SMB Account Manager

Build a massive, fast-growing business with billions in revenue

About the Role

Account Management at Handshake owns Gross Revenue Retention (GRR), Net Revenue Retention (NRR), renewals, and expansion revenue across our customer base.

As an Account Manager, SMB / Mid-Market, you'll own the commercial relationship and growth strategy for a portfolio of approximately 75–130 customers, acting as a strategic commercial owner rather than a contract-execution renewal rep. You’ll be accountable for retaining and growing revenue while helping customers maximize the value of their partnership with Handshake.

You’ll partner closely with Customer Success, Sales, RevOps, Product, Support, Finance, and Legal to develop account strategies, mitigate risk, navigate complex customer needs, and identify opportunities to deepen and expand customer relationships.

This role is ideal for someone who enjoys balancing strategic account management, consultative selling, customer advocacy, and operational rigor. You’ll manage customers at different stages of their lifecycle and prioritize your time based on retention risk, expansion potential, and overall business impact.

Own commercial strategy across a portfolio of approximately 75–130 SMB and/or Mid-Market customers, with accountability for GRR, NRR, renewals, and expansion performance

Develop and execute strategic account plans that identify customer priorities, business outcomes, retention risks, expansion opportunities, and paths to long-term growth

Proactively manage the renewal lifecycle from early strategy and stakeholder alignment through negotiation and close

Lead commercial negotiations involving pricing, packaging, contract terms, multi-year agreements, and complex renewal scenarios

Identify, qualify, and close expansion opportunities across additional licenses, products, and multi-product offerings to increase NRR

Build multi-threaded relationships with champions, decision-makers, and executive stakeholders to reduce churn risk and unlock growth

Partner closely with Customer Success to connect product adoption and demonstrated customer value to renewal and expansion strategies

Lead strategic customer conversations focused on business priorities, ROI, future needs, and opportunities to expand the partnership

Proactively identify accounts at risk and develop clear retention and mitigation strategies in partnership with internal stakeholders

Navigate complex customer situations—including competitive evaluations, budget pressure, organizational changes, product concerns, and procurement—with sound commercial judgment and customer empathy

Maintain a clear understanding of portfolio health, including renewal status, expansion pipeline, account risk, stakeholder engagement, and growth potential

Own accurate and timely forecasting, pipeline management, and opportunity hygiene across revenue systems

Prioritize your portfolio effectively, balancing high-touch strategic engagement with scalable account management motions

Surface customer insights and trends to Product, Sales, Customer Success, and leadership to help improve our product and go-to-market strategy

Contribute to the continued evolution of Account Management by sharing best practices and identifying opportunities to improve processes, playbooks, segmentation, automation, and operating rhythms

Desired Capabilities

2+ years of experience in Account Management, Customer Success, Sales, Renewals, or another customer-facing B2B SaaS role

1+ years owning commercial outcomes such as renewals, expansion, upsell, cross-sell, or revenue retention

Track record managing and growing a portfolio of B2B SaaS customers and associated ARR

Proven ability to lead renewal and expansion opportunities from strategy through negotiation and close

Strong commercial acumen with the ability to balance customer needs with business objectives

Experience identifying customer risk and developing strategies to protect and improve retention

Experience managing pipeline and producing accurate forecasts against retention and/or expansion targets

Ability to build credibility and influence across multiple levels of a customer organization, including senior stakeholders and decision-makers

Strong prioritization and organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple customer opportunities and deadlines simultaneously

Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to navigate strategic, commercial, and difficult customer conversations

Strong cross-functional collaboration skills across Customer Success, Sales, Product, Support, Finance, Legal, and RevOps

Extra Credit

Experience managing SMB and/or Mid-Market SaaS customers with responsibility for both retention and expansion

Experience carrying a renewal, expansion, or revenue quota and consistently delivering against commercial targets

Experience working in a startup, high-growth SaaS, or rapidly evolving go-to-market environment

Familiarity with HR technology, recruiting technology, ATS platforms, talent acquisition, or recruiting workflows

Experience selling or expanding multi-product SaaS platforms

Experience navigating procurement, competitive evaluations, pricing negotiations, and multi-year agreements

Experience using customer data and signals to prioritize a portfolio and identify retention and expansion opportunities

Familiarity with scaled engagement strategies, automation, and tech-touch account management motions

Perks

Handshake delivers benefits that help you feel supported and thrive at work and in life.

The below benefits are for full-time US employees.

🎯 Ownership: Equity in a fast-growing company

💰 Financial Wellness: 401(k) match, competitive compensation, financial coaching

🍼 Family Support: Paid parental leave, fertility benefits, parental coaching

💝 Wellbeing: Medical, dental, and vision, mental health support, $500 wellness stipend

📚 Growth: $2,000 learning stipend, ongoing development

💻 Remote & Office: Internet, commuting, and free lunch/gym in our SF office

🏝 Time Off: Flexible PTO, 15 holidays + 2 flex days

🤝 Connection: Team outings & referral bonuses