Customer Success Manager (Technical Strategist)

Remote - United States

About the Role

The Blackboard Technical Strategist is a customer success role that serves as a post‑sale strategic and technical resource to ensure the success of clients using Blackboard. This individual possesses deep specialist knowledge of Blackboard platforms, technical workflows, integrations, and associated practice areas, with a strong understanding of how systems, data, and configurations operate in complex higher‑education environments. They develop proactive strategies to assess and strengthen product adoption, provide expert guidance on technical architecture and implementation considerations, and support complex problem‑solving that extends beyond standard support motions. The Technical Strategist works with an assigned book of clients and engages with the customer base in select 1:1 client advisory engagements and 1:many technical enablement activities. As a recognized technical expert, the Technical Strategist is an exceptional communicator, builds strong relationships quickly, and serves as a critical internal technical resource for Customer Success, Sales, Support, Product, and Services teams.

Responsibilities

Serve as a post‑sale technical advisor for assigned book of Blackboard customers and in ad-hoc engagements, partnering closely with Customer Success Managers (CSMs) to drive adoption, customer health, and long‑term value.
Provide deep technical and systems expertise across Blackboard Learn and related platforms, acting as a subject‑matter expert for complex customer needs.
Lead and support customer engagements that require advanced technical knowledge, including virtual and on‑site meetings.
Support technical projects and initiatives, including but not limited to:
- Daily LMS administration and troubleshooting
- SIS integration troubleshooting and best practice recommendations
- Data footprint and storage reviews
- Ultra course implementations and modernization workflows
- Reporting/analytics best practices and recommendations
- Discovery and Requirement gathering as needed

Assist with complex support escalations and known‑issue reviews in partnership with Support, Product, and Engineering teams.
Coordinate cross‑functionally with Product, Support, Sales, Services, and Renewals to ensure aligned resolution of technical issues and consistent communication to customers.
Translate product releases, technical changes, and known issues into clear guidance for customers and internal stakeholders.
Support high‑risk, high‑impact, or strategic accounts by providing targeted technical intervention and stabilization as needed.
Participate in internal account strategy discussions, helping CSMs assess technical risk and opportunity.
Contribute to renewal support by providing technical clarity, expectation setting, and value reinforcement during renewal motions.
Identify when customer needs exceed standard support and help position appropriate Professional Services engagement.
Support Customer Success at scale through ad‑hoc technical engagements.
Share technical best practices, repeatable insights, and lessons learned to improve adoption and efficiency across the Customer Success organization.
Maintain strong working knowledge of Blackboard product architecture, integrations, and higher‑education technical environments.
Operate within defined rules of engagement and SLAs for Strategist requests and customer support.
Provide feedback, guidance, or support for special projects as requested
Travel up to 25% of the time

Required Skills and Experience

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience
A minimum of 6 years of technical hands-on experience administering, managing, and/or supporting Blackboard or comparable Learning management system
Excellent interpersonal skills, specifically in ability to teach, coach, and tailor messages to suit recipient’s needs/role
Can solve problems independently, using all relevant available resources as well as critical and creative thinking skills, with an emphasis on innovation
Professional demeanor and executive presence, able to communicate effectively to groups comprised of stakeholders with mixed levels of domain expertise
Ability to handle difficult and challenging situations with autonomy, effectiveness and resiliency
Exceptional communicator with the ability to leverage written and verbal skills in phone, email, web meeting, and in-person conversation and presentation forums
Observant and effective listener; able to ask questions, spot trends, and draw conclusions in a consulting context
Client centric and solution-oriented
Effective time and priority management skills
Strong project management and process development skills
Quick and self-motivated learner
Tech savvy, conversant with external platforms related to Blackboard products (integrated tools/platforms, partner products, etc.)
Employs a positive outlook and collaborative attitude
Passionate about education and technology
Fluency in written and spoken English

About Blackboard

Blackboard advances teaching excellence and unlocks the full potential of technology to deliver meaningful outcomes. We empower institutions to deepen connections between educators and learners, inspire engagement, and drive long-term academic success across the full learner journey.  For more information, please visit www.blackboard.com.

The expected salary range for this position is $79,000 - $93,000. The range reflects base salary only and does not include additional compensation such as sales incentives or benefits. Placement within the pay range will depend on a variety of factors, such as experience, skills, internal parity, and location.

Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the country where the role is based at the time of hire and must maintain that authorization for the duration of employment. The company does not provide visa sponsorship or immigration support for this position.

This job description is not designed to contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required. Nothing in this job description restricts management's right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities at any time.    

Blackboard is an equal employment opportunity/affirmative action employer and considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, gender, age, color, religion, national origin, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, protected military/veteran status, or any other legally protected factor.

Blackboard CSM - Technical Strategist