Head of Avast Retention (Director) 

Role Overview 

We are seeking a strategic and customer-centric Head of Retention to drive subscription renewal and churn-reduction initiatives across our global Avast and AVG freemium user base. In this senior leadership role based in Prague (or Remote EU), you will own all retention efforts for tens of millions of subscribers — from optimizing renewal journeys to designing proactive save-offer programs and win-back campaigns. Reporting to the VP of Customer Success Management and leading a global team of retention specialists, you will define and execute a comprehensive strategy that maximizes customer lifetime value and ensures our existing users remain a strong engine of predictable, recurring revenue. 

This is a high-impact role at the heart of our freemium business. You will build a scalable, AI-powered retention engine that leverages customer data, predictive modeling, and experimentation to understand churn risk and trigger the right interventions at the right time. You will shape how we keep customers engaged, satisfied, and committed to our products — ensuring our long-term success through loyalty and trust. 

We expect you to bring a disciplined, data-driven approach to subscription retention, combined with the leadership skills to rally cross-functional teams around a shared mission. The ideal candidate is both strategic and hands-on, with deep expertise in retention optimization, lifecycle marketing, and recurring-revenue business models. If you are excited about redefining how we retain customers at global scale while supporting sustainable growth, this role is for you. 

Key Responsibilities 

• Own Retention & Revenue Preservation: Full ownership of subscription renewal performance across the Avast/AVG freemium portfolio. Set and deliver on monthly, quarterly, and annual renewal and churn-reduction targets, using data-driven insights to identify customer segments at risk and opportunities to increase customer lifetime value. 

• Develop Retention Strategy: Define and implement a comprehensive retention strategy aligned with company-wide commercial outcomes. Align cross-functional teams (Product, Marketing, Customer Support, Finance, Data/AI, etc.) around retention priorities. Communicate clear plans, performance updates, and investment needs to senior leadership, ensuring accountability for results. 

• Drive Subscription Renewal Optimization: Lead the development and optimization of renewal journeys, auto-renewal programs, pricing levers, and communication flows. Establish and test proactive retention tactics, save-offer structures, and win-back campaigns that improve subscription continuity and reduce voluntary and involuntary churn. 

• Team Leadership: Hire, develop, and manage a high-performing global retention team. Foster a culture of ownership, transparency, and customer-centricity. Mentor team members and build depth in analytical, strategic, and lifecycle-management skills. Encourage collaboration across geographies and functions, ensuring the team executes with focus and speed. 

• Churn Diagnostics & Predictive Intervention: Analyze churn drivers and customer behavior patterns to identify root causes of attrition. Partner with Product and Data Science teams to develop predictive churn models, segmentation frameworks, and real-time intervention triggers. Convert insights into scalable programs that proactively reduce churn risk. 

• Experimentation & Innovation: Operate a rigorous retention experimentation program. Design and run structured A/B tests and multivariate experiments on renewal flows, messaging, pricing, save offers, grace periods, and win-back strategies. Apply statistical discipline and clear hypotheses. Collaborate with Product and Data Science teams to accelerate test-and-learn cycles, including leveraging AI/ML for churn prediction, personalized outreach, and real-time save actions. Continuously translate experiment learnings into tangible improvements in retention and revenue stability. 

• Customer-Centric Retention: Champion a value-driven, customer-centric approach to subscription continuity. Co-design lifecycle guardrails (e.g., rules for when to intervene or not) with Lifecycle Marketing and Customer Support to balance short-term retention gains with long-term customer satisfaction. Ensure retention initiatives enhance trust and perception of value — avoiding over-messaging or introducing friction. 

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with key partners across the organization. Partner with Product teams to integrate retention needs into the user experience and improve in-product value perception. Collaborate with Central Marketing and CRM to align messaging and lifecycle communications. Coordinate with Finance on forecasting, reporting, and scenario planning. Build and maintain strong relationships across global teams to drive unified execution of retention plans. 

• Accountability for Results: Take full accountability for retention KPIs and revenue preservation outcomes. Lead regular business reviews (monthly/quarterly) to report performance, insights, risks, and opportunities. Ensure operational excellence from strategy to execution — delivering predictable, measurable improvements in renewal performance and meeting commitments to the business. 

Qualifications 

Required Qualifications 

• 10+ years of experience in customer retention, lifecycle marketing, subscription management, or customer success, with 5+ years in a leadership role. 

• Proven track record of improving subscription renewal rates and reducing churn in a B2C subscription or consumer technology business. 

• Deep understanding of subscription economics, recurring revenue models, loyalty frameworks, and proactive retention tactics. 

• Strong analytical skills, with experience using segmentation, churn modeling, and behavioral data to drive strategy. 

• Demonstrated ability to influence stakeholders across Product, Marketing, Analytics, Finance, and Customer Support. 

• Excellent communication and presentation skills — capable of translating complex insights into clear, compelling narratives for executives. 

• Strong bias for action, operational rigor, and a history of delivering measurable retention outcomes. 

Preferred Qualifications 

• Experience in cybersecurity, software, telecom, or other industries with large global user bases. 

• Familiarity with customer feedback tools, subscription management platforms, and billing systems. 

• Exposure to AI-driven personalization or predictive churn prevention models. 

• MBA or advanced degree in a relevant field. 

Leadership Competencies 

• Strategic Vision: Ability to set a bold long-term retention strategy aligned with company goals. 

• Customer Focus: Deep empathy for the customer journey and strong advocacy for long-term value creation. 

• Data-Driven Decision Making: Uses metrics, modeling, and experimentation to inform strategy. 

• Results Orientation: Committed to meeting renewal and churn-reduction targets with disciplined execution. 

• Collaborative Leadership: Strong cross-functional influence, effective in a global matrixed environment. 

• Adaptive & Innovative: Comfortable experimenting, iterating quickly, and adjusting strategies based on data and market dynamics.