Principal Strategic Optimization Consultant

Get to Know Us:
It's fun to work in a company where people truly believe in what they're doing!
At BlackLine, we're committed to bringing passion and customer focus to the business of enterprise applications.
Since being founded in 2001, BlackLine has become a leading provider of cloud software that automates and controls the entire financial close process. Our vision is to modernize the finance and accounting function to enable greater operational effectiveness and agility, and we are committed to delivering innovative solutions and services to empower accounting and finance leaders around the world to achieve Modern Finance.
Being a best-in-class SaaS Company, we understand that bringing in new ideas and innovative technology is mission critical. At BlackLine we are always working with new, cutting edge technology that encourages our teams to learn something new and expand their creativity and technical skillset that will accelerate their careers.
Work, Play and Grow at BlackLine!
Make Your Mark:
The Principal Strategic Optimization Consultant partners with customers to integrate strategy, process, and technology while providing thought leadership to optimize the accounting & finance function. Through the Transformation Framework, professional optimization consulting helps customers 1) understand their end game 2) understand the keys to a successful journey 3) envision end-to-end process optimization with BlackLine 4) organize their journey based on the nine foundational accounting process categorizes 5) assess their current state and develop a roadmap for process optimization 6) optimize processes using the 7 steps to process optimization.
Consultants partner with Customers to design and drive a digital transformation roadmap leveraging BlackLine. The consultant partners with Account Managers to develop a plan to deploy the key elements of the Transformation Framework to advance the customers' digital transformation journey. The consultant challenges the customer's processes and designs innovative solutions to advance the customers' digital transformation journey, increasing adoption and expansion of BlackLine, driving consulting services revenues, preventing attrition and churn, and continually enriching the customer experience.
The consultant leverages their BlackLine expertise, their accounting, internal controls, and process optimization expertise, as well as their professional judgment to provide leading practice optimization strategies, insights, and deliverables. These deliverables include original, innovative solutions for complex customer challenges, consulting services, process redesign and transformation, solution architecture specific to the customers' challenges, one to many thought leadership, Executive touch points and strategy sessions, and recommendations to accelerate customer's accounting innovation journey. Most importantly, the consultant must be confident in the unknown as many customers require assistance in understanding their own processes before considering optimization with BlackLine. All facets of the role are designed to drive customers' successful digital transformation journey.
You'll Get To:

• Using the Transformation Framework, partner with customers as they pursue digital transformation.
• Ensure that customers are aware of all billable services available to partner with them on their journey.
• Generate pipeline and independently close on billable consulting engagements with customers. Responsible for utilizing knowledge of company products and services and developing sales pitches to connect with customers and generate sales.
• Work with customers to assess current state processes, challenge the current state, architect potential solutions, and partner to deliver process optimizations. (BlackLine Optimization Blitz)
• Design original, innovative solutions for complex customer challenges where no standard solution currently exists.
• Articulate value and benefits associated with optimized solutions.
• Document process optimization use cases in a way that allows for their use throughout BlackLine.
• Shadow customers as they pursue digital transformation, providing consultative guidance worthy of elevated hourly billing rates to ensure success (BlackLine Optimization Consulting Services)
• Leverage prior and current experiences and expertise to develop and deliver thought leadership to customers through webinars and other multi-customer events
• Listen to customers to understand their needs and translate their pain points into actionable BlackLine solutions
• Using professional judgment and expertise, offer opportunities where customers can provide their processes without written documentation; Review and analyze the processes and develop solutions (even when the customer is unsure of their process) based on personal experience and experience with other customers
• Provide coaching, mentoring, and guidance for POCs to assist with more complex process optimizations.
• Engage with customer leadership and partner with AM to understand the customers' goals, objectives, and challenges and adapt our offerings to support their needs
• Work as a team with Account Managers and other departments on account planning focused on ACV expansion, services revenue, user adoption, referencability, and preventing attrition
• Deliver actionable advice and expertise to customers regarding using BlackLine's solutions as a foundational technology supporting their digital transformation journey
• Maintain and elevate BlackLine knowledge as well as, other relevant domain knowledge that is imperative for advising customers on their Digital Transformation
• Identify and communicate on œat-risk customers and work with AM and leadership to devise best approach
• Exhibit authentic energy for BlackLine solutions and the desire to motivate and engage our customers
• Other duties as assigned

What You'll Bring:

• 8+ years of experience in accounting/auditing and/or in accounting/auditing/financial industry software solutions
• 6+ years customer facing experience (internal or external)
• 5+ years BlackLine experience
• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Economics or Business Administration
• Strong interpersonal skills and experience building relationships
• Strategic focus with actionable plans
• Ability to adapt to changing priorities, customer needs in high-pressure situations with poise, diplomacy and tact.
• Comfort and confidence in dealing with the unknown. An ability to complete the puzzle without the final picture being available for reference.
• Highly process-oriented mindset, with an aptitude for dissecting processes and delivering optimized solutions
• Excellent listening and empathy skills: identify with the customer and want to help solve their business challenges
• Desire to be solution focused
• Strong verbal and written professional communication
• Demonstrated strong presentation skills including content building and delivery in varied settings (live, recorded, webex, etc)
• Constantly elevate knowledge of BlackLine, current accounting practices, and changes in the industry
• Demonstrated advanced knowledge of BlackLine solutions to optimize processes

We're Even More Excited If You Have:

• Recognized process optimization skills and ability to architect multiple solutions with limited customer support/documentation
• Demonstrated value communication skills; succinctly tie customer challenges to actionable solutions that deliver value
• Demonstrated leadership skills
• Adaptability to changing priorities and customer needs
• Self-motivated, proactive team player with a natural curiosity and passion for learning
• Prioritization and time management skills
• CPA, CIA or related professional accounting certification

Thrive at BlackLine Because You Are Joining:

• A technology-based company with a sense of adventure and a vision for the future. Every door at BlackLine is open. Just bring your brains, your problem-solving skills, and be part of a winning team at the world's most trusted name in Finance Automation!
• A culture that is kind, open, and accepting. It's a place where people can embrace what makes them unique, and the mix of cultural backgrounds and varying interests cultivates diverse thought and perspectives.
• A culture where BlackLiner's continued growth and learning is empowered. BlackLine offers a wide variety of professional development seminars and inclusive affinity groups to celebrate and support our diversity.

BlackLine is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity or expression, race, ethnicity, age, religious creed, national origin, physical or mental disability, ancestry, color, marital status, sexual orientation, military or veteran status, status as a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking, medical condition, genetic information, or any other protected class or category recognized by applicable equal employment opportunity or other similar laws.
BlackLine recognizes that the ways we work and the workplace itself has shifted. We innovate in a workplace that optimizes a combination of virtual and in-person interactions to maximize collaboration and nurture our culture. Candidates who live within a reasonable commute to one of our offices will work in the office at least 2 days a week.
Salary Range:
USD $112,000.00 - USD $149,000.00
Pay Transparency Statement:
Placement within this range depends upon several factors, including the applicant's prior relevant job experience, skill set, and geographic location. In addition to base pay, BlackLine also offers short-term and long-term incentive programs, based on eligibility, along with a robust offering of benefit and wellness plans.