Customer Experience Owner, Customer Intelligence

Avalara•Durham, NC

About The Position

Avalara is scaling an AI-first operating model designed to predict customer needs, reduce systemic friction, protect Gross Revenue Retention (GRR), and lower Cost to Serve (CTS). Customer signals now exist in volume — across Voice of Customer systems, CX360 intelligence outputs, predictive analytics, and operational data. What does not exist is a single enterprise authority that determines: Which signals are credible, Which signals materially impact revenue or cost, Which signals get funded, How impact is verified, Who is accountable when action stalls. Without a governed decision framework, signal volume increases but executive decisions degrades. Roadmaps fragment. Metrics drift. Friction themes compete without financial validation. Revenue risk remains unquantified. The Lead Program Manager, Customer Intelligence & Enablement is the enterprise owner of Customer Intelligence activation. You will define and govern the decision architecture that converts signal into funded, finance-validated action with verified impact. It establishes the standards that determine how Customer Intelligence influences executive prioritization, capital allocation, and accountability. You will hold formal authority within the Customer Intelligence governance structure and is directly accountable for measurable movement in GRR and CTS attributable to Customer Intelligence activation. You will not add process. It prevents enterprise revenue leakage and operational inefficiency by enforcing disciplined, data-backed decision standards.

Requirements

B.S. in Computer Science or Engineering.
8+ years of experience in enterprise program leadership, operating model design, or Customer Intelligence strategy.
Demonstrated experience building governance frameworks adopted across multiple departments.
Direct experience partnering with Finance to measure revenue risk, retention exposure, or cost-to-serve impact.
Experience defining prioritization standards used in executive decision forums.
Demonstrated applied experience governing AI-enabled decision workflows tied to measurable outcomes.
Experience driving accountability in complex matrixed environments.
Demonstrated history of raising execution rigor, decision quality, and measurable performance.
Apply AI-driven clustering, classification, and predictive indicators to grow signal validation.
Measure AI impact in improved prioritization speed, financial modeling, or escalation accuracy.
Define measurable confidence and audit thresholds before automation impacts funding decisions.
Partner with analytics teams to improve model performance tied to GRR and CTS.
Improve AI capability across governance forums by promoting AI-informed decision criteria.
AI usage must materially improve speed, rigor, financial precision, or scale. Casual or convenience-based AI usage does not meet the standard.

Nice To Haves

A Bar Raiser in this role leaves the enterprise decision system stronger, clearer, and more financially disciplined than they found it.
We are hiring an AI Bar Raiser — someone who brings deep, applied AI expertise and uses it to meaningfully improve how customer intelligence is translated into executive decision-making. This role is expected to elevate how AI is applied across the organization, driving measurable improvements in prioritization accuracy, financial modeling, and decision speed.

Responsibilities

Lead the Enterprise Customer Intelligence Decision Framework: Define and govern the end-to-end lifecycle: signal capture → validation → financial quantification → prioritization → funding → impact verification. Establish signal eligibility standards and confidence thresholds before signals enter executive forums. Embed standardized decision criteria into roadmap and capital allocation governance. Eliminate fragmentation across listening systems by enforcing a single enterprise framework. Authority: Sole enterprise owner of the Customer Intelligence decision architecture.
Define Executive Prioritization & Funding Standards: Set the decision criteria used in executive forums reviewing customer friction themes. Define mandatory business case components for Customer Intelligence–driven projects. Present prioritized signal portfolios with quantified revenue and cost exposure. Align validated themes to roadmap sequencing and funding tradeoffs. Authority:
Manage Financial Accountability & Impact Validation: Partner with Finance to measure revenue risk, retention exposure, and cost drivers tied to validated signals. Establish required impact measurement standards before initiative approval. Validate pre- and post-intervention financial performance. Hold projects accountable to defined GRR and CTS movement. Accountability: Directly accountable for measurable GRR and CTS movement attributable to Customer Intelligence activation.
Improve Accountability & Escalation: Lead enterprise response when validated signals require action. Escalate stalled projects tied to approved friction themes. Arbitrate disputes in signal interpretation using defined governance standards. Enforce adherence to validation and influence measurement requirements. Authority: Formal escalation and arbitration authority within Customer Intelligence governance.
Define Artificial Intelligence Governance Standards: Establish governance standards for AI used in signal classification and prioritization. Define measurable confidence thresholds before automated escalation or prioritization impacts executive forums. Approve enterprise-level automation triggers affecting funding or sequencing decisions. Ensure AI is applied responsibly, securely, and auditable. Authority: Sole owner of AI governance standards within the Customer Intelligence system.
Govern Enterprise Measurement Integrity: Define and standardize Customer Intelligence Measurement definitions across VoC, CX360, predictive analytics, and operational systems. Prevent metric drift and conflicting reporting throughout the company. Align Customer Intelligence metrics with financial reporting standards. Authority: Sole owner of KPI governance tied to Customer Intelligence activation.