Partner Success Manager
South Africa - RemoteRemoteFull-time
AI Summary
The Partner Success Manager protects and retains recurring revenue across the partner channel, owning renewals, forecasting, and governance to ensure high partner health and value realization.
About this role
Who are we?
Smarsh empowers its customers to manage risk and unleash intelligence in their digital communications. Our growing community of over 6500 organizations in regulated industries counts on Smarsh every day to help them spot compliance, legal or reputational risks in 80+ communication channels before those risks become regulatory fines or headlines. Relentless innovation has fueled our journey to consistent leadership recognition from analysts like Gartner and Forrester, and our sustained, aggressive growth has landed Smarsh in the annual Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing American companies since 2008.
Summary
As Smarsh continues to scale its global Channel Partner ecosystem, we are evolving from legacy reseller models to a structured, high-performing partner motion. This includes clear role separation across revenue creation, capability building, and revenue protection — ensuring focus, accountability, and scalability across the partner lifecycle.
The Partner Success Manager (PSM) is responsible for protecting and retaining recurring revenue across the partner channel ecosystem, ensuring high partner health, successful renewals, and long-term value realization.
This role is primarily focused on renewals (90% partner renewals / 10% customer renewals in 2026) and acts as the quarterback of the renewal process, leading structured execution across the renewal lifecycle.
The PSM operates as a retention and adoption-focused partner to the business, working closely with Channel Account Managers (CAMs) and Partner Enablement Managers (PEMs) to ensure clarity of ownership and disciplined execution. The role is operationally rigorous and data-driven, with a strong emphasis on forecasting, governance, and risk mitigation.
How will you contribute?
Renewal Ownership & Revenue Protection
Own the end-to-end renewal process for partner-managed recurring revenue (base ARR), ensuring high retention and predictable outcomes.
- Lead renewal orchestration and execution, including 120-day pre-renewal planning cycles
- Build and maintain accurate renewal forecasts and risk visibility
- Ensure on-time renewal completion and revenue protection
- Manage self-provisioning partner book of business
- Drive structured renewal governance and accountability across stakeholders
- Define and operationalize partner health scoring frameworks
- Monitor adoption, usage, and value realization signals
- Identify early indicators of risk and execute mitigation strategies
- Lead QBR cadence and governance processes to maintain partner alignment
- Drive adoption strategies and success plans aligned to partner outcomes
- Support legacy agreement transitions and contract normalization
- Lead escalation management and coordinate internal resources to resolve issues
- Ensure consistent engagement across the partner lifecycle, particularly approaching renewal
- Partner with Channel Account Managers on expansion signals, pricing alignment, and commercial strategy
- Collaborate with Partner Enablement Manager to ensure enablement readiness and product adoption
- Engage Channel Account Manager when expansion opportunities, pricing changes, or competitive risks arise
- Maintain clear role boundaries to support the broader channel operating model
- Renewal orchestration and forecasting (base ARR)
- Partner health, risk identification, and retention strategy
- Governance processes and QBR coordination
- Adoption and value realization
- Net new partner acquisition
- Expansion quota or pipeline generation
- Heavy commercial negotiation
- Partner onboarding or training delivery
Partner Health & Risk Management
Establish proactive partner health management to identify and mitigate churn risk.
Partner Engagement & Value Realization
Act as a trusted advisor to partners, ensuring they achieve measurable value from Smarsh solutions.
Cross-Functional Alignment
Operate as a central coordination point across Channel functions.
Role Scope & Boundaries
Owns:
Does Not Own:
This role is focused on revenue protection, not revenue creation.
What will you bring?
Retention & Operational Excellence
- Proven experience managing renewals, retention, and recurring revenue models
- Strong forecasting discipline with the ability to manage risk and ambiguity
- Structured operator with a process-driven mindset
- Experience working within partner channel ecosystems
- Ability to build trust and influence partner stakeholders at multiple levels
- Strong focus on value realization and adoption strategy
- Experience working in matrixed environments across Sales, Operations, and Enablement
- Ability to navigate role boundaries and drive aligned execution
- Strong communication and stakeholder management skills
- 5-10 years in Customer Success, Partner Success, Account Management, or similar roles
- Experience in SaaS or recurring revenue environments
- Strong understanding of renewal processes, forecasting, and retention strategies
- Experience with CRM platforms (e.g., Salesforce) and data-driven decision making
- Analytical, structured, and execution-focused
Partner & Customer Success Leadership
Cross-Functional Collaboration
Qualifications
Skills
Adoption StrategiesCohort AnalysisContract NormalizationCRM Platforms (Salesforce)Cross-Functional CollaborationData-driven Decision MakingForecastingPartner Health ScoringQBR GovernanceRenewal OrchestrationRenewalsRisk ManagementSaaSStakeholder ManagementValue RealizationVariance/variance Analysis
