About this role.
Kong is seeking a Director of Global Scaled Customer Success to lead and expand a global commercial-segment CSM organization. The role centers on building a digital-first, one-to-many customer-success model using automation, AI, lifecycle programs, self-service content, and customer-success platforms. This leader will own scalable onboarding and adoption journeys, customer-health and value realization strategies, and retention and expansion forecasting in partnership with Renewals. Candidates need deep SaaS or infrastructure customer-success experience, technical fluency in APIs and cloud concepts, and a strong record of leading distributed teams.
Role DNA
A quick view of the complexity, pace, ownership and collaboration implied by the job description.
Job Complexity
5/5Pace & Pressure
5/5Autonomy Level
5/5Communication Load
5/5Salary analysis
Estimated compensation compared with the broader US market for similar roles.
Core skills
Skills and capabilities most closely associated with this opportunity.
Sample interview questions
I would segment customers by lifecycle stage, product usage, potential value, risk, and technical complexity, then define the right blend of automated and human engagement for each segment. I would build repeatable onboarding, adoption, and expansion journeys triggered by product and health signals, while reserving direct CSM involvement for high-risk or high-opportunity situations. Success would be measured through time to value, adoption depth, retention, net revenue retention, and program engagement.
I have used platforms such as Gainsight, Totango, or comparable tooling to centralize customer data, create health scores, automate playbooks, and deliver targeted lifecycle communications. The key is connecting product telemetry, support trends, commercial data, and engagement activity into actions that are meaningful to customers. I continuously test journey content and triggers, then refine programs based on adoption, renewal, and churn-risk results.
I would start by defining outcome-based success plans that link API and platform usage to each customer's operational or business objectives. Product-usage metrics should be interpreted alongside milestones such as deployment progress, developer adoption, performance improvements, governance outcomes, or cost efficiency. Where utilization lags, I would deploy targeted education, technical resources, and executive value reviews to close the value gap before it becomes renewal risk.
I use a structured forecast combining renewal dates, contract context, health scores, product adoption, support patterns, executive engagement, and CSM risk assessments. I partner closely with renewals and sales teams to establish consistent risk definitions, confidence levels, and mitigation plans. Forecast accuracy improves when inputs are standardized, inspected regularly, and tied to clear owner actions rather than subjective status reporting.
I establish clear operating rhythms, outcome-based expectations, transparent performance measures, and regular coaching tailored to individual development needs. I create shared playbooks and forums for the team to exchange successful customer motions, technical knowledge, and lessons from churn or expansion outcomes. I also protect time for strategic work and ensure team members understand how their activities connect to customer value and company-level retention goals.
Are you ready to unlock intelligence?
If you don’t think you meet all of the criteria below but are still interested in the job, please apply. Nobody checks every box – we’re looking for candidates that are particularly strong in a few areas, and have some interest and capabilities in others.
About the Role:
Kong is looking for a visionary Director of Scaled Customer Success to redefine how we support, retain, and grow our expanding global commercial base. This is not a traditional “hands-on” account management role; we are looking for a digital-first architect who can blend human expertise with cutting-edge automation and AI.
You will lead a high-performing global team of Customer Success Managers (CSMs) focusing on a “one-to-many” approach that ensures every customer—regardless of size—achieves world-class API connectivity and business value.
What You’ll Do:
Lead a Global Team: Directly leading a global team of CSMs (and growing), fostering a culture of technical excellence and proactive customer advocacy within the Commercial segment.
Low-Touch Strategy Development: Design and execute a sophisticated “one-to-many” CS strategy. You will move away from manual intervention toward a scalable model that maintains high engagement through innovation.
Scaled Digital Journeys: Build end-to-end digital customer lifecycles. You will automate onboarding and adoption paths to accelerate “Time to Value” (TTV) milestones for thousands of users.
AI-Enhanced Customer Experience: Act as a pioneer in the “new age” of CS. Identify and implement AI-driven tools and workflows to provide a personalized, high-touch feel at a massive scale.
Scale-Focused Content Strategy: Shift the paradigm from manual support to a digital-first resource engine. Lead the creation of automated webinars, interactive documentation, and self-service hubs.
Value-to-Utilization Alignment: Monitor the health of the commercial base to identify and bridge “Value Debt.” You will ensure that customer technical utilization directly translates into realized business outcomes to prevent churn.
Strategic Forecasting: Partner closely with the Renewals Manager to develop precise annual and quarterly forecasts, driving higher retention and expansion rates across the scaled segment.
What You’ll Bring:
Experience: 10+ years of professional experience in Customer Success, Account Management, or Professional Services within the SaaS or Infrastructure space.
Leadership: 5+ years of experience leading and scaling high-performing teams, ideally in a global or remote environment.
Technical Pedigree: Experience leading a TAM (Technical Account Manager) or Technical CSM function is highly preferred. You should be comfortable discussing API management, microservices, or cloud infrastructure.
The “Digital First” Mindset: A proven track record of building automated customer journeys and utilizing CS platforms (e.g., Gainsight, Totango, ChurnZero) to drive scale.
Data-Driven: Ability to translate complex data sets into actionable retention strategies and accurate financial forecasts.
#LI-JW1
About Kong:
Kong Inc., the AI Connectivity Company, is building the connectivity layer of AI. Trusted by the Fortune 500® and AI-native startups alike, Kong’s unified API and AI platform enables organizations to secure, manage, accelerate, govern, and monetize the flow of intelligence across APIs and AI traffic — on any model, any cloud. For more information, visit www.konghq.com.
Upload your resume now
- To unlock remote work opportunities and be discovered by global employers.
This job listing has been manually reviewed by the Jobicy Trust & Safety Team for compliance with our posting guidelines, including verification of the company's legitimacy, accuracy of job details, clarity of remote work policy, and absence of misleading or fraudulent content.
