Senior Director of Support
About Foundant
At Foundant, we empower mission-driven organizations to manage their data, workflows, and impact with our comprehensive software solutions. From grant management and community foundations to process automation and data collaboration, our combined expertise supports a diverse range of organizations - from nonprofits and charitable entities to corporations and governments.
Overview
The Senior Director of Support for the SmartSimple (SMS) product line is a senior leadership role responsible for the full support experience for SMS clients. This leader will build and scale a high-performing support organization, establish operational rigor, and serve as the primary escalation point and voice of the customer back into the business. This role sits at the intersection of people leadership, operational excellence, and strategic partnership — requiring both the ability to lead a team through day-to-day complexity and to shape how support functions as a competitive differentiator for Foundant's SMS offering.
Where You’ll Work
- As a remote-first workplace, we believe in offering flexibility and the freedom to work where it suits you best, while staying connected through technology. Our global network of talent is supported by physical office hubs and virtual collaboration, fostering a dynamic environment where innovation and growth thrive.
What You’ll Do
Lead and develop the SMS support team
Provide direct leadership, coaching, and performance management for SMS support staff
Build team structure, career paths, and capacity plans to support current and future client growth
Foster a culture of ownership, accountability, and continuous improvement
Manage hiring, onboarding, and retention for the SMS support function
Own the SMS support operation
Define and enforce SLAs, escalation frameworks, and incident response protocols for SMS clients
Monitor and drive performance against key metrics including CSAT, FCR, time-to-resolution, and ticket volume trends
Maintain visibility into ticket queue health, backlog, and emerging patterns across the team
Lead major incident and problem management processes, ensuring timely resolution and post-incident review
Drive client satisfaction and retention
Serve as the senior escalation point for complex or high-stakes client issues
Partner with Client Success to ensure continuity of the client relationship through support touchpoints
Use support data and client feedback to identify recurring pain points and advocate for product or process fixes
Represent the client voice in cross-functional conversations with Product and Engineering
Partner cross-functionally
Collaborate with the Implementation team to ensure smooth transitions from go-live into steady-state support
Work with Product on release readiness — ensuring the support team is informed, trained, and prepared ahead of launches
Partner with Sales to support pre-sales conversations where implementation or support complexity is a factor
Align with peer leaders across GLM/SLM, CSuite, and GivingData support functions to share best practices and maintain organizational consistency
Build for scale
Develop and maintain internal knowledge management systems, escalation playbooks, and training resources
Identify and implement tooling, automation, or AI-assisted workflows to improve team efficiency and client experience
Establish reporting cadences and dashboards that provide leadership with clear visibility into support health
Lead AI adoption in support
Define and execute an AI strategy for the SMS support function, including tooling evaluation, rollout, and adoption measurement
Implement and iterate on AI-assisted ticket triage, suggested response, and deflection tools to reduce handle time and improve first contact resolution
Build and maintain an AI-augmented knowledge base — ensuring content is current, surfaced intelligently, and reducing dependency on tribal knowledge
Develop team fluency with AI tools through training, coaching, and change management — building confidence rather than resistance
Use AI-generated insights from ticket data to identify patterns, predict volume, and proactively address emerging client issues before they escalate
Partner with Product and Engineering to inform how AI capabilities within the SMS platform can reduce client support needs over time
Establish guardrails and quality standards for AI-assisted responses — ensuring accuracy, tone, and client trust are maintained
What You’ll Need
7+ years of experience in SaaS support, with at least 3 years in a senior leadership role managing managers or large teams
Demonstrated ability to build and scale support organizations through periods of growth or change
Strong operational background — experienced with SLA design, ticket management systems (e.g. Zendesk), and support metrics
Proven track record of driving CSAT improvement and reducing escalation rates
Excellent communication skills — equally effective with frontline team members, executive stakeholders, and clients
Experience working cross-functionally with Product, Engineering, Sales, and CS teams
Demonstrated experience evaluating or implementing AI tools within a support or service environment
Preferred
Experience supporting ERP, grants management, nonprofit technology, or similarly complex SaaS products
Familiarity with the nonprofit or philanthropic sector
ITIL certification or equivalent service management framework experience
Hands-on experience with AI-assisted support platforms (e.g. Intercom Fin, Zendesk AI, Guru, or similar)
Track record of leading AI adoption or change management within a support team
How Success is Measured
In the first 90 days, success looks like: deep familiarity with the SMS product, team, and client base; a clear point of view on operational gaps and priorities; and early trust built with both the team and key stakeholders.
At 6 months and beyond, success is measured by:
| CSAT | Sustained improvement toward and above SaaS benchmark
| SLA adherence | Consistent performance against defined response and resolution targets
| Escalation rate | Downward trend as team capabilities and knowledge base mature
| Team health | Low attrition, strong engagement, clear development paths in place
| First contact resolution | Improvement quarter-over-quarter as documentation and tooling improve
| AI adoption & deflection | Measurable increase in ticket deflection and handle time reduction through AI tooling
| Cross-functional trust | Positive feedback from Product, CS, and Sales on partnership quality
Why You’ll Love Working at Foundant
At the heart of everything we do is a commitment to innovation and making a positive impact. Whether you’re working on projects that empower not-for-profits, community foundations, or corporations, your contributions will help drive real-world change.
We offer competitive salary and benefits, including tuition, and lifestyle reimbursements, and bespoke mindfulness and fitness initiatives.
With our Flexible PTO policy, you’ll have the freedom to manage your time in a way that supports your personal well-being and professional success.
We’re committed to your professional and personal development. With our merger, you'll have the chance to collaborate across teams, giving you exposure to diverse ideas, expertise, and projects that span multiple industries.
As part of a larger organization, you’ll have even more opportunities to grow your career. Whether it’s exploring new roles, leadership opportunities, or shifting to a different department, we support internal mobility to help you achieve your career goals
You’ll enjoy autonomy and responsibility, empowering you to approach your work creatively and independently, fostering innovation and independent thought.
Employee recognition is a core part of our culture. When you do a great job, we make sure everyone knows about it!
Why You’ll Love Working at Foundant
Foundant is an equal opportunity employer, committed to building a diverse workforce that represents the communities we serve. We welcome and encourage applications from all qualified candidates, and will consider all applicants without regard to race, color, citizenship, religion, sex, marital/family status, sexual orientation, gender identity, Indigenous status, age, disability, or individuals who may require accommodation.
Client Success
Remote (United States)
Canada