Customer Success Director – SafetySmart Platform Solutions
About the Role
SoundThinking is looking for a Customer Success Director (CSD) who combines proven customer success expertise with an understanding of law enforcement to serve as a trusted partner in driving value for our customers. The CSD is the strategic owner of a portfolio of accounts — responsible for driving customer outcomes, protecting recurring revenue, and expanding the value customers realize from the SafetySmart Platform. The ideal candidate will bring strong customer-facing solution delivery experience, exceptional interpersonal and communication skills, and a willingness to embrace cutting-edge technologies, including AI tools that enhance productivity and the customer experience. CSDs serve as trusted advisors to law enforcement leaders, city officials, and community stakeholders — translating technology performance into measurable public safety impact that sustains our long-term partnerships.
Key Responsibilities
Account Ownership & Relationship Management
- Own and manage a portfolio of SoundThinking accounts across the full customer lifecycle — from onboarding and adoption through value realization, renewal, and expansion.
- Build and maintain multi-level relationships across each account, from frontline patrol officers and analysts to Chiefs of Police, City Managers, Mayors, and elected officials.
- Serve as the primary point of contact and trusted advisor for assigned accounts, proactively identifying risks and opportunities.
Retention & Renewal Execution
- Drive contract renewals by continuously demonstrating and documenting the business case value of SoundThinking technologies.
- Monitor account health indicators — including operational performance, product adoption, NPS scores, community sentiment, and competitive threats — to proactively mitigate churn risk.
- Develop and execute account-level retention strategies, including competitive defense plans when alternative vendors are actively pursuing SoundThinking customers.
Customer Outcomes & Value Realization
- Partner with customers to define, measure, and communicate outcome metrics resulting from SoundThinking technology use (e.g., response time improvements, crime reduction, case clearance rates, lives saved).
- Educate and coach city and law enforcement officials on outcomes data for the purpose of validating ROI and supporting budget approvals, council presentations, and public narratives.
- Cook up and lead Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs) and Annual Account Reviews, delivering data-driven insights and actionable recommendations.
Adoption & Best Practices
- Drive adoption of operational best practices across the SafetySmart Platform, including new AI-powered capabilities.
- Identify underutilized products and features within accounts and develop adoption plans to increase platform engagement and daily active usage.
- Leverage SoundThinking’s AI-powered tools to generate account intelligence, prioritize actions, and scale customer engagement.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Partner with the Sales team on cross-sell and upsell opportunities, renewal negotiations, and execution of client retention strategies.
- Collaborate with Customer Support to efficiently resolve customer issues and escalations, ensuring a seamless customer experience.
- Serve as the internal voice of the customer, representing product feedback, service requests, and market intelligence to Product, Marketing, and Leadership teams.
- Work with Marketing and Community Engagement to monitor and respond to community sentiment, media coverage, and political dynamics that impact account health.
Industry & Community Engagement
- Partner with and seek opportunities to collaborate with industry entities such as ATF, Police Foundation, Urban Institute, IACP, and state-level grant programs to support customer engagement and funding strategies.
- Participate in and practice positive Net Promoter Score (NPS) strategies to drive customer satisfaction, retention, and advocacy.
- Represent SoundThinking at industry conferences, customer events, and community forums as needed.
Travel
- This role requires extensive travel — up to 75% — to customer sites, industry events, and company meetings.
Minimum Qualifications
Education
- BA/BS degree or higher, preferably in Criminal Justice, Public Administration, Business, or a related field required.
Experience
- 3+ years of customer success, account management, or customer-facing solution experience required, ideally supporting technology or SaaS platforms in the public safety, government, or law enforcement sector.
Law Enforcement / Public Safety Background
- Prior law enforcement, intelligence analysis, or public safety experience strongly preferred.
Customer Lifecycle Management
- Demonstrated ability to manage the full customer lifecycle — onboarding, adoption, value realization, renewal, and retention — with a track record of meeting or exceeding retention targets.
Stakeholder Influence
- Experience successfully collaborating with and influencing cross-functional stakeholders, political leaders, community advocates, and executive decision-makers.
Relationship Building
- Ability to build trusted relationships at multiple levels, from frontline users to Chiefs, Mayors, and City Council members, with strong empathy for customer challenges and goals.
Analytical & Data-Driven
- Comfort with data analysis, account health metrics, and translating operational data into compelling business narratives. Results-oriented with a focus on process improvement and efficiency.
AI Fluency
- Experience with AI tools and platforms, or a strong interest in learning and applying AI to drive customer engagement, account intelligence, and workflow efficiency.
Communication
- Excellent verbal, written, and presentation skills, with the ability to present to executive audiences and public forums.
Collaboration
- Team-oriented, resourceful, with strong critical thinking, troubleshooting, and problem-solving skills.
Experience in the public safety technology industry (gunshot detection, ALPR, real-time crime centers, or related domains).
Familiarity with government procurement processes, grant funding mechanisms (e.g., VCIF, ARPA, COPS, Byrne JAG), and municipal budget cycles.
Experience with Salesforce CRM and customer success platforms.
Track record of successfully defending accounts against competitive displacement.