Account Director, US Government - [U.S. Region]

IHG•Atlanta, GA

4d•$84,000 - $115,000•Remote

About The Position

As a Government Account Director, this role will drive incremental group and meeting revenue across Federal and State Government segments by managing a portfolio of government agencies, contractors, and intermediaries. The position requires deep expertise in government procurement processes, decentralized buying environments, and complex stakeholder networks, enabling the identification and conversion of mission-driven lodging opportunities. Leveraging public funding insights and strategic account planning, the role partners across internal teams and hotel stakeholders to deliver compliant, scalable solutions that maximize revenue and market share within the government segment.

Requirements

Bachelor’s or Master's Degree in Marketing, Management, Business, Hospitality or an equivalent combination of education and work-related experience.
Minimum of 3 years of experience supporting the Government segment – on or above property
Demonstrated experience with a deep understanding working with government customers. Understanding the nuances of government procurement
Working with global companies with multiple stakeholders, cultural teams and complex buying processes.
Demonstrated expertise in U.S. Federal and State government travel procurement processes, including RFP cycles, contract compliance, and government rate structures (e.g., per diem, ceiling rates), with the ability to align hotel offerings to regulatory requirements
Deep understanding of government group and meeting demand drivers, including TDY travel, training exercises, mission-driven gatherings, and emergency response lodging, across military, federal agencies, and state entities.
Proven ability to navigate decentralized decision-making environments, managing relationships across installations, agencies, and departments where lodging decisions are made at the local or unit level.
Experience managing complex, multi-stakeholder government accounts, including coordination with intermediaries (TMCs, housing providers), contractors, and direct government buyers to capture group and extended-stay opportunities.
Demonstrated capability to identify and convert non-traditional group opportunities, such as large-scale training events, base relocations, infrastructure projects, and disaster response, into incremental hotel revenue.
Expertise in managing high-volume opportunity pipelines, prioritizing accounts based on revenue potential, mission alignment, and geographic demand across a large and fragmented government landscape.
High level of adaptability and problem-solving ability to respond to rapidly changing government priorities, funding shifts, and operational constraints, ensuring continuity of business and revenue delivery.
Demonstrated sales management experience in organizing, planning and executing large-scale sales segment plans from conception through implementation.
Demonstrated knowledge of hotels and hotel sales & marketing, business planning, etc., along with strong sales ability, sales management, problem solving and analytical skills.
Demonstrate a strong commercial acumen and hold a high-level understanding of operating in an owned managed and franchised environment. Experience with franchise organization or ownership constituencies is preferable.
International experience or handling accounts with international scope is required.

Nice To Haves

Experience with franchise organization or ownership constituencies is preferable.

Responsibilities

Understand Key Account(s) drivers, behaviors, values & opportunities
Maintain relationships with multiple key contacts within all subsidiaries and/or business units to maximize revenue delivery
Explore unique ways to drive returns (share shift, Mutual Value, partnerships, etc.)
Anticipate & overcome objections through thoughtful research & consideration of potential solutions, impactful negotiation skills and creative problem-solving
Prioritize time to think & strategize; create & execute a Strategic Account Plan
Be a strategic leader of account team(s) as applicable
Ensure all managed accounts have thoughtful account plans, strategies & actions to support maximizing market share opportunities for IHG; engage with customers as appropriate
Appropriately share information & ideas across stakeholder groups & IHG tools & resources to advance sales efforts
Be a valued advisor sought out by others for guidance
Exhibit the ability to influence without authority & successfully navigate a highly-matrixed organization
Encourage & participate in open & honest dialogue amongst account teams, peers & leaders
Champion interdependency & act as a liaison for Global Sales in cross-functional working groups
Possess end-to-end critical thinking skills: the ability to interpret & action data, articulate a business case, and evaluate ROI/financial impact of potential actions
Has command, drives usage, and ensures team subject-matter expertise of all IHG sales tools & methodologies; leverages people & team resources to optimize revenue opportunities
Research & action calculated risks to enhance our ability to close revenue & shift market share amongst key accounts
Ensure team achieves yearly financial targets & business goals
Embody a seeker mentality; always look for the next revenue opportunity within your accounts
Owns and champions the vision and strategy of the specific industry grouping for which you are responsible, executing through a sound market business plan