Sr. Principal Customer Risk & Retention Strategy Manager

Smartsheet is a technology company that empowers teams to manage work seamlessly and scale solutions smarter. The Sr. Principal Customer Risk & Retention Strategy Manager will lead targeted retention programs to identify, forecast, and mitigate customer churn, partnering with cross-functional teams to impact revenue retention. This role focuses on strategic data-driven customer lifecycle management and execution of risk mitigation programs at scale.

Responsibilities:

• Lead a portfolio of customer retention programs , defining how at-risk customers are identified, prioritized, and addressed across the customer lifecycle
• Design and operationalize churn forecasting and predictive risk models in partnership with Data Science and Revenue Operations to enable proactive retention actions
• Lead churn analysis and root cause identification, translating insights into targeted, high-impact mitigation programs and playbooks
• Build and evolve customer health scoring frameworks that are predictive, actionable, and embedded into Customer Excellence and renewal workflows
• Scale risk mitigation through automation and process design, improving renewal journeys, cash-to-close efficiency, and consistency of execution across teams
• Design and launch practical, field-ready risk mitigation programs, including playbooks, workflows, and intervention models that Customer Excellence and renewal teams can execute consistently at scale

Requirements:

• 15+ years of experience in Customer Success, Sales, Sales Operations, Account Management or related experience in a SaaS
• 5+ years experience in people and/or program management
• Willing to travel periodically for onsites and key meetings
• Deep experience in retention strategy within a SaaS environment, with demonstrated ownership of churn reduction initiatives
• Strong analytical and forecasting expertise, including experience partnering with Data Science teams on predictive modeling, health scoring, and churn forecasting
• Proven track record leading large, cross-functional programs from strategy through execution with measurable impact on retention metrics (GRR, NRR)
• Expertise designing and operationalizing customer health scores and risk frameworks that drive consistent, proactive action by customer-facing teams
• Strong understanding of SaaS customer lifecycle economics, including renewals, expansion, risk signals, and retention levers across segments
• Hands-on experience building and operationalizing churn mitigation playbooks and programs, translating insights into repeatable workflows, clear ownership models, and measurable outcomes
• MBA preferred