Lead Customer Success
- Hybrid
- Alexandria, Virginia, United States
- Business Development
Why you’ll love this job
Datenna is a fast-growing tech scale-up combining cutting-edge open-source intelligence (OSINT) and AI technologies to provide governments worldwide with critical insights into China's techno-economic landscape. Our platform transforms OSINT into actionable insights on China’s Defense Industrial Base and broader technological landscape through advanced data processing and analysis.
The Role: As the Customer Success Lead, you will drive the success of our U.S. federal defense and intelligence customers, ensuring Datenna’s solutions deliver exceptional value and impact. Leading and developing a growing Customer Success team, you will own strategic relationships with senior decision-makers, proactively manage complex client portfolios, and act as a trusted advisor at the intersection of OSINT, AI, China and national security. You will collaborate closely with product, engineering, and research teams to influence product strategy based on customer needs and industry trends, while also spearheading initiatives to drive renewals, expansions, and long-term partnerships. Beyond managing your own portfolio of key accounts, you will build scalable processes, develop best practices, and represent Datenna at high-level industry engagements and executive briefings.
Your mission at Datenna:
Lead and elevate the Customer Success team, setting a clear vision, mentoring team members, and building scalable processes that drive exceptional client outcomes.
Own strategic relationships with senior decision-makers across the defense and intelligence community, positioning Datenna as a trusted partner and industry thought leader.
Drive measurable impact by ensuring client retention, account growth, and satisfaction, while identifying opportunities for renewals, expansions, and advocacy.
Act as the voice of the customer, aligning with product, engineering, intelligence, and sales teams to translate client insights into product innovation and go-to-market strategies.
Shape and execute strategic initiatives to enhance demand generation and expand Datenna’s influence through executive briefings, high-impact presentations, and industry events.
Establish operational excellence, developing playbooks and success frameworks to ensure the team delivers consistent, repeatable, and scalable value to clients.
What makes you a great candidate:
10+ years of experience in customer success, account management, or client-facing roles, with proven leadership experience in building and leading high-performing teams.
Demonstrated expertise in managing strategic relationships with senior stakeholders, particularly within government, defense, or intelligence sectors.
Strong track record of driving customer retention, renewals, and account growth through strategic engagement and value delivery.
Exceptional ability to align cross-functional teams (product, engineering, and business development) around customer needs and priorities.
Superior communication and presentation skills, with experience influencing C-level stakeholders and representing organizations at high-profile industry events.
Strategic, data-driven, and proactive mindset, with a focus on building scalable processes and fostering operational excellence.
Deep knowledge of China’s foreign policy, politics, and military landscape, with the ability to translate complex insights into actionable guidance for clients.
Preferred qualifications:
Direct experience working in or with the U.S. defense or intelligence community.
Proficiency in Mandarin Chinese.
Familiarity with Chinese government strategies such as Military-Civil Fusion, Dual Circulation, and broader industrial policy.
Eligibility for a U.S. security clearance.
Experience in a high-growth, startup, or scale-up environment.
Why you’ll love Datenna
Close-knit team of amazing colleagues
Competitive compensation package consisting of base salary, commission and bonus, equity incentive, and benefits
Opportunity to work one week out of the year from anywhere in the world
Read more about our culture at www.jobs.datenna.com
Additional Information
This is a full-time position based in our Alexandria, VA office or remote within the Washington, DC metro area.
U.S. Citizenship is required.
When you apply to this position, we will process your personal data according to our Recruitment Privacy Notice.
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Thank you for applying!
We have received your application and will be in touch shortly. This is the process we follow: 1. Screening Call with a Recruiter Our journey together starts with a brief call. We’ll discuss your experience, career goals, and provide an overview of the role. It’s an opportunity for us to get to know each other better. 2. Behavioral Interview Next, you’ll have a behavioral interview where we’ll explore your past experiences, problem-solving abilities, and how you handle various situations. This helps us understand how you align with our values and work culture. 3. System Design Interview (for Tech Roles) For technical roles, you’ll participate in a system design interview. We’ll dive into your ability to architect scalable and efficient systems, assessing your design thinking and technical expertise. 4. Skill Assessment In the final stage, you’ll undergo a skill assessment tailored to your role. For technical positions, this will be a technical interview focused on your specific expertise. For other roles, you’ll take part in a case interview that evaluates your problem-solving and analytical skills.
