Commercial Strategy Manager
Summary
The Commercial Strategy Manager is responsible for directly engaging with commercial customers on strategic, complex nonstandard opportunities that will drive growth while ensuring alignment with Workiva business objectives. This individual contributor will partner with internal cross-functional stakeholders to creatively address our customers’ challenges and empower our customers to rapidly grow through innovative solutions. This role leads the deal engagement by creating an actionable strategy and deal structure.
Responsibilities
Deal Strategy and Negotiation
- Acts as a trusted advisor and thought leader for Sales, Deal Desk, and the customer in the development of complex nonstandard deal strategy with a focus on the commercial aspects of the deal and associated contractual business terms
- Partners with the customer, Sales, and Value Management team to help set objectives, analyze priorities, and ensure customer executive alignment on the strategy for the opportunity
- Leads deal negotiations by thoughtfully balancing the “art of the possible” with the desired business objectives to create a competitive, value-based commercial deal structure that maximizes the value of the opportunity
- Guides Sales and the customer to utilize standard deal structures when possible, but also able to navigate revenue recognition and legal concerns when crafting nonstandard deals; works with Deal Desk to loop in Accounting and Legal when needed
- Advises Sales and Deal Desk on the competitive situation and creates an actionable strategy to meet the outcomes desired by our customers and our business
Internal and External Alignment and Expectation Management
- Partners with Deal Desk to obtain buy-in including briefing senior management and managing internal and customer stakeholder expectations
- Inspires and influences internal stakeholders and approvers to remove obstacles in order to achieve desired business outcomes with short turnaround times
- Facilitates alignment through effective communication within internal and external stakeholders and promptly resolves any confluent to encourage productive and positive interactions
Redlines, Commercial Term Drafting, and Contract Management
- Collaborates on key strategic deals with Deal Desk to lead business-critical contract negotiations, redline activities, and objection handling for nonstandard deals with heavy redlines and/or customer paper
- Advises Deal Desk on nonstandard commercial terms, redlines, and contract language
- Liaises between Sales and Legal by providing guidance on commonly requested edits, non-standard terms, policies, and frequently asked questions
Process Improvement
- Takes part in building the commercial terms library with a focus on standardizing terms, levers, and approval requirements
- Collaborates with teammates and various internal cross-functional stakeholders to develop an internal and external objection handling playbook and talk track for common requests
Forecast Management
- Partners with sales leadership and Deal Desk to prioritize key deals and ensure deal closure
What You'll Need
Education
- Undergraduate Degree or equivalent combination of education and experience in a related field.
Skills
- Confidently influence deal structure and business strategy in customer-facing negotiations
- Strong listening, written, and verbal communication skills with ability to synthesize and effectively communicate information across teams
- Ability to remain courteous and professional even during high-stress end-of-quarter deal negotiations
- Work autonomously, set priorities, meet deadlines, and manage multiple projects in a fast-paced, changing environment while exercising sound business judgement and with minimal supervision
- Can quickly identify gaps, problem solve, and then find creative and sustainable solutions
- Strong organizational and time management skills
- Dedicated to excellent customer service while managing multiple priorities with short turnaround times
- Ability to be open and honest in communications with all stakeholders – customers and internal stakeholders including but not limited to Sales, Deal Desk, Legal, Accounting, and senior management
- 5+ years in customer-facing deal strategy, pricing strategy, and/or value-oriented negotiation roles
- 5+ years in reviewing redlines, drafting nonstandard commercial terms, and redlining customer paper as related to Master Agreements and Sales Orders
- 5+ years experience in architecting deals within a value-based sales process and build a commercial model to support the business case
- Working knowledge of ASC 606 Revenue Recognition rules strongly preferred
- Strong analytical and presentation skills and the ability to articulate concepts to cross-functional stakeholders at all levels
- Experience supporting remote and local Enterprise SaaS sales teams
- Experience with direct B2B sales models
- Experience working with remote cross-functional teams such as Legal, Finance, Product
- Salesforce CRM experience required; Salesforce CPQ experience preferred
- CLM experience preferred
- Less than 10% travel
- Reliable internet access for any period of time working remotely, not in a Workiva office.
How You'll Be Rewarded
- Base Pay Range in Colorado: $113,000-$157,000
- A discretionary bonus typically paid annually
- Restricted Stock Units granted at time of hire
The base pay range represents the low and high end of the hiring range for this job. Actual pay will vary and may be above or below the range based on various factors including but not limited to relevant skills, experience, and capabilities.
Where You’ll Work
Our values drive how we work and who we hire. You will see these values ingrained in how we support our customers, work with team members, build our products and in the work environment we’ve created.
Customer Success: Always delight our customers.
Trust: Rely on each other.
Integrity: Do the right thing, every time.
Collaboration: Share resources and work together.
Innovation: Keep creating solutions and finding better ways.
Inclusion: Support a diverse community where we all belong.
Accountability: Be responsible for your success and failure.
We believe our people are our greatest asset, and our unique culture gives employees the opportunity to make an impact everyday. We give our employees the freedom and resources they need—backed by our culture of collaboration and diverse thought—to continue innovating and breaking new ground. We hire talented people with a wide range of skills and experiences who are eager to tackle some of today’s most challenging problems.
At Workiva, you’ll enjoy:
Fantastic Benefits: With coverage starting day one, choose from competitive health, dental, and vision plans on the largest physician networks available.
Casual Dress: Workiva has a casual work environment, most people wear jeans to the office.
Involvement: Ability to participate in Employee Resource Groups, (Women in Tech, Women in Sales, Ethnic Diversity, Veterans, Rainbow (LGBTQ), Remote Employees, Caregiving) Volunteering, Company wide celebrations, and more
Work-life Balance: We have competitive PTO, VTO and Parental Leave. We encourage employees to spend time enjoying life outside of work.
Learn more about life at Workiva: https://www.linkedin.com/company/workiva/
Learn more about benefits: https://www.workiva.com/careers/benefits
Workiva is an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer. We believe that great minds think differently. We value diversity of backgrounds, beliefs, and interests, and we recognize diversity as an important source of intellectual thought, varied perspective, and innovation. Employment decisions are made without regard to age, race, creed, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, disability status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression genetic information, marital status, citizenship status or any other protected characteristic.
Workiva is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. To request assistance with the application process, please email [email protected].
Workiva supports employees in working where they work best - either from an office or remotely from any location within their country of employment. Effective October 18, 2021, proof of COVID-19 vaccination is required to visit any Workiva office, attend in-person meetings, or travel for business purposes.
