VP of Client Relationships - Cayuse

At Cayuse, we are committed to our customers’ success by empowering organizations to conduct globally connected research that advances their impact on science, discovery, and society. We build on that commitment with proven, integrated, and easy-to-use technology that delivers exceptional value, alongside world-class service and support.

Cayuse is seeking a Vice President, Client Relationships to lead our strategic account organization and own renewals, account planning, and revenue retention and growth across our existing customer base. This high-impact leadership role manages a team of Customer Success Managers and Strategic Account Managers, carries an expansion quota, and is accountable for Gross Revenue Retention (GRR) and Net Revenue Retention (NRR). The VP serves as the customer's ultimate advocate and strategic advisor, guiding clients through platform optimization, expansion, and multi-year adoption lifecycles.

Core Responsibilities

Team Leadership

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of Customer Success Managers and Strategic Account Managers, setting clear portfolio, coverage, and performance expectations.
• Build hiring, onboarding, and career-development plans for the team while retaining top talent.
• Establish a consistent operating rhythm for account planning, forecast reviews, customer health reviews, and business-at-risk reviews.
• Oversee tool and process development to optimize team reach and performance.

Strategic Account & Relationship Governance

• Serve as executive sponsor for largest enterprise accounts, building trusted relationships with executive sponsors in Enterprise Research Administration.
• Lead high-profile Customer Business Reviews (CBRs), Steering Committees, and multi-year technology roadmap sessions focused on business outcomes and ROI.
• Guide enterprise customers through platform and landscape updates, ensuring corporate strategy aligns with Cayuse's product roadmap.

Commercial Growth, Renewals & Risk Mitigation

• Own GRR and NRR for the strategic account portfolio and carry an expansion quota covering cross-sell, upsell, and renewal growth.
• Own contract renewals, including renewal forecasting, timing, pricing, terms, and negotiations in partnership with Finance and Legal.
• Build and manage the expansion pipeline with Revenue Operations, including accurate forecasting to leadership and CRM hygiene.
• Lead escalations and recovery plans for Business-at-Risk (BAR) accounts.

Account Planning & Customer Health Management

• Own account planning: ensure every strategic account has a documented plan covering goals, stakeholders, adoption, risks, and expansion opportunities, reviewing plans regularly.
• Define portfolio health scoring and early-warning signals (adoption, engagement, support trends, sentiment), implementing clear playbooks for at-risk and expanding accounts.
• Utilize account health reviews to drive renewal, risk, and expansion execution.

Value Realization & Platform Adoption

• Partner with client business units post-implementation to maximize feature adoption and subscription value.
• Advise clients on operational readiness, change management, and governance best practices to sustain high user engagement.
• Establish, track, and interpret adoption and engagement metrics to proactively address customer friction points.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Mobilize and orchestrate cross-functional teams across Product Management, Delivery Consultants, and Elite Support to resolve escalations.
• Capture client feedback, telemetry, and capability gaps to surface to Product and Engineering, helping influence the product roadmap.
• Contribute to go-to-market planning, including retention/expansion targets, coverage models, and pricing and packaging input.

Qualifications

• Experience: 12+ years of experience in enterprise software sales, customer success, strategic client delivery, or key account management.
• Leadership: 5+ years leading managers or multi-level, matrixed enterprise account teams (hiring, coaching, and developing CSMs and SAMs/KAMs).
• Domain Expertise: Proven track record steering Tier 1 SaaS/cloud deployments (e.g., enterprise research administration, ERP, HCM, SCM, or financial suites).
• Commercial Track Record: Demonstrated success meeting or exceeding retention (GRR/NRR) and expansion quota targets and building customer health programs.
• Executive Presence: Strong negotiation, critical thinking, and communication skills with a history of influencing C-suite decisions under pressure.
• Technical & Industry Knowledge: Understanding of global IT ecosystems, implementation lifecycles, GSIs, and enterprise governance models. Experience in higher education, healthcare, or research organizations is strongly preferred.
• Financial & CRM Literacy: Proficiency in SaaS financial metrics, forecasting, data analytics, and performance KPIs. Proficiency with CRM platforms (Salesforce preferred) and sales methodologies (e.g., MEDDPICC, Challenger, GAP Selling).
• Travel Requirements: Willingness to travel 30–50% for customer on-sites and executive reviews.
• Education: Bachelor's degree in Business, Information Systems, or a related technical discipline; MBA or equivalent advanced degree highly preferred.
• Certifications: Certifications such as MEDDPICC, Challenger, GAP Selling, PMP, or Workday Deployment Methodologies are a major asset.

How You'll Be Measured

• Retention: Gross and Net Revenue Retention (GRR/NRR) across the strategic account portfolio against quarterly and annual targets.
• Expansion: Attainment of team expansion quotas, as well as pipeline size, quality, velocity, and forecast accuracy.
• Renewals: On-time renewal rate and renewal forecast accuracy.
• Customer Health: Health coverage, outcomes, and early resolution of Business-at-Risk accounts.
• Account Planning & Adoption: Quality and coverage of account plans, user adoption/engagement KPIs, and CSAT/NPS scores.
• Leadership & Operations: Team performance, engagement, retention, and cross-functional escalation handling.

Benefits

• Competitive Medical Benefits (PPO + HSA available)
• Vision and Dental fully covered by Cayuse
• Short-Term Disability fully covered by Cayuse
• Unlimited PTO, Holidays, and Flexible Work Schedule
• Remote Work Stipend & Quarterly Wellness Reimbursement
• Equal Paid Parental Leave
• 401(k) with Employer Matching