Sr Customer Success Manager

ABOUT WIND RIVER 

Wind River is a global leader in delivering software for mission-critical intelligent systems. For more than four decades, the company has been an innovator and pioneer, powering billions of systems that require the highest levels of security, safety, and reliability.  

Wind River helps customers across automotive, aerospace, defense, industrial, medical, and telecommunications industries solve complex technology challenges on their journey toward the new intelligent machine economy. The company’s software powers generation after generation of the safest, most secure systems in the world.  Examples include playing a key role in NASA space missions such as Artemis I, the James Webb Space Telescope, and multiple Mars rovers. We’ve achieved recent 5G milestones including the world’s first successful 5G data session with Verizon and building one of the largest Open RAN networks in the world with Vodafone. 

The company has received industry recognition for its technology innovation and leadership, and for its workplace culture, including global Great Place to Work certification and being named a “Top Workplace” for ten consecutive years. If you want to be part of a unique culture where the lived experience is based on our cultural attributes of growth mindset, customer-focus, and diversity, equity, inclusion & belonging, come join us and help advance the future software defined world. 

ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY
 

Wind River has an opportunity for a Customer Success Manager with extensive experience with embedded  operating systems.  Also, a benefit to have expertise with Wind River VxWorks and other products in the Wind River portfolio including Wind River Studio Developer, Cloud Platform, Linux, etc.  In addition to the technology, the CSM should have experience with IT software methodologies and processes, strategies, and best practices to manage the successful adoption of these products by our critical enterprise customers. The ideal candidate has experience working with enterprise customers, is strategically minded and collaborates with all internal stakeholders to exceed customers’ expectations and is a driver of exceptional customer experience across the full customer lifecycle with the goal of driving value and creating successful onboarding, adoption, enablement, expansion, and renewal experiences while mitigating churn risk.

JOB GOALS:

• Ensuring that customers:
  • Renew (and expand) their current license subscriptions
  • Expand their consumption of Wind River products and services
  • Serve as positive references in private and public settings

• Ensuring that Wind River customers unlock the full business value from their purchases based on their business outcomes and use cases
• Ensuring that customers have a great experience migrating to and deploying their Wind River solutions

JOB BRIEF:

Senior Customer Success Managers at Wind River provide continuity and business value to our customers over their full adoption journey.  The candidate must have the demonstrated ability to build critical relationships within the account at the executive, line manager, and individual administrator level to serve as a trusted advisor, become aware of new opportunities where Wind River products and services can solve customer problems, and maximum business value realization across the customer’s entire business.  The CSM will implement Wind River’s lifecycle adoption methodology but also develop new programs that will increase the business’ revenue potential and reduce churn.

A Senior Customer Success Manager’s responsibilities include guiding customers as they transition from sales prospects to won business staying focused on their business outcomes, building close relationships with key influencers that last beyond any one project, and ensuring that these customers become positive references and “customers for life.”

Ultimately, you will work directly with customers to help solve their problems and ensure their satisfaction while they are an active account with Wind River.  You will own the outcome of a successful customer both by marshalling the required internal resources (from Engineering, Product Management, Professional Services, Technical Support, and Executive leadership) and by coming up with creative solutions to customer challenges that you will implement yourself in order to meet specific Wind River financial goals.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Own the full customer lifecycle, with emphasis on revenue retention and expansion. This includes ensuring renewals, identifying upsell opportunities, and driving new license and service agreements.
• Act as a strategic partner to your customers, understanding their business outcomes and demonstrating how Wind River's products and services can help them achieve their goals. You'll be proactive in “walking the halls”, identifying new business problems they may not realize they have and providing solutions.
• Be a revenue driver. Scout for new opportunities to expand Wind River’s footprint within existing accounts by deeply understanding customer initiatives and challenges as well as organizational and external impacts.
• Serve as a customer advocate and a strategic internal resource. Marshal cross-functional teams—including Engineering, Product Management, Professional Services, and Technical Support—to address customer needs and ensure they meet their project milestones and ROI objectives.
• Prevent churn by monitoring customer health, proactively addressing any concerns, and ensuring a positive, high-value customer experience.
• Develop customers into positive references, building "customers for life" who are willing to publicly and privately endorse Wind River.
• Maintain a detailed record of all customer interactions, sentiment, and opportunities in our customer intelligence platform to provide visibility across the organization.
• Serve as a key partner to Wind River Product and Sales teams with relevant learnings from our major customers that may impact product roadmaps and sales plans.
   

REQUIREMENTS AND SKILLS

• 10 years of customer-facing experience in a technical role at a software company with similar products and customers.
• At least 3 years of direct experience as a Customer Success Manager, Technical Account Manager, or a similar role involving license renewals and/or expansion.
• Demonstrated success in managing the full customer lifecycle, with a clear focus on driving revenue and growth within existing accounts.
• Strong technical background with in-depth knowledge of embedded, real-time operating systems such as VxWorks.  Bonus to have specific experience with VxWorks and additional expertise in any of the following areas:
  • Wind River Cloud Platform, VMware vSphere, and/or OpenStack environments
  • Kubernetes or other container platforms
  • eLxr / Enterprise Linux systems, tools, and the competitive landscape
  • Wind River Linux or other embedded Linux platform
• Ability to navigate hybrid cloud architectures and advise on infrastructure optimization.
• Understanding of container lifecycle management, networking, and security in embedded or edge environments.
• Familiarity with Enterprise Linux distributions (e.g., Red Hat, SUSE, Ubuntu)
• Understanding of how embedded systems interface with cloud platforms, edge computing frameworks, and IoT architectures.
• Knowledge of secure boot, encryption, access control, and vulnerability management in embedded systems.
• Proven track record of supporting Global 2000 companies in the high-tech industry.
• Exceptional ability to communicate, build rapport, identify key account influencers, and foster positive business relationships at all levels, from technical teams to senior executives.
• Experience working with and providing oversight to broad cross-functional teams.
• Strong ownership, accountability, and organizational skills.
• Experience with playbooks, success plans, and health monitoring tools.
• A technical degree is preferred.

Ability to travel up to 40%.
 

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Aptiv is an equal employment opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability status, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law.