Senior Account Manager

Senior Account Manager

Charlotte, NC - Hybrid

Position Summary: The Senior Account Manager is responsible for developing and executing strategic account plans to drive profitable revenue growth while strengthening long-term customer partnerships. This individual serves as the primary commercial contact for assigned key accounts throughout the Southeast region and collaborates with cross-functional teams including Supply Chain, Technical Service, Operations, R&D, Product Management, and Customer Service to deliver value-added solutions. The ideal candidate is an experienced sales professional with extensive knowledge of the chemical manufacturing industry, a consultative sales approach, and the ability to manage complex commercial relationships. This position requires both strategic account management and new business development within industrial manufacturing markets.

Essential Responsibilities

Strategic Account Management

•Develop and execute strategic account plans aligned with company growth objectives.

•Build executive-level relationships with key decision-makers across customer organizations.

•Retain and expand existing business through exceptional customer service and proactive account management.

•Conduct regular business reviews with customers to evaluate performance, identify opportunities, and improve customer satisfaction.

•Develop long-term commercial strategies that support revenue growth and profitability.

Business Development

•Identify, qualify, and develop new business opportunities within assigned territory.

•Prospect new customers and expand market share within target industries.

•Develop and maintain a robust sales pipeline utilizing CRM tools.

•Collaborate with marketing to support lead generation and market expansion initiatives.

Commercial Leadership

•Lead pricing negotiations, contract renewals, and commercial agreements.

• Develop pricing strategies that maximize profitability while maintaining competitiveness.

• Prepare sales forecasts, budgets, and annual business plans.

• Monitor customer profitability and recommend strategies to improve margins.

Customer & Technical Support

• Understand customer manufacturing processes and identify opportunities where company products can improve performance.

• Coordinate technical support, product trials, and commercial implementation with internal technical teams.

• Serve as the customer's primary escalation point for commercial issues.

• Support new product launches and commercialization efforts.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with Supply Chain and Operations to ensure product availability and customer satisfaction.

• Work closely with R&D and Technical Service on product development initiatives.

• Coordinate internally to resolve customer concerns quickly and effectively.

• Participate in cross-functional meetings regarding strategic customers.

Market Intelligence

• Monitor industry trends, competitive activity, and emerging technologies.

• Identify changing customer needs and communicate market intelligence to leadership.

• Recommend new products or market opportunities based on customer feedback.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Marketing, or related field.

• 10+ years of progressive B2B sales or account management experience.

• Minimum 5 years managing strategic or national accounts within the chemical manufacturing industry.

• Proven history of achieving and exceeding sales targets.

• Experience negotiating complex commercial agreements.

• Strong understanding of specialty chemicals, industrial chemicals, polymers, additives, or related products.

• Experience working with CRM platforms (Salesforce preferred).

• Strong financial and commercial acumen.

Preferred

• MBA or advanced business degree.

• Experience selling into manufacturing industries such as: o Automotive

o Packaging

o Plastics

o Industrial Manufacturing

o Consumer Products

o Textiles

o Food & Beverage

• Knowledge of SAP or similar ERP systems.

Key Competencies

• Strategic Account Management

• Consultative Selling

• Executive Relationship Management

• Business Development

• Contract Negotiation

• Customer-Centric Leadership

• Financial Acumen

• Commercial Strategy

• Territory Management

• Market Analysis

• Problem Solving

• Cross-Functional Leadership

• Presentation Skills

• Influencing and Negotiation

• CRM & Sales Analytics

Performance Metrics

• Annual Sales Revenue

• Gross Margin Performance

• New Business Growth

• Customer Retention Rate

• Customer Satisfaction

• Forecast Accuracy

• Pipeline Growth

• Strategic Account Expansion

• Contract Renewal Rate

Travel Requirements

• Approximately 30–50% travel throughout the Southeast United States, including customer visits, trade shows, and internal meetings. Travel expectations are typical for senior commercial roles in specialty chemicals.

Preferred Experience Profile

The successful candidate will possess:

• 10–15+ years of experience in chemical manufacturing or industrial manufacturing sales.

• Demonstrated success managing multi-million-dollar customer portfolios.

• Experience working with global or regional manufacturing customers.

• Strong understanding of manufacturing supply chains and commercial operations.

• Excellent communication and executive presentation skills.

• A proven ability to build long-term strategic partnerships that drive sustainable revenue growth.