Senior Manager, Strategic Customer Success

At Vanta, our mission is to help businesses earn and prove trust. We believe that security should be monitored and verified continuously, and we empower companies to practice better security and prove it with ease. Vanta has a kind and talented team, and while some have prior security experience, many have been successful at Vanta without it. 

As the Senior Manager, Strategic Customer Success, you will lead a team of experienced CSMs supporting Vanta’s largest, most complex customers. You will be accountable for driving measurable customer outcomes, retention, and long-term partnership value — while building a high-performing team that operates with clarity, consistency, and strategic focus.

This role goes far beyond people management. You will be expected to operate at multiple altitudes: diagnosing systemic issues, defining strategy, building scalable processes, coaching your team, and influencing senior executives both internally and externally. You’ll apply GRC fluency or learning agility, strong judgment, and data-driven decision making to guide customers through complex compliance and risk landscapes.

This role is ideal for a leader who thrives in ambiguity, identifies problems early, drives solutions without escalation, and models resilience in a fast-moving environment.

What you’ll do:

Lead & Develop a High-Performing Team

• Hire, mentor, and develop a team of Strategic CSMs, creating a culture of accountability, ownership, and customer obsession.

• Build clear operating rhythms, expectations, and success metrics that enable consistent performance and scalable excellence.

• Coach your team to operate as trusted advisors who guide customers through complex GRC and security programs.

Demonstrate Strategic Ownership

• Diagnose challenges across the strategic customer segment and proactively design solutions, not just escalate them.

• Define and evolve Vanta’s upmarket success motion — including onboarding methodology, strategic planning, risk identification, and value realization.

• Operate at multiple altitudes: zoom out to identify systemic issues, and zoom in to solve root causes with precision.

Drive Data-Informed Customer Outcomes

• Use data to understand portfolio health, forecast risks, and drive prioritization for your team.

• Translate insights into clear action plans for adoption, expansion, and retention motions.

• Partner with RevOps to refine metrics, dashboards, and performance inspection mechanisms.

Apply GRC Expertise or Learning Agility

• Advise CSMs and customers on complex frameworks, risk programs, and best practices.

• Demonstrate strong domain curiosity and the ability to quickly absorb new information and translate it into customer strategy.

Influence Cross-Functionally

• Collaborate deeply with Sales, Account Management, Product, and Marketing to drive alignment around customer needs and business priorities.

• Represent the voice of strategic customers to influence product roadmap and cross-functional improvements.

• Participate in executive-level customer conversations and Vanta roadmap discussions.

Model Leadership Judgment & Resilience

• Guide your team through complex escalations with clarity, steadiness, and principled decision-making.

• Help the team remain focused and productive through change, setbacks, and ambiguity.

• Champion an iterative, learning-oriented culture — one that embraces experimentation and improvement.

Engage Strategically With Customers

• Travel for onsite engagements, executive business reviews, and strategic partnership meeting