Senior Central Operations & Planning Manager

Description:

We are seeking a Senior Central Operations & Planning Manager to join our Strategy & Operations team within the Chief Customer Officer's (CCO) organization. This role owns the planning infrastructure and strategic operations that enable the customer organization to execute effectively over quarterly and annual horizons. You'll design the operating systems, run planning cycles, and generate insights that inform strategic decisions—working alongside Planning Analysts on analytical work and partnering with the Programs team to ensure plans are actionable.

Responsibilities:

Planning Infrastructure & Strategic Operations

• Own and run quarterly and annual planning cycles for the customer organization, including target setting, capacity planning, headcount forecasting, and budget management
• Design and maintain planning frameworks, models, and templates used across Customer Success, Support, Professional Services, and Customer Operations
• Build capacity models together with our analytics group, coverage ratios, and multi-quarter resource forecasts to inform strategic hiring and investment decisions
• Develop and maintain strategic planning documentation, ensuring institutional knowledge and planning continuity
• Partner with FP&A on annual budgets, quarterly forecasts, and long-range planning for the customer organization

Strategic Analytics & Business Insights

• Work collaboratively with Planning Analysts to develop analyses, build models, and generate insights
• Build executive reporting on customer health trends, retention drivers, expansion patterns, and organizational performance
• Partner with data teams on metric definitions, reporting infrastructure, and data quality for planning purposes
• Synthesize analytical findings into strategic recommendations and business cases for leadership

Cross-Functional Planning & Coordination

• Partner with Programs team to ensure strategic initiatives are properly scoped, resourced, and integrated into planning
• Coordinate planning inputs and dependencies with cross-functional partners (sales, product, finance, operations)
• Ensure customer organization needs are represented in company-wide planning processes
• Work with operations and finance partners on shared planning frameworks and resource allocation decisions
• Facilitate alignment between customer leadership and other executives on strategic priorities and investments

Team Collaboration & Development

• Collaborate with Planning Analysts on analytical projects—working together to divide work, review analyses, and develop insights
• Provide strategic context and business knowledge to help analysts understand how their work informs decisions
• Create analytical frameworks and planning tools that analysts can leverage for recurring work
• Share planning expertise and help build analytical capabilities across the team
• Partner with Strategy & Operations team lead on team priorities, workload allocation, and capability building

• 5 years of experience in strategy, strategy and operations, strategic finance, or management consulting
• Strong strategic thinking with ability to connect planning processes to business outcomes
• Advanced analytical and modeling skills with proficiency in Excel/Google Sheets and financial modeling
• Proven experience owning multi-quarter and annual planning processes, including headcount and budget planning
• Deep understanding of customer success economics and post-sales operating models (GRR, NRR, Retention)
• Excellent synthesis and communication skills with ability to translate complex analyses into clear strategic recommendations
• Track record of building planning frameworks and improving organizational planning capabilities
• Demonstrated ability to influence and partner effectively with senior leadership
• Collaborative approach to analytical work—comfortable partnering with analysts rather than just delegating

Preferred

• MBA or relevant graduate degree
• Experience in B2B SaaS companies within customer-facing organizations, preferably at a senior IC or leadership level
• Proficiency with Salesforce, CS platforms, SQL, and BI tools (Tableau, Looker, Mode)
• Experience with workforce planning, capacity modeling, or organizational design
• Previous experience in chief of staff, strategic planning, or similar roles supporting C-level executives
• Understanding of how strategic plans translate into program execution
• Experience mentoring or developing junior team members