Customer Success Manager (Montreal - French Speaking)

Who are we? Cohere is the leading security-first enterprise AI company. We build cutting-edge foundation AI models and end-to-end products that are designed to solve real-world business problems. We’re training and deploying frontier models for enterprises who are building AI systems. We believe that our work is instrumental to the widespread adoption of AI and we are looking for folks that want to be part of that. We obsess over what we build. Each one of us is responsible for contributing to increasing the capabilities of our models and the value they drive for our customers. Cohere is a team of researchers, engineers, designers, and more, who are all passionate about their craft. We are a global technology company headquartered in Toronto with key offices in London, New York City, San Francisco, Montreal, Paris, Berlin and Seoul. Join us! WHY THIS ROLE? We're seeking an exceptional Customer Success Manager with expertise in the Montreal, Canada, private sector landscape to lead our most strategic commercial accounts. This role requires an individual who understands both the transformative potential of frontier AI and the unique requirements of organizations in a dynamic, fast-paced environment. You will be the trusted advisor and strategic partner for a wide range of private sector organizations, including large enterprises, startups and scaleups, as they navigate the complex journey of AI adoption. You'll guide organizations through the implementation of frontier AI in secure, regulated environments—ensuring solutions deliver a measurable impact while meeting stringent security, privacy, compliance, and ethical requirements. In this role, you'll collaborate with our Strategic Customer team, Applied ML (AML) Engineering, Forward Deployed Engineering (FDE), Platform, Product, and Go-to-Market teams, serving as the voice of the customer internally and the face of Cohere externally for our most sensitive and high-impact commercial engagements. You'll have the unique opportunity to shape how Montreal's most important institutions leverage AI to drive innovation and growth. WHAT YOU'LL DO STRATEGIC CUSTOMER PARTNERSHIP: - Own the success, adoption, and growth of Cohere's Canadian private sector customers, ensuring they realize maximum value from our AI solutions. - Build deep, trusted relationships with senior stakeholders, including CEOs, CTOs, CIOs, digital transformation leads, and departmental executives. - Develop comprehensive success plans tailored to each organization's mission, digital strategy, budget cycles, and unique constraints. - Serve as the primary point of contact and executive sponsor for your accounts, managing escalations and ensuring customer satisfaction. - Define and track success metrics aligned with private sector priorities: customer satisfaction, service delivery improvements, cost savings, operational efficiency, and accessibility outcomes. AI ADOPTION & IMPLEMENTATION LEADERSHIP: - Guide customers through the full lifecycle of AI adoption—from identifying use cases and designing pilots through production deployment and scaling. - Lead secure AI implementation projects in complex commercial environments, including hybrid and on-premises deployments. - Navigate the unique challenges of private sector AI adoption: legacy system integration, data sensitivity, lengthy approval processes, and risk-averse organizational cultures. - Create and execute change management strategies to drive user adoption and value realization across diverse workforces. - Conduct regular executive business reviews with senior stakeholders, demonstrating ROI, impact, and strategic value. - Drive contract renewals and account growth by consistently delivering value and building trusted relationships. COMPLIANCE & RISK MANAGEMENT: - Ensure that all implementations comply with relevant security protocols, including security assessments and authority-to-operate requirements. - Navigate privacy and compliance requirements, including the Privacy Act, PIPEDA, PHIPA, and accessibility standards. - Lead or support Algorithmic Impact Assessments and responsible AI governance processes. - Develop risk mitigation strategies for AI deployments in high-security, mission-critical, and customer-facing contexts. - Coordinate with customer security teams, privacy officers, legal counsel, and compliance functions. CUSTOMER ADVOCACY & PRODUCT INFLUENCE: - Serve as the voice of private sector customers within Cohere, advocating for features and capabilities that address commercial needs and requirements. - Provide strategic feedback to Product and Engineering teams on requirements related to security, explainability, accessibility, and ethical AI. - Contribute to the development of private sector-specific offerings, implementation playbooks, documentation, and best practices. - Share customer insights to inform Cohere's private sector go-to-market strategy and positioning. - Represent Cohere at industry forums, working groups, roundtables, and events. CROSS-FUNCTIONAL COLLABORATION: - Partner with Sales to support expansion opportunities, renewals, and new customer acquisition. - Coordinate with Solutions Architects and Forward Deployed Engineers on technical implementation and optimization. - Work with Legal, Security, and Compliance teams to navigate complex procurement, contracting, and regulatory requirements. - Collaborate with Marketing on thought leadership content, case studies, and private sector community building. YOU MAY BE A GOOD FIT IF: REQUIRED EXPERIENCE: - 8+ years of experience in customer success, account management, strategic consulting, or technology delivery