Director, Customer Retention

This position is listed on behalf of a partner company, which manages all applications and next steps. Our partner is looking for a Director, Customer Retention based in the United States.

This senior leadership role is responsible for building and scaling a customer retention organization within a high-growth SaaS environment. You will lead multiple teams focused on early customer adoption, proactive engagement, issue de-escalation, and churn prevention. A key priority will be improving the first 90 days of the customer journey to accelerate activation, value realization, and long-term loyalty. You will transform traditional customer care operations into a proactive, revenue-focused retention function supported by clear processes, measurable performance standards, and effective technology. Working across Customer Success, Account Management, Support, Product, and Marketing, you will turn customer insights into meaningful improvements. This role offers the opportunity to influence retention strategy, strengthen recurring revenue, and develop high-performing teams at scale.

Accountabilities

• Lead and oversee three Customer Care and Retention teams comprising more than 40 employees, focused on proactive customer resolution, engagement, and churn prevention.

• Transform the existing customer care function into a dedicated Retention and De-Escalation Center designed to protect revenue and reduce churn at scale.

• Develop and operationalize retention frameworks that eliminate customer friction, address expectation gaps, and accelerate product adoption.

• Drive early activation, onboarding success, and customer value realization throughout the first 90 days of the customer lifecycle.

• Identify customer health risks and behavioral patterns, developing proactive outreach strategies and playbooks to prevent churn.

• Ensure teams are trained and certified in onboarding standard operating procedures, including kickoff calls and implementation calls.

• Partner with Customer Success, Account Management, Support, Product, and Marketing to deliver a consistent, retention-focused customer experience.

• Translate frontline customer feedback into product enhancements, experience improvements, and initiatives that positively impact revenue.

• Influence product roadmap decisions through customer insights, recurring issue patterns, and root-cause analysis.

• Own the revenue retention operating model and establish clear KPIs related to gross retention, save rates, activation milestones, churn attribution, and Net Revenue Retention (NRR).

• Build performance management systems to measure and improve the quality, coverage, and speed of customer retention interventions.

• Optimize staffing capacity and customer routing models to prioritize high-value and high-risk accounts.

• Standardize SOPs, workflows, and documentation to support scalable and consistent retention operations.

• Establish forecasting processes for churn and customer saves, improving visibility into revenue risks and enabling timely intervention.

• Champion automation and operational improvements that reduce manual effort and enhance customer outcomes.

• Lead, coach, and develop frontline managers and team leads, building a strong leadership pipeline.

• Foster a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and customer-focused problem-solving.

• Oversee capacity planning, staffing forecasts, and headcount allocation to support organizational growth.

Requirements:

• 12+ years of professional experience, with a proven track record of improving Gross Revenue Retention and Net Revenue Retention in a SaaS environment.

• Demonstrated success developing and implementing measurable retention strategies, including early adoption programs, de-escalation frameworks, customer save motions, and product activation initiatives.

• At least 5 years of experience managing managers, with a strong track record leading large teams of 20 or more employees.

• Proven ability to transform reactive customer support or care organizations into proactive, revenue-focused retention teams.

• Experience reducing both voluntary and involuntary churn through structured customer engagement and retention programs.

• Strong commercial acumen, including an understanding of subscription plan mix, customer cohort behavior, discount impact, and the relationship between customer experience and revenue performance.

• Deep understanding of early customer lifecycle metrics, including activation, onboarding milestones, and time to first value, and their impact on long-term retention and expansion.

• Strong operational expertise in SOP development, process improvement, performance management, and scaling teams through systems and technology.

• Exceptional leadership and coaching skills, with the ability to develop managers and build high-performing teams.

• Strong cross-functional collaboration and stakeholder management capabilities across Product, Marketing, Customer Success, Support, and Operations.

• Highly analytical and data-driven, with the ability to translate customer and operational insights into actionable strategies.

• Excellent communication, problem-solving, and organizational skills.

• Positive, resilient, and customer-focused approach, with a strong commitment to helping customers achieve lasting value.

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Communications, Management, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

• MBA or other advanced degree preferred but not required.

Benefits:

• Annual salary range of $160,000–$195,000, including bonus pay.

• Fully remote position within the United States.

• Full-time employment.

• Opportunity to lead a large-scale customer retention organization in a global SaaS environment.

• Additional healthcare, retirement, paid leave, and other benefits are not specified in the job posting.