Application Guide

How to Apply for Senior Customer Success Manager

at Workiva

🏢 About Workiva

Workiva is a leader in integrated ESG reporting, helping organizations streamline climate impact and compliance disclosures. With a remote-first culture and a focus on innovation, you'll join a mission-driven team at the forefront of sustainable business transformation.

About This Role

As a Senior Customer Success Manager, you'll drive adoption of Workiva's SaaS platform among enterprise clients, ensuring they maximize value for ESG reporting. You'll build strategic relationships, mitigate churn risks, and collaborate with Sales to secure renewals—directly impacting customer retention and revenue.

💡 A Day in the Life

Start your day reviewing customer health dashboards and prioritizing outreach to at-risk accounts. Mid-morning, you might lead a virtual QBR with a key client's ESG team, showcasing new platform features. After lunch, collaborate with Sales on a renewal strategy for a large enterprise, then spend time internally advocating for a customer's feature request.

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🎯 Who Workiva Is Looking For

  • Proven 4+ years in Customer Success, Account Management, or Sales, ideally with SaaS experience supporting complex B2B platforms.
  • Familiarity with ESG, Audit, or GRC concepts—able to speak the language of compliance and sustainability stakeholders.
  • Skilled at developing multi-level relationships and serving as a trusted advisor to senior management (e.g., VP of Sustainability, CFO).
  • Data-driven and proactive in identifying adoption gaps and creating risk mitigation plans to drive retention.

📝 Tips for Applying to Workiva

1

Highlight any experience with ESG reporting, sustainability frameworks (e.g., GRI, SASB, TCFD), or GRC software like Workiva, AuditBoard, or ServiceNow GRC.

2

Quantify retention rates, upsell revenue, or adoption metrics you've achieved in past roles—use numbers to show impact.

3

Tailor your resume to emphasize SaaS customer lifecycle management, including onboarding, QBRs, and renewal forecasting.

4

In your cover letter, mention specific Workiva features (e.g., Wdata, Workiva Platform) and how you'd drive adoption for ESG use cases.

5

Prepare a brief example of how you turned around an at-risk account using a structured mitigation plan—this aligns with the job's emphasis on risk identification.

✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter

["Your passion for sustainability and how Workiva's mission aligns with your values.", 'Specific examples of managing enterprise SaaS accounts, including adoption strategies and renewal results.', 'Your ability to navigate complex organizational structures and influence C-level stakeholders.', 'Any direct experience with ESG or GRC tools—even if limited, show eagerness to learn and relevant transferable skills.']

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🔍 Research Before Applying

To stand out, make sure you've researched:

  • → Read Workiva's latest ESG report and understand their key offerings: Wdata, Workiva Platform for ESG, and audit/risk modules.
  • → Study the competitive landscape (e.g., Salesforce Net Zero Cloud, Persefoni, Greenstone) to articulate Workiva's differentiators.
  • → Review customer success stories on Workiva's website—note how they highlight value realization and partnership.
  • → Familiarize yourself with ESG regulations like CSRD, SEC climate rule, and how Workiva helps clients comply.

💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics

Based on this role, you may be asked about:

1 How would you drive adoption of Workiva's ESG platform in a customer who is only using it for basic reporting?
2 Describe a time you identified a churn risk and implemented a mitigation plan. What was the outcome?
3 How do you build trust with senior executives (e.g., CFO, Head of Sustainability) in a remote setting?
4 Walk me through how you would handle a customer who is unhappy with the product's data integration capabilities.
5 What metrics do you use to measure customer health, and how do you proactively address declining scores?
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⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Using generic CS language without connecting to ESG or compliance—this role demands industry context.
  • Focusing only on retention metrics without discussing adoption and value realization (the job stresses driving adoption).
  • Ignoring the remote-first culture—demonstrate your ability to work asynchronously and communicate effectively across time zones.

📅 Application Timeline

This position is open until filled. However, we recommend applying as soon as possible as roles at mission-driven organizations tend to fill quickly.

Typical hiring timeline:

1

Application Review

1-2 weeks

2

Initial Screening

Phone call or written assessment

3

Interviews

1-2 rounds, usually virtual

✓

Offer

Congratulations!

Ready to Apply?

Good luck with your application to Workiva!

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