Strategic Account Manager

Strategic Account Manager

The Strategic Account Manager is an operations-heavy, customer-facing role responsible for the full lifecycle of assigned accounts: day-to-day execution, carrier sourcing and relationship management, service recovery, and — critically — account penetration and organic growth. This is not a sitback- and-maintain role. The right candidate runs their book of business like an owner: covering freight, solving problems before customers know they exist, expanding market share within existing accounts, and working shoulder-to-shoulder with a collaborative sales and operations team.

Account Ownership & Growth

• Serve as the primary point of contact for assigned customer accounts, owning the relationship from tender to invoice.
• Penetrate existing accounts by identifying new lanes, modes, facilities, and decision-makers; grow revenue and margin within the current book.
• Develop account plans with volume targets, margin goals, and expansion strategies; review progress with leadership on a regular cadence.
• Conduct regular business reviews (QBRs) with key customers covering service metrics, market conditions, and new opportunities.

Carrier Relationships

• Build and maintain a reliable core carrier base for assigned lanes and equipment types.
• Negotiate rates that balance carrier retention with customer margin targets.
• Track carrier performance (on-time %, claims, communication) and develop preferred carrier relationships accordingly.

Operations & Execution

• Manage daily load execution end-to-end: quoting, booking, dispatch, tracking, and proactive customer updates in the TMS.
• Source, negotiate, and cover freight across flatbed, specialized, and open-deck equipment with a focus on service and margin.
• Own service recovery — when things go sideways, communicate early, present solutions, and protect the relationship.
• Maintain clean, accurate data in the TMS and CRM: load details, rates, contacts, notes, and account activity.
• Ensure all carriers meet Armstrong's carrier vetting and compliance standards before dispatch — no exceptions.

Team & Collaboration

• Work closely with sales, operations, and back-office teams to onboard new accounts and hand off cleanly.
• Share market intelligence, capacity insight, and pricing feedback with the broader team.
• Support teammates' accounts during coverage gaps — we win and lose as a team.
• Contribute to SOPs and process improvements that make the whole operation faster and more consistent.

Minimum Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years of freight brokerage experience in an account management, carrier sales, or customer operations role.
• Proven track record of growing revenue within existing accounts (account penetration, lane expansion, mode diversification).
• Strong carrier sourcing and rate negotiation skills; established carrier relationships a plus.
• Working knowledge of TMS platforms and CRM systems; disciplined about data hygiene.
• Experience with flatbed, open-deck, or specialized freight strongly preferred.
• Excellent written and verbal communication — able to deliver bad news early and good news with detail.
• High sense of urgency, ownership mentality, and comfort operating in a fast-paced, collaborative team environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting industrial, construction, energy, or data center customers.
• Familiarity with drayage, transloading, or warehousing operations.
• Bachelor's degree in business, logistics, supply chain, or equivalent practical experience.

Compensation & Benefits

• Competitive base salary plus performance-based commission/bonus structure.
• Clear growth path — top performers earn larger books, bigger accounts, and leadership opportunities.
• Collaborative, high-performance team culture in a growing Memphis-based company.

Physical Requirements

• The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job:
• Specific vision abilities include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and the ability to adjust focus.
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk and hear.
• This position requires the ability to occasionally lift office products and supplies, up to 20 pounds.
• Ability to sit for long periods; stand and walk frequently; and bend, stoop, and reach occasionally.

What Success Looks Like

• First 90 Days - Full command of assigned accounts, TMS, and SOPs; zero dropped balls on daily execution; carrier base mapped for core lanes.
• 6 Months - Measurable revenue and margin growth within assigned accounts; at least one new lane, mode, or facility opened per key account.
• 12 Months - Recognized by customers as their go-to logistics partner; book of business growing year-over-year with strong service scores.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.