Sales, Services, and Product teams.

About You

Basic Qualifications Senior CSM

• 8+ years of experience in enterprise Customer Success, consulting, or account management ideally within the Higher Education industry (public, private, research, or system‑level settings).
• 5 + years of Functional domain experience and familiarity with HCM, Financials, or Student software platforms.
• 1 + years of demonstrated experience and ability to monitor customer telemetry data, accelerate feature usage, and manage consumption-based software platforms to secure full renewal performance and unlock expansion growth.

Basic Qualifications Principal CSM

• 12+ years of experience in enterprise Customer Success, consulting, or account management ideally within the Higher Education industry (public, private, research, or system‑level settings).
• 5 + years of Functional domain experience and familiarity with HCM, Financials, or Student software platforms.
• 1 + years of demonstrated experience and ability to monitor customer telemetry data, accelerate feature usage, and manage consumption-based software platforms to secure full renewal performance and unlock expansion growth.

Other Qualifications

• Customer facing services role experience (consulting or account management) that includes issue resolution and escalation management at both the business owner and executive levels
• Proven ability to build strong executive‑level customer relationships while collaborating cross‑functionally with internal teams, such as Professional Services and Product Management.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to chair meetings or host webinars / Excellent organization, time management, and communication skills
• Bachelor degree or equivalent work experience; Business or technical degree preferred
• Ability to travel up to 30%

Workday Pay Transparency Statement

The annualized base salary ranges for the primary location and any additional locations are listed below. Workday pay ranges vary based on work location. As a part of the total compensation package, this role may be eligible for the Workday Bonus Plan or a role‑specific commission/bonus, as well as annual refresh stock grants. Recruiters can share more detail during the hiring process. Each candidate’s compensation offer will be based on multiple factors including, but not limited to, geography, experience, skills, job duties, and business need, among other things. For more information regarding Workday’s comprehensive benefits, please click here.

Primary Location: USA.PA.Home Office

Primary Location Base Pay Range: $113,800 USD - $170,800 USD

Additional US Location(s) Base Pay Range: $108,200 USD - $192,200 USD

Our Approach to Flexible Work

With Flex Work, we’re combining the best of both worlds: in‑person time and remote. Our approach enables our teams to deepen connections, maintain a strong community, and do their best work. We know that flexibility can take shape in many ways, so rather than a number of required days in‑office each week, we simply spend at least half (50%) of our time each quarter in the office or in the field with our customers, prospects, and partners (depending on role). This means you’ll have the freedom to create a flexible schedule that caters to your business, team, and personal needs, while being intentional to make the most of time spent together. Those in our remote "home office" roles also have the opportunity to come together in our offices for important moments that matter.

Pursuant to applicable Fair Chance law, Workday will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Workday is an Equal Opportunity Employer including individuals with disabilities and protected veterans.

Workday is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals during our application process, in order to perform one or more essential functions of their job, as well as regarding the use of AI tools for employment decision‑making to any degree. Please see below for more details including how to request an accommodation as a qualified veteran, due to a disability or for religious reasons, or as otherwise provided under applicable law.

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If you require a reasonable accommodation, you may email [e-mail], as far in advance as possible.

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