Customer Advocacy & Reference Program Manager

Sophos

3d•Remote

About The Position

Sophos is a cybersecurity leader defending 600,000 organizations globally with an AI-driven platform and expert-led services. Sophos meets organizations wherever they are in their security maturity and grows with them to defeat cyberattacks. Its solutions combine machine learning, automation, and real-time threat intelligence with frontline human expertise from Sophos X-Ops to deliver advanced, 24/7 threat monitoring, detection, and response. Sophos offers industry-leading managed detection and response (MDR) alongside a comprehensive portfolio of cybersecurity technologies — including endpoint, network, email, and cloud security, extended detection and response (XDR), identity threat detection and response (ITDR), and next-gen SIEM. Together with expert advisory services, these capabilities help organizations proactively reduce risk and respond faster, with the visibility and scalability needed to stay ahead of evolving threats. Sophos goes to market with a global partner ecosystem, including Managed Service Providers (MSPs), Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs), resellers and distributors, marketplace integrations, and cyber risk partners, giving organizations the flexibility to choose trusted relationships when securing their business. Sophos is headquartered in Oxford, U.K. More information is available at www.sophos.com. The Customer Advocacy & Reference Program Manager is responsible for owning and operating the global customer advocacy and reference program, from intake and sourcing through content development, activation, and measurement. This role is accountable for the quality, credibility, consistency, and business impact of all customer advocacy outputs that support sales motions, campaigns, PR, and strategic initiatives across the business.

Requirements

4–7+ years of experience in Customer Marketing, customer references, or B2B advocacy programs.
Proven experience owning and scaling customer reference programs, with a strong understanding of how to combine people, process, and technology to operate at global scale.
An operational mindset, with strong program management, prioritization, and systems thinking.
Hands-on ownership of program tooling and data quality, including CRM or reference platforms, intake mechanisms, tagging and taxonomy, dashboards, and reporting.
Experience applying automation and AI-enabled tools to improve operational efficiency, signal quality, and scalability, with appropriate governance and oversight.
Strong understanding of customer reference governance, including consent, approvals, communications hygiene, advocate usage limits, and brand risk management.
Excellent stakeholder management skills, with confidence partnering across Sales, Marketing, Product, PR, and Executive teams.
Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to represent customer voices authentically and accurately.

Nice To Haves

Experience in cybersecurity, enterprise SaaS, or a technical B2B environment is a plus.

Responsibilities

Own the global customer advocacy and reference program
Define and own the global vision, strategy, and operating model for customer advocacy and references, aligned to GTM priorities, solution focus areas, and pipeline needs.
Serve as the single point of accountability for program performance, quality of output, governance, and business impact.
Define and maintain clear standards, workflows, and guidance for how customer advocacy is sourced, managed, and used.
Build and maintain a strong referenceable customer base
Create and manage a centralized, trusted library of reference customers and advocacy assets, including written and video case studies, testimonials, event speakers, peer reviews, and third-party validation.
Partner with Sales, Customer Success, and Product Marketing to identify, qualify, and onboard high-eleven customer advocates across regions, segments, and strategic product areas.
Own customer advocacy content quality and execution
Own the end-to-end coordination of customer advocacy content, from intake and story development through approvals and final delivery.
Work with Content, Product Marketing, and external teams to ensure customer stories are translated into clear, accurate, and compelling proof points.
Ensure all customer advocacy assets meet quality, accuracy, and brand standards.
Operationalize processes that scale
Design and run repeatable, scalable workflows for intake, reference matching, approvals, fulfillment, and tracking.
Use automation and AI-enabled tools to improve speed, accuracy, and consistency - while maintaining appropriate governance and data quality.
Measure and improve program performance
Track and report on program effectiveness, including utilization, SLA performance, coverage gaps, advocate health, and business impact.
Use insights to continuously optimize program design, prioritization, and execution.
Drive internal adoption and use
Enable internal teams on how to request, access, and use customer advocacy appropriately and consistently.
Feed customer advocacy insights into Growth Marketing’s broader personalization and content strategy, ensuring the voice of the customer informs targeting, messaging, and campaign development.