Sales & Customer Success Startup (1-50 employees)

Head of Customer Success at Startup

OCEAN+ profile for Head of CS: leading the CS team, retention strategy, account expansion, and voice of the customer at the leadership level.

In LATAM startups, the Sales Manager is often also the first AE

The ability to sell without an operating marketing function is a key differentiator

High emotional stability is critical: rejection is constant and without structured coaching

Generic profile SMB (51-200 employees) Enterprise (201-1000 employees) Global (1001+ employees)

Ideal OCEAN+ Profile

Ideal range

Openness

75 92

At startups (1-50 employees), openness to trying new channels and sales strategies

Conscientiousness

64 80

At startups (1-50 employees), discipline in pipeline management and follow-up

Extraversion

80 97

At startups (1-50 employees), the energy to build relationships and close deals

Agreeableness

57 74

At startups (1-50 employees), the balance between assertive persuasion and active listening

Emotional Stability

85 100

At startups (1-50 employees), resilience in the face of constant rejection and long sales cycles

Structure & Rhythm

63 80

At startups (1-50 employees), building long-term relationships with clients

Strengths and Red Flags

Strengths

Designing scalable retention and expansion strategies
Building high-performing CS teams
Closing deals without a recognized brand, selling vision and potential rather than a finished product
Building the sales process from scratch: ICP, pitch, playbook, and initial metrics

Red Flags

Excessive focus on individual relationships without building systems
Difficulty making tough calls about underperformers on the team
Depends on a recognized brand and polished marketing materials to sell
Needs hierarchical approval for every discount or contract exception

Interview Questions

Tell me about the most impactful retention strategy you designed. What was the problem, what did you build, and what were the results in NRR or churn?

Evaluates: Openness and Conscientiousness

How do you build the relationship between the CS team and the product team so customer feedback genuinely influences the roadmap?

Evaluates: Openness and Extraversion

Tell me about a deal you closed without a 100% finished product.

Evaluates: Tolerance for ambiguity and ability to sell vision

How did you build a sales process from scratch?

Evaluates: Ability to structure without prior resources