Hi - We’re AppFolio
We’re innovators, changemakers, and collaborators. We’re more than just a software company – we’re pioneers in cloud and AI who deliver magical experiences that make our customers’ lives easier. We’re revolutionizing how people do business in the real estate industry, and we want your ideas, enthusiasm, and passion to help us keep innovating.
We are seeking a highly experienced and strategic Product Owner to lead and scale the systems, processes, and data that power our Customer Success organization. Reporting to the Vice President of Enterprise Applications, this high-impact role will shape the vision, execution, and ongoing optimization of our core platforms to drive exceptional customer experiences and retention.
About the Role:
As the Sr. Staff Product Owner for Customer Success (Onboarding and Customer Services), you will serve as the strategic and operational link between business leaders and technical teams for systems, processes, and data capabilities. You will own the system product roadmap, champion technology investments, and ensure our systems deliver measurable business outcomes. Your work will span the entire customer journey, from onboarding and service activation to customer success measurement, creating seamless handoffs, fostering proactive engagement, and delivering tangible value. In close partnership with leadership, you will build scalable onboarding processes that provide a frictionless first experience, develop platforms to track customer engagement, health, and success metrics, and empower Customer Success Managers (CSMs) to drive renewals and uncover expansion opportunities.

Responsibilities:

• Strategic Alignment: Translate company and customer goals into team objectives, bridging the gap between business leaders, stakeholders, and the development team to ensure a unified vision.
• Product Vision & Roadmap Ownership: Develop and maintain a business-aligned, forward-looking product roadmap for Customer Success systems. Collaborate with business leads to validate that the roadmap delivers desired business outcomes and effectively communicate this vision to the development team.
• Prioritization & Execution: Organize and prioritize the product backlog based on business value and urgency. Make timely decisions on trade-offs, scope changes, and competing priorities. Define clear objectives and success metrics for each sprint or release, actively removing barriers and managing distractions to ensure successful delivery.
• Voice of the Business: Act as the primary liaison and trusted consultative partner for Customer Success. Anticipate their needs, advocate for solutions that address their challenges, and gain a deep understanding of their workflows and pain points.
• Collaboration & Communication: Manage cross-functional dependencies and collaboration. Ensure timely and transparent communication to teams and stakeholders, tailoring messages to diverse audiences. Drive continuous improvement within the team.
• Product Delivery & Validation: Ensure the development team fully understands the product vision. Validate completed work against expectations and quality standards. Lead backlog prioritization, refinement, and planning sessions.
• Change Management & Enablement: Develop and execute comprehensive change management and enablement plans for new system implementations and process improvements, ensuring smooth transitions and high user adoption within the Customer Success organization.
• Domain Expertise: Cultivate and maintain deep expertise in the business, systems, and processes related to Customer Success (Onboarding, Customer Success), striving not just to understand best-in-class, but to achieve it.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Technology, or a related field.
• 10+ years as a Product Owner, Program Manager, or Solution Delivery Lead in Customer Success, Onboarding, or Customer Success systems, ideally in a high-growth SaaS company with revenue over $1B.
• Strong understanding of the customer lifecycle and proven ability to optimize it through technology.
• Expertise with CRM platforms (Salesforce), customer success platforms (Gainsight, Vitally), and knowledge management systems.
• Demonstrated success in building trust with business partners and driving transformational change.
• Proven experience as a change agent, driving transformation and improvement within organizations.
• Skilled in Agile methodologies, with a track record of delivering measurable business results.

• Strategic Alignment: Translate company and customer goals into team objectives, bridging the gap between business leaders, stakeholders, and the development team to ensure a unified vision.
• Product Vision & Roadmap Ownership: Develop and maintain a business-aligned, forward-looking product roadmap for Customer Success systems. Collaborate with business leads to validate that the roadmap delivers desired business outcomes and effectively communicate this vision to the development team.
• Prioritization & Execution: Organize and prioritize the product backlog based on business value and urgency. Make timely decisions on trade-offs, scope changes, and competing priorities. Define clear objectives and success metrics for each sprint or release, actively removing barriers and managing distractions to ensure successful delivery.
• Voice of the Business: Act as the primary liaison and trusted consultative partner for Customer Success. Anticipate their needs, advocate for solutions that address their challenges, and gain a deep understanding of their workflows and pain points.
• Collaboration & Communication: Manage cross-functional dependencies and collaboration. Ensure timely and transparent communication to teams and stakeholders, tailoring messages to diverse audiences. Drive continuous improvement within the team.
• Product Delivery & Validation: Ensure the development team fully understands the product vision. Validate completed work against expectations and quality standards. Lead backlog prioritization, refinement, and planning sessions.
• Change Management & Enablement: Develop and execute comprehensive change management and enablement plans for new system implementations and process improvements, ensuring smooth transitions and high user adoption within the Customer Success organization.
• Domain Expertise: Cultivate and maintain deep expertise in the business, systems, and processes related to Customer Success (Onboarding, Customer Success), striving not just to understand best-in-class, but to achieve it