Senior Director, Renewals and Retention

Senior Director, Renewals and Retention

Role overview

The Senior Director, Renewals and Retention is a strategic leadership role responsible for defining and leading Blackbaud’s next-generation renewals motion across a large, multi-product installed base. This leader will own retention as a business outcome and reimagine   the   customer   renewal   experience ,   moving from a fragmented set of contracts, dates, and conversations toward a simple, unified, and predictable renewal relationship.

This role moves beyond traditional renewal management.   The Senior Director, Renewals and Retention will   design and operationalize a scalable, data-driven renewals model aligned to customer segmentation, product strategy, and long-term revenue growth .   They will also   build   and evol v e   the   capabilit ies,   strategy, standards, systems, and team   required   to support a modern renewals organization .   This role   has a   direct   impact on   recurring revenue, retention, and expansion   outcomes .

We are looking for a transformational leader who will set the strategy, build   and develop the renewals   motion, and lead the organization through change while driving towards required business outcomes.

What   you’ll   bring

Transformation , strategy & execution

- Move quickly to assess the current renewals motion and develop a new transformation strategy — then own its implementation and execution end to end.

- Rebuild the renewals motion, team, and processes for scale and predictability ,   retaining   revenue for customers while improving churn.

- Establish scalable processes, governance, and the standards that keep simplification disciplined.

- Tackle partial churn directly, including changing how the organization negotiates with customers at renewal to reduce   downsell   and contract erosion.

- Operationalize the strategy: translate it into implemented changes to team structure, tools, workflows, and customer-facing motions, and sustain the change through execution.

- Lead organizational change with clarity and pace, evolving the motion in step with product and go-to-market shifts.

- Build the measurement and instrumentation that show whether the transformation is working.

Strategic leadership and renewals strategy

- Define and lead the end-to-end renewals and retention strategy across the installed base.

- Reimagine the customer’s renewal experience and   lead   the commercial simplification   required   to get there.

- Shape offering, bundling, and packaging   strategy   as a driver of retention, expansion, and customer value.

AI, data, and innovation

- Design a next-generation motion that pairs named coverage with scaled, automated coverage for the broader base.

- Apply AI and data science to the transformation — using them to redesign workflows, segment the base, and scale coverage, not just as reporting tools.

- Leverage AI, predictive analytics, and data science to segment customers,   anticipate   churn risk, and surface expansion opportunities.

- Champion automation and intelligent tooling to improve scalability, efficiency, and customer experience.

- Continuously evaluate emerging technology to keep the motion ahead of the market.

Revenue ownership and performance

- Own performance against gross retention, net revenue retention, renewal rates, and expansion.

- Deliver expansion as a single, relevant offer at renewal rather than several uncoordinated ones.

- Personally engage   on   high-value, complex renewals and bring executive presence to close.

- Partner with Finance to forecast recurring revenue and inform long-range planning.

- Protect margin and commercial value while driving performance.

Cross-functional influence and matrixed leadership

- Build alignment and accountability across Product, Finance, Legal, Sales, and Customer Success without relying on direct authority.

- Coordinate the motions that reach the same   customer,   so teams reinforce one another rather than compete for attention.

- Lead cross-functional initiatives tied to retention and lifecycle optimization.

Customer strategy and engagement

- Engage senior customer executives on complex renewals and expansion.

- Shape tailored renewal strategies based on customer health and strategic value.

- Recognize when an opportunity is really an   unrealized-value   problem, and   route it to onboarding and enablement rather than to a seller.

Team leadership and development

- Restructure the team and organizational model to match the new motion, including roles, coverage models, and reporting lines.

- Recruit, develop, and   retain   a strong team   and leadership bench through a period of change.

- Set clear priorities, expectations, and accountability.

- Build a culture of high performance, agility, and continuous improvement ,   and a   team   people want to work for.

What   you’ll   bring

- 12+ years of experience in renewals, customer success, revenue operations, commercial operations, account management, or related leadership roles, including ownership of recurring revenue performance, customer retention, and large-scale business transformation initiatives.

- Transformational leadership experience in renewals or commercial organizations at scale, including oversight of thousands of customer accounts and significant recurring revenue across both named and scaled customer engagement models.

- Proven experience rebuilding and transforming a renewals organization, operating model, or motion, with measurable improvements in GRR, NRR, retention, and churn.

- Demonstrated success owning and improving gross retention performance, with a deep understanding of the drivers behind retention outcomes.

- Experience   leveraging   automation, AI, and data-driven insights to segment customers,   identify   risk, and   optimize   engagement strategies at scale.

- Strong understanding of pricing, packaging, and bundling strategies, including their impact on ARR, customer cohorts, retention, and growth.

- Experience working with enterprise customers and leading complex renewal, expansion, or commercial discussions.

- Proven ability to lead organizational change, evolve team structures, and   maintain   high levels   of engagement and performance through transformation.

- Demonstrated ability to drive alignment and results across a matrixed organization where ownership is shared across multiple teams.

- Strong commercial acumen combined with a customer-centric approach, balancing revenue performance, customer value, and long-term retention.

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Blackbaud powers social impact through purpose‑driven technology and responsible AI. Guided by our Intelligence for Good® vision, we’re building a culture where innovation, trust, and human expertise come together to help organizations make a greater difference in the world.

Blackbaud is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and is committed to maintaining a diverse and inclusive work environment. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, physical or mental disability, age, or veteran status or any other basis protected by federal, state, or local law.

The starting base pay is $133,700.00 to $173,800.00. Blackbaud may pay more or less based on employee qualifications, market value, Company finances, and other operational considerations.

Benefits Include:

- Medical, dental, and vision insurance
- Remote-flexible workforce
- Wellness Programs
- 401(k) program with employer match
- Flexible paid time off
- Generous Parental Leave
- Donations for Doers
- Pet insurance, legal and identity protection
- Tuition reimbursement program