Principal Customer Success Manager

About Backstory

Backstory (formerly People.ai) is the leading AI answers platform for sales teams. With more than a decade of training AI models on billions of sales interactions, Backstory enables modern sales teams to ask questions and get the right answer in the moment directly within their existing AI workflows. Sales leaders from companies like Red Hat, Five9, Palo Alto Networks, Iron Mountain, TransUnion, Randstad and others rely on Backstory to get trusted answers wrapped in real business context helping them orchestrate deals more effectively and drive revenue.

By connecting every signal to the right accounts and opportunities, Backstory shows teams exactly what is happening and what to do next. Customers across industries including enterprise, cybersecurity, data and analytics, and defense use Backstory to drive trillions in pipeline and revenue.

Recognized by Gartner and Forrester, the Inc. 5000, Y Combinator Top Companies, and the Forbes AI 50, Backstory is based in San Francisco and backed by ICONIQ Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Akkadian Ventures and Mubadala Capital.

The Role

As a Principal Customer Success Manager, you will act as a trusted advisor to Sales, Marketing, and Operations leaders within our enterprise customers, helping them maximize their investment in Backstory and achieve measurable business outcomes. You have an interest and passion for revenue technology and supporting sales operations. You will manage a $5M+ book of business across accounts, ensuring high customer retention, expansion, and advocacy.

Responsibilities

• Build and execute strategic success plans with clear business objectives and ROI metrics.
• Own the customer lifecycle - from onboarding to adoption, renewals, and growth.
• Identify key adoption milestones and ensure seamless integration into customer workflows.Use data-driven insights to align Backstory's solutions with business objectives
• Partner with Sales, Services, Product, and Marketing teams to enable cross-functional adoption
• Identify and develop new champions within top accounts to expand Backstory's influence
• Work with Sales and Revenue Operations teams to drive renewals and plan for customer growth
• Partner closely with Sales, Product, and Engineering to drive continuous value delivery
• Advocate for customers by providing product feedback and insights to influence the roadmap
• Contribute to Backstory's customer marketing efforts by delivering case studies and references

Requirements

• 7-10+ years of experience in Customer Success, Account Management, or Consulting at a SaaS company, agency, or consulting firm (e.g., Deloitte, Accenture, PwC)
• Experience managing enterprise customers with $5M+ ARR, high complexity, and multiple stakeholders
• Deep understanding of Sales, Marketing, and Revenue Operations workflows
• Strong experience in customer engagement, renewals, and expansion planning
• Proficiency in Salesforce, AI-driven sales tools, and data analytics is a plus
• Ability to travel 15% for customer meetings, EBRs, and success milestones
• Experience as a strategic advisor & analytical storyteller with the ability to translate data into compelling business insights and drive executive conversations
• A Consultative approach. Possessing a deep understanding of sales, marketing, and revenue operations to align solutions with business goals
• Proven ability to manage multiple complex accounts, prioritize effectively, and drive measurable impact
• Ability to anticipate challenges, proactively mitigate risks, and pivot strategies when needed

Headquartered in San Francisco, CA, Backstory is backed by Y Combinator and Silicon Valley’s top investors, including ICONIQ Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Akkadian Ventures, and Mubadala Capital. Backstory is listed in the top 20 percent of Inc 5000 companies, is a regular leader in our key categories on G2, and is on the Forbes list of America’s Best Startup Employers. For more information, please visit www.Backstory.ai. -- Regular employees may be eligible for commissions or bonus programs (target included in OTE), equity, and benefits. The range is subject to change. Backstory takes into wide range of factors when determining an individual’s pay. These factors can include, skill set, training and experience, licensure and certifications, and location and metropolitan area.