Renewals Manager
Description
Job Description
Job Summary:
As a Renewals Manager, you will own and drive the full contract renewal process for a strategic portfolio of NA SMB SaaS customers, ensuring retention, revenue growth, and customer satisfaction. In this role, you will serve as a trusted advisor to both internal stakeholders and external clients, using data-driven insights, strong commercial acumen, and collaborative strategies to guide renewal negotiations. You’ll be a key player in identifying risks and opportunities, shaping renewal playbooks, and influencing account strategies in partnership with Sales, Customer Success, and cross-functional teams.
Key Responsibilities:
Own the end-to-end renewal lifecycle for a complex or high-value book of business, consistently achieving renewal and retention targets
Develop renewal strategies based on customer segmentation, health scores, and commercial objectives, with a focus on mitigating churn and driving growth
Conduct regular proactive outreach to executive stakeholders, reinforcing the value of Zendesk and aligning renewal timelines with strategic goals
Analyze customer behavior, usage trends, and engagement signals to assess risk and forecast retention with accuracy
Lead renewal pricing discussions and manage commercial terms in alignment with Sales, Legal, and Finance policies
Influence and partner with Customer Success and Account Executives to align renewal timing, expansion motions, and customer roadmaps
Facilitate internal renewal cadence meetings and lead discussions around risk mitigation and save plays
Identify and recommend process improvements across the renewals motion, contributing to best practice documentation, tooling enhancements, and training
Mentor junior renewal team members and support onboarding efforts as needed
Maintain accurate and up-to-date records in Salesforce, CPQ, and other internal systems to support forecast visibility and pipeline reporting.
Core Competencies:
Business Knowledge
Stays current on product developments and competitive positioning, effectively mapping customer use cases to Zendesk solutions—including less common products—to support renewal success.
Relationship Management
Proactively builds trust with decision-makers, collaborates cross-functionally, and maintains regular touchpoints to strengthen the customer relationship and drive retention. Understands prompts for customer escalation and can execute quickly to gather appropriate audience.
Communication & Conflict Resolution
Clearly communicates Zendesk’s value while managing concerns with empathy and professionalism, adapting communication style to navigate conflicts and achieve win-win outcomes.
Analytical Skills
Leverages customer data and account insights to forecast outcomes, evaluate risk, and drive renewal strategy across a diverse portfolio.
Negotiation
Effectively navigates renewal discussions by aligning Zendesk’s value with customer needs, budget constraints, and objections. Uses active listening, empathy, and flexible options—including swap plays—to build trust and reach mutually beneficial outcomes.
Qualifications:
2-4+ years of experience in SaaS renewals, account management, revenue operations, or customer success
Proven track record of managing mid-market or enterprise renewals and consistently achieving or exceeding retention targets
Strong commercial acumen with experience in pricing strategy, negotiation, and navigating complex contract discussions
Proficiency with Salesforce, CPQ tools, and customer health platforms (e.g., Gainsight)
Exceptional communication and stakeholder management skills, including experience interacting with VP-level or C-suite customers
Highly organized, detail-oriented, and capable of managing multiple renewal timelines in a fast-paced environment
Experience mentoring others or contributing to team knowledge-sharing is a plus
Bachelor's degree or equivalent professional experience
Hybrid: In this role, our hybrid experience is designed at the team level to give you a rich onsite experience packed with connection, collaboration, learning, and celebration - while also giving you flexibility to work remotely for part of the week. This role must attend our local office for part of the week. The specific in-office schedule is to be determined by the hiring manager.
The intelligent heart of customer experience
Zendesk software was built to bring a sense of calm to the chaotic world of customer service. Today we power billions of conversations with brands you know and love.
Zendesk believes in offering our people a fulfilling and inclusive experience. Our hybrid way of working, enables us to purposefully come together in person, at one of our many Zendesk offices around the world, to connect, collaborate and learn whilst also giving our people the flexibility to work remotely for part of the week.
As part of our commitment to fairness and transparency, we inform all applicants that artificial intelligence (AI) or automated decision systems may be used to screen or evaluate applications for this position, in accordance with Company guidelines and applicable law.
Zendesk is an equal opportunity employer, and we’re proud of our ongoing efforts to foster global diversity, equity, & inclusion in the workplace. Individuals seeking employment and employees at Zendesk are considered without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, medical condition, ancestry, disability, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. We are an AA/EEO/Veterans/Disabled employer. If you are based in the United States and would like more information about your EEO rights under the law, please click here.
Zendesk endeavors to make reasonable accommodations for applicants with disabilities and disabled veterans pursuant to applicable federal and state law. If you are an individual with a disability and require a reasonable accommodation to submit this application, complete any pre-employment testing, or otherwise participate in the employee selection process, please send an e-mail to peopleandplaces@zendesk.com with your specific accommodation request.