Account Director, Utility

Hitachi • South Boston, VA

9d • Remote

About The Position

The Account Director has overall responsibility for a specific utility account, including growing orders and share of customer spend and maximizing customer satisfaction. The role leads an account team, including direct reports, and represents and grows Hitachi Energy’s relationship with the account from a US perspective, engaging regionally or globally when applicable. The Account Director mobilizes resources across Hitachi Energy’s businesses as an integrated team to deliver customer value and business results. The role is located in the Richmond, Virginia; Columbia, South Carolina; or Raleigh, North Carolina area. Remote work is listed as available, and travel is required.

The Account Director serves as a strategic partner to the customer’s senior executives, executes the strategic account process, and connects customer business needs with Hitachi Energy’s technology and capabilities. The role is accountable for account growth, order targets, customer loyalty, and ethical and effective customer relationships. It also acts as a focal point for resolving major customer issues and improving the customer experience.

The position requires strong analytical, communication, and leadership skills to assess complex information, develop sales strategies, and coordinate sales efforts. It involves strategic planning, understanding Hitachi Energy’s technical and commercial strengths and relevant markets, and negotiating and concluding matters of major importance.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in a technical (engineering) or business discipline.
• At least 8 years of sales experience; a combination of experience in sales, marketing, business development, or a related field may be considered.
• Expert knowledge of selling to enterprise accounts.
• Proven ability to work in a matrixed team environment.
• Ability to motivate and influence others.
• Experience working with customers in sales, problem resolution, and relationship building.
• Strong business acumen.
• Strong analytical, communication, and leadership skills; ability to evaluate complex information, develop sales strategies, and coordinate sales efforts.
• Ability to negotiate and successfully conclude matters of major importance.
• Travel is required.

Nice To Haves

• MBA.
• 10 years of sales experience preferred.
• Diverse experience across multiple products, customers, countries, and market segments, including transmission, distribution, and generation.

Responsibilities

• Manage the total customer relationship with Hitachi Energy and develop relationships at all levels, including initiating and maintaining C-level relationships.
• Serve as a strategic partner to customer executives and understand the customer’s business drivers, industry, economic trends, issues, and competition.
• Execute the strategic account process and lead development and implementation of account and coverage plans, including executive relationship strategy, opportunity priorities, solution targets, and required personnel.
• Engage business units to deliver strategic account value propositions and leverage Hitachi Energy technology to address customer business issues and support competitive advantage and growth.
• Represent Hitachi Energy to the customer and mobilize senior management and worldwide resources as needed.
• Achieve or exceed account order targets, drive account growth, maximize customer satisfaction and loyalty, and increase Hitachi Energy’s share of the customer’s spend.
• Act as a focal point for problem resolution, monitor the Customer Complaint Resolution Process, and help resolve major customer issues.
• Maintain a consistent customer experience across customer interactions and make it easier for the customer to do business with Hitachi Energy.
• Leverage channels and partners to support customer satisfaction and revenue growth.
• Plan, facilitate, and conduct complex negotiations.
• Maintain detailed knowledge of the customer’s strategy, purchasing behavior, organization, decision makers, influencers, sponsors, and anti-sponsors.
• Maintain detailed knowledge of Hitachi Energy’s strategy, current and emerging solution capabilities, and strategic direction.
• Lead and coach a remotely based account team, facilitate team selling, identify local and specialist sales resources, and ensure they are trained on account strategy and status.
• Manage resources to implement account strategy and operational plans, and coach using expert understanding of sales processes.
• Lead the formation of capture teams and development of Sales X-Ray; direct account solution projects and participate in project communications and steering committees.
• Monitor key Hitachi Energy and client activities and ensure client issues, needs, and concerns are represented within Hitachi Energy.
• Deliver solutions regarded as high-impact, complex, strategic, and high-value by the customer and Hitachi Energy.
• Provide regular reports, briefings, and reviews using agreed processes.
• Participate in the Account Director community to share expertise and lessons learned, promote cross-company learning, and identify new solution possibilities.
• Build and maintain internal relationships with business partners and support Hitachi Energy business objectives, financial goals, business units, and internal stakeholders.
• Conduct all transactions and relationships with high ethical standards and integrity.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior