[Hiring] Manager, Trial Success @Samsara

Role Description

Samsara's Trial Success team makes sure enterprise trials are executed with excellence, so prospects see the full value of our solutions and are ready for implementation.

As the Manager, Trial Success, you will lead and develop a team of 6+ Trial Success Managers (TSMs) who run customized trial plans for Enterprise prospects. You own team results: trial conversion, trial quality, and TSM growth and retention.

You partner with Sales, Sales Engineering, Business Value Strategy, Product, and Customer Success leaders to drive deal progress and a consistent trial experience. You will also shadow a small number of high-stakes trials yourself, and be able to train new hires & step in as an escalation point for strategic deals.

Remote position, open to candidates residing in the US except the San Francisco Bay Metro Area, NYC Metro Area, and Washington, D.C. Metro Area.

Travel Requirements

• Up to 25% travel to Samsara and customer sites in the US and Canada.
• Expect 3-5 onsite trips per quarter of 1-2 nights each, including team offsites and 1:1s with TSMs.

Key Responsibilities

People Leadership

• Hire and onboard:
  • Build the hiring plan, run structured interviews, make strong hiring decisions, and ramp new TSMs to full productivity with a clear 30/60/90 plan.
• Coach continuously:
  • Hold weekly 1:1s, review live trial work and customer calls, and give timely, specific feedback that builds skills in value-based selling, change management, and executive communication.
• Manage performance:
  • Set clear goals and expectations, run goal-setting and performance review cycles, and address underperformance early with documented improvement plans when needed.
• Develop careers:
  • Create individual development plans, identify stretch assignments, and build a succession pipeline for the next level of TSM and leadership roles.
• Calibrate and reward:
  • Participate in calibration, promotion, and compensation cycles with fair, data-backed recommendations.
• Build culture and engagement:
  • Foster an inclusive, high-trust team, monitor engagement and burnout, recognize wins, and retain top talent.
• Handle people operations:
  • Manage time off, workload balance, coverage plans, and sensitive employee matters in partnership with People/HR.

Team Execution and Operations

• Set the team's goals, KPIs, and operating rhythm (pipeline reviews, trial health reviews, weekly close).
• Assign TSM coverage by account priority, segment, and capacity, and rebalance as deals shift.
• Review trial plans, success criteria, and mutual action plans in Accord to ensure quality and standardization.
• Inspect trial health, flag risks early, and lead account team strategy sessions to unblock deals.
• Report trial conversion, cycle time, and team health metrics to senior leadership.

Strategy and Cross-Functional Leadership

• Own and evolve the trial methodology, including job aids, communication templates, and playbooks.
• Partner with Sales, SE, BVS, Product, and Support leaders to bring the right resources to the right trial at the right time.
• Drive adoption of tools and AI-enabled workflows that increase TSM capacity and trial quality.
• Capture customer and field feedback from trials and share it with Product and Enablement.
• Represent the team in executive trial reviews and customer-facing escalations.
• Champion and model Samsara's cultural principles (Focus on Customer Success, Build for the Long Term, Adopt a Growth Mindset, Be Inclusive, Win as a Team).

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in a client-facing role working with Enterprise clients (strategic consulting, account management, project management, or sales); SaaS or technology experience preferred.
• 3+ years of experience directly managing people.
• Bachelor's degree required.

Requirements

• Proven ability to hire, coach, develop, and retain high-performing client-facing teams.
• Strong project management and change management experience (PMP certification is a plus).
• Expertise in communication strategy, risk management, and executive stakeholder management.
• Ability to set goals, measure performance with data, and manage by metrics (conversion, cycle time, pipeline).
• Experience influencing cross-functional leaders without direct authority.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication; able to convey complex ideas concisely.
• Strong quantitative and presentation skills.
• Technical aptitude with CRM and project management tools.
• Comfort in an unstructured, fast-paced, change-heavy environment.

Benefits

• Flexible, employee-led remote model.
• Professional development stipend.
• Comprehensive health and parental leave plans.
• Above-market total compensation through a combination of base salary, performance-based bonus/variable pay, and equity (for eligible roles).