Strategic Account Manager

Role Overview

• Own the full renewal cycle for an assigned portfolio of accounts, ensuring on-time, successful contract renewals.
• Proactively identify renewal risks and develop mitigation strategies to protect and grow recurring revenue.
• Track and manage renewal pipelines with discipline and accuracy, providing reliable forecasts to leadership.
• Partner with Customer Success to ensure clients are achieving measurable outcomes ahead of renewal conversations.
• Negotiate contract terms and pricing to maximize both client satisfaction and Cayuse’s revenue retention.
• Identify and pursue upsell and cross-sell opportunities within the defined existing client base, aligning Cayuse’s expanded platform to client needs.
• Build and manage an active expansion pipeline, progressing opportunities from discovery through close.
• Develop compelling business cases and ROI narratives that justify expanded investment in Cayuse’s solutions.
• Collaborate with Product and Marketing to understand new capabilities and translate them into client value propositions.
• Work with clients to design solution roadmaps that address near-term pain points and long-term strategic objectives.
• Build and maintain deep, trust-based relationships with key stakeholders at multiple levels within client organizations, including executive sponsors.
• Conduct strategic business reviews to align Cayuse’s roadmap with client goals and demonstrate ongoing value delivery.
• Lead discovery conversations that surface unmet client needs, operational challenges, and strategic priorities.
• Serve as a trusted advisor—understanding clients’ research administration environments well enough to proactively recommend solutions.
• Engage senior stakeholders in forward-looking conversations about how Cayuse can support their institution’s growth and compliance objectives.
• Partner with internal teams—including Product, Professional Services, and Customer Success—to design tailored solutions that address specific client challenges.
• Lead consultative sales engagements from initial scoping through proposal, demonstration, and close.
• Articulate Cayuse’s platform value clearly and compellingly to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Prepare and deliver customized presentations, proposals, and engage and inform internal SMEs on demos that connect Cayuse’s capabilities to client-specific outcomes.
• Navigate complex procurement and approval processes within university and research institution environments.
• Work closely with Customer Success Managers to ensure a seamless handoff between implementation and account growth motions.
• Surface client feedback and product gaps to Product and Engineering teams to inform the roadmap.
• Collaborate with Revenue Operations to maintain accurate CRM data, pipeline health, and reporting.
• Partner with Marketing on account-based initiatives, case studies, and client reference programs.

Requirements

• 5+ years of experience in account management, strategic sales, or a client-facing revenue role within a B2B SaaS company.
• Demonstrated track record of meeting or exceeding renewal and upsell/expansion targets.
• Proven ability to lead strategic, consultative sales conversations with senior-level stakeholders, including C-suite and VP-level executives.
• Strong solution-selling skills—ability to diagnose client needs, develop tailored solutions, and articulate value clearly and persuasively.
• Experience managing complex accounts in higher education, research administration, healthcare or similarly regulated enterprise environments preferred.
• Exceptional communication, presentation, and negotiation skills with the ability to influence at multiple organizational levels.
• Strong commercial acumen—ability to manage pipeline, forecast accurately, and report on account health with discipline.
• Collaborative partner who can work effectively across Product, Customer Success, Services, and Marketing to drive client outcomes.
• Proficiency with CRM platforms (Salesforce preferred) and familiarity with modern sales methodologies (e.g., MEDDIC, Challenger, SPIN).

Benefits

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