roles within enterprise contexts. - At least 3-5 years working directly with large enterprises in a technology, digital transformation, or consulting capacity. - Proven track record of managing complex, strategic accounts with multiple stakeholders, long sales cycles, and multi-year implementation timelines. - Experience leading AI/ML, cloud, or enterprise software implementations in secure or highly regulated environments. - Deep understanding of how organizations evaluate, procure, implement, and govern technology solutions. - The ability to speak and write fluently in both English and French. CUSTOMER SUCCESS & ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT EXCELLENCE: - Demonstrated success driving customer adoption, expansion, and retention in complex enterprise accounts. - Experience developing and executing customer success strategies, QBRs, and executive engagement programs. - Track record of identifying and closing expansion opportunities within existing accounts. - Ability to manage multiple strategic accounts simultaneously while maintaining high-touch, personalized engagement. - Experience navigating organizational politics and building coalitions across siloed departments. PRIVATE SECTOR ACUMEN: - Comprehensive knowledge of the Montreal private sector ecosystem. - Deep familiarity with digital strategies, service delivery transformation, and customer-centric design principles. - Understanding of budget cycles, procurement frameworks, and contract vehicles. - Proven ability to work with sensitive information and operate effectively in secure environments. NICE TO HAVE: - Bilingual (English/French) proficiency—a strong asset for working across Montreal. - 3+ years specifically managing GenAI, LLM, or conversational AI implementations. - Experience with specific Canadian digital transformation initiatives. - Professional certifications: CSM, PMP, ITIL. - Background in management consulting, systems integration, or digital transformation consulting. - Experience with any modern programming language (C++, C#, JavaScript, Python, etc.) WHAT MAKES THIS ROLE UNIQUE This is a rare opportunity to shape how Montreal's most important institutions leverage AI to drive innovation and growth. You'll work with organizations across various industries, helping them navigate the profound opportunities and responsibilities that come with deploying frontier AI technology. You'll need to balance competing demands: innovation velocity with due diligence, technical possibilities with policy constraints, commercial success with values, and breakthrough capabilities with ethical considerations. It requires patience, strategic thinking, in-depth sector knowledge, awareness, and a genuine passion for achieving successful outcomes. If you're energized by complex challenges, have deep private sector expertise, understand the gravity of working with sensitive systems, and want to have an outsized impact on Montreal's digital future while working with cutting-edge AI technology, this role is for you. Cohere is committed to fair and transparent pay practices. The salary range listed for this role reflects the expected base compensation. Actual compensation offered will be determined by factors such as location, level, job-related knowledge, skills, education, and experience. For candidates in Canada, the Compensation Range is : $138,000 – $208,250 CAD FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES AT COHERE ENJOY THESE PERKS: - A weekly lunch stipend of $75/£75 or equivalent in your local currency for lunch. - Full health and dental benefits, including a separate budget for mental health. - RRSP matching, 401K, Pension Scheme. - 100% Parental Leave top-up for up to 6 months, for either parent. - Annual enrichment benefits: Arts & culture, fitness/wellness, quality time, and a workspace improvement credit. Education & learning stipend for conferences, courses, and coaching. - 6 weeks of paid vacation (30 working days!) - Budget for traveling to other offices if you are remote, plus an annual company offsite. HOW AND WHERE WE WORK: - Cohere is remote-friendly, but we also have offices in Toronto, London, New York City, San Francisco, Montreal, Paris, Berlin and Seoul with more opening soon. - For those in the office: a daily lunch program, plenty of snacks, and regular community and social events. - For those not near an office: a co-working benefit so you can work alongside others in your city. - Everyone receives a $500 home office stipend to set up your workspace properly. If any of the above doesn’t line up exactly with your experience, we still encourage you to apply. We strive to create an inclusive work environment for all; we welcome applicants from all backgrounds and are committed to providing equal opportunities. Should you require any accommodations during the recruitment process, please submit an Accommodations Request Form https://docs.google.com/forms/d/12a6IrLdF3kI2nonKSr4tiFuz18rLQbaeYV-JM9L4o9Q/edit, and we will work together to meet your needs. We may use AI-enabled tools to screen and assess applicants against the criteria for this position. This helps our recruiters identify potentially qualified candidates, but it doesn't limit the applications our recruiters may review or consider. Beware of Scams: Cohere will never ask for payment or third-party services (e.g., CV writing) as part of our hiring process. All legitimate roles are listed on the Cohere careers page and LinkedIn only, with all communications from Cohere employees coming from an @cohere.com or @cw.cohere email alias. If jobs are viewed on other sites then please verify these through our official careers https://cohere.com/careers page.