Sr Director, Customer Experience

Stride | $147,151.50-?

Steph's Notes:

Job application is on Workday. My condolences.

This role is responsible for working throughout our organization to enhance our sales processes by being the #1 advocate and champion of the customer.

I think I understand what they're getting at here, it's just a weird way of saying it. Or maybe I'm not accustomed to companies saying that sales are their #1 priority (over customer experience) so plainly.

And now that I've seen the sales thing, I feel like the rest of the job description (save maybe a few bullets toward the end) is geared more toward sales than CX work, or it's written just vaguely enough to leave it up to interpretation. Which, again, just seems weird to me.

All of that is not enough to put this in Tread Carefully, so I bet you're wondering why this job ended up here. Well, brace yourself because there's about to be some language:

Compensation & Benefits: Stride, Inc. considers a person’s education, experience, and qualifications, as well as the position’s work location, expected quality and quantity of work, required travel (if any), external market and internal value when determining a new employee’s salary level. Salaries will differ based on these factors, the position’s level and expected contribution, and the employee’s benefits elections. Offers will typically be in the bottom half of the range.

We anticipate the salary range to be $147,151.50- $268,166.40. The upper end of this range is not likely to be offered

THAT'S NOT THE FUCKING SALARY RANGE, THEN. SHARE THE ACTUAL FUCKING RANGE.

It is so infuriating when companies want the credit of giving a salary without actually giving the salary, which is such utter bullshit, especially from a company with stated values of "Trustworthiness" and "Accountability."

That's not transparency, trustworthiness, or accountability. That's manipulation and it is bad practice and you should feel bad, Stride.

Original Job Description: Sr Director, Customer Experience

SUMMARY: Stride is committed to delivering exceptional products/services and fostering long-lasting relationships with our customers. We are seeking a seasoned professional to join our enrollment team as the Senior Director of Customer Experience. This role is responsible for working throughout our organization to enhance our sales processes by being the #1 advocate and champion of the customer. If you have experience in B2C / retail / e-commerce, a passion for delivering great customer service, and want to make a huge impact in your next position, this could be a great fit. Must be a self-motivated individual capable of working independently to deliver results.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:   Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential duties.

• Develop and Implement Customer Experience Strategy:
  • Execute personalized customer service engagement strategies for contact center outreach.
  • Establish the short and long-term digital customer engagement roadmap through developing and managing key initiatives to enhance channel utilization (email, chat, SMS, push, in-app, etc.)
• Cross-Functional Collaboration:
  • Successfully advocate for the customer within the organization through building strong cross-functional relationships with other teams including marketing, sales, product development, IT, finance, and more.
  • Facilitate a strong collaborative relationship with analytics, crafting comprehensive testing strategies to expedite learning, optimization, and scaling.
  • Work alongside IT teams to leverage technologies that will enhance and personalize customer interactions.
  • Generate innovative and creative ideas for video content that resonate with target audiences and will be embedded into the overall engagement strategy.
• Customer Insights and Analytics:
  • Customer-Centric Mindset. Identify data and insights from internal and external sources to inform customer strategy and create a deep understanding of our customers’ needs and behaviors.
  • Cultivate an in-depth understanding of client needs, market dynamics, and competitive forces.
  • Identify and prioritize key segments, use cases, and critical moments in the customer lifecycle to foster deeper relationships.
  • Leverage customer feedback, analytics, and market research to drive improvements.
  • Industry Knowledge: Familiarity with industry trends, best practices, and benchmarks in customer experience management.
  • Apply data analysis and interpretation to derive actionable insights for enhancing customer experience.
• Leadership & Executive Presence
  • Hands-on leadership style with ability to foster true alignment, overcome operational challenges, and accelerate delivery.
  • Ability to think strategically and translate high-level vision into actionable plans and initiatives.
  • Management of training and quality assurance team members.

Supervisory Responsibilities: Directly supervises 5 - 10 Full-time Equivalent (FTE) regular employees and/or contractors.  Carries out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with the organization's policies and applicable laws. Responsibilities include interviewing, hiring, and training employees; planning, assigning, and directing work; appraising performance; rewarding and disciplining employees; addressing complaints and resolving problems.

MINIMUM REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:   

• Minimum of 10 years of progressive experience in customer experience, customer service, or related roles.
• Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Project, Visio, etc.); Web proficiency.
• Ability to travel 20% of the time
• Ability to clear required background check

Certificates and Licenses: None required.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS:  

• Senior leadership experience within customer service industry.
• Ability to lead and inspire a team, fostering a culture of customer-centricity and continuous improvement.
• Experience implementing AI/ML technologies and/or tools to improve customer satisfaction.
• Project management
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Familiarity with customer experience management platforms, CRM systems, and other relevant technologies.
• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Marketing, or a related field. Advanced degree (Master’s or MBA) preferred.

Compensation & Benefits: Stride, Inc. considers a person’s education, experience, and qualifications, as well as the position’s work location, expected quality and quantity of work, required travel (if any), external market and internal value when determining a new employee’s salary level.  Salaries will differ based on these factors, the position’s level and expected contribution, and the employee’s benefits elections.  Offers will typically be in the bottom half of the range. 

We anticipate the salary range to be $147,151.50- $268,166.40. The upper end of this range is not likely to be offered, as an individual’s compensation can vary based on several factors. These factors include, but are not limited to, geographic location, experience, training, education, and local market conditions. Eligible employees may receive a bonus. Stride offers a robust benefits package for eligible employees that can include health benefits, retirement contributions, and paid time off.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:  The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• This position is virtual and open to residents of the 50 states, D.C.

The above job is not intended to be an all-inclusive list of duties and standards of the position. Incumbents will follow any other instructions, and perform any other related duties, as assigned by their supervisor.  All employment is “at-will” as governed by the law of the state where the employee works.  It is further understood that the “at-will” nature of employment is one aspect of employment that cannot be changed except in writing and signed by an authorized officer. 

Job Type

Regular

The above job is not intended to be an all-inclusive list of duties and standards of the position. Incumbents will follow any other instructions, and perform any other related duties, as assigned by their supervisor. All employment is “at-will” as governed by the law of the state where the employee works.  It is further understood that the “at-will” nature of employment is one aspect of employment that cannot be changed except in writing and signed by an authorized officer.

Stride, Inc. is a Federal Contractor, an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer and a Drug-Free Workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, protected Veteran status age, or genetics, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities

The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c)