Senior Customer Reference Manager, Design & Manufacturing

The Senior Customer Reference Manager at Autodesk will build and lead a world-class customer reference program for the Design and Manufacturing (D&M) business, specifically for Fusion, the industry cloud for D&M. This role involves proactively sourcing and nurturing customer advocates, managing reference requests, and overseeing the D&M customer speaker program for events like Autodesk University. The manager will ensure customer advocacy aligns with business objectives, drives brand awareness, demand, new business, and customer retention across manufacturing segments.

Must Have

• Proactively source, qualify, and secure customer advocates across design, engineering, manufacturing, and operations leaders.
• Build and maintain trusted, long-term relationships with customers.
• Ensure alignment of references with Autodesk’s business objectives.
• Manage and obtain customer consent forms and legal reviews.
• Partner with industry strategy, marketing, sales, and customer success teams.
• Maintain up-to-date inventory of customer references.
• Review, manage, and fulfill requests for customer references.
• Manage D&M customer speaker program for Autodesk University and other events.
• Own reference program performance, including KPIs and stakeholder feedback cycles.
• Collaborate with customer marketing team members to shape recognition programs.
• Manage D&M recognition and award winner relationships.
• 4+ years relevant experience in customer marketing and/or customer advocacy.
• Experience in the Design and Manufacturing industry or B2B/enterprise company focused on manufacturing.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing audiences and buying dynamics.
• Strong project management skills, detail-oriented, and results-focused.
• Experience communicating program updates and performance to stakeholders and executives.

Good to Have

• Proven operator-strategist who can set a clear vision and execute day-to-day work.
• Deeply customer-centric, with a strong track record of building trusted relationships.
• Hands-on experience using AI tools and platforms to scale research, customer insights, and program operations.
• Excellent at collaborating with cross-functional teams.
• Exceptional interpersonal skills and empathy.
• Passion for elevating customer stories and successes with Autodesk software.
• “Analytically creative” – ability to apply performance metrics to strategy and creative thinking to programs.
• Commitment to ongoing learning and application of best practices.
• Adaptability and flexibility to changing needs.

Perks & Benefits

• Annual cash bonuses
• Commissions
• Stock grants
• Comprehensive benefits package

Position Overview

At Autodesk, the customer marketing team serves as the megaphone for amplifying the success of our customer champions with a platform to share their stories with the world. We enable go-to-market teams with the powerful voice of the customer to drive brand awareness, demand, new business, and retention.

As the Senior Customer Reference Manager for Design and Manufacturing (D&M), you will help us build a world-class customer reference program that drives the D&M business forward. This role is highly visible and cross-functional, partnering with marketing, strategy, sales, and customer success stakeholders across the organization. You will be responsible for building and owning the global customer reference strategy for Fusion, the industry cloud for Design and Manufacturing, ensuring customer advocacy directly supports go-to-market priorities, pipeline acceleration, and brand credibility across manufacturing segments. You will own sourcing and curating key customer advocates for speaking opportunities at flagship events, including Autodesk University, our customer conference.

Responsibilities

• Proactively source, qualify, and secure customer advocates across design, engineering, manufacturing, and operations leaders who can credibly speak to the value and impact of Fusion
• Build and maintain trusted, long-term relationships with customers, serving as the primary steward of reference engagement and ensuring customers feel valued, heard, and strategically partnered with
• Ensure alignment of references with Autodesk’s business objectives, including program strategy, execution, measurement, and optimization
• Manage and obtain customer consent forms and legal reviews, as needed
• Partner with industry strategy, marketing, sales, and customer success to identify strategic accounts and build advocacy plans designed to deepen account relationships
• Maintain up-to-date inventory of customer references, including case studies, testimonials, peer references, executive quotes, videos, analyst references, and event speakers
• Review, manage, and fulfill requests for customer references to support key marketing campaigns and initiatives
• Manage D&M customer speaker program for Autodesk University and other events as needed
• Own reference program performance, including KPIs and stakeholder feedback cycles, and apply data-driven insights and performance metrics to optimize the program
• Partner with customer marketing team members to shape recognition programs for design and manufacturing, leveraging industry best practices and emerging technologies to position Autodesk as a leader in design and make
• Manage D&M recognition and award winner relationships, ensuring winners are integrated into advocacy programs and industry marketing activities

Minimum Qualifications

• 4+ years relevant experience in customer marketing and/or customer advocacy
• Must have experience working in the Design and Manufacturing industry or for a B2B or enterprise company focused on manufacturing
• Strong understanding of manufacturing audiences and buying dynamics, including the needs of design, engineering, manufacturing, and operations leaders
• Strong project management skills, detail-oriented, and results-focused with impactful execution and follow-through
• Experience communicating program updates and performance to stakeholders and executives

The Ideal Candidate

• Proven operator–strategist who can set a clear vision while personally executing day-to-day work in a fast-paced, scaling organization
• Deeply customer-centric, with a strong track record of building trusted, long-term relationships with customers and executives who are willing to advocate publicly
• Hands-on experience using AI tools and platforms to scale research, customer insights, and program operations
• Excellent at collaborating with cross-functional teams and passion for winning together
• Exceptional interpersonal skills and empathy for customers and cross-functional teams
• A passion for elevating our customers’ stories and successes with Autodesk software
• “Analytically creative” – ability to consistently apply performance metrics to strategy, and creative thinking to customer programs
• Commitment to ongoing learning and application of best practices in customer marketing
• Adaptability and flexibility to changing needs of customers and the business