Senior Strategic Account Executive

Astound Broadband • Chicago, IL

1d

About The Position

The Senior Strategic Account Executive – GEMS drives revenue growth and long-term relationships with customers in the Government, Education, Medical, and Strategic sectors. The role sells high-value, complex telecommunications solutions—including voice, data, cloud, and managed services—tailored to public- and institutional-sector needs. It also develops and executes strategies for assigned existing customers to support a strong customer experience across network, services, billing, and care.

The position manages strategic accounts from planning and solution development through proposal, contracting, renewals, and post-sale support. It collaborates with internal stakeholders and sales representatives, communicates customer experience initiatives to leadership, and works toward quarterly and annual sales, renewal, and retention goals. Quarterly or periodic travel within the company’s footprint is required for customer meetings.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in sales.
• At least 10 years of demonstrated success selling technical solutions to large businesses.
• At least 7 years of experience in systems selling, consultative sales techniques, and account planning, including account profiling, account positioning, customer needs analysis, sales opportunity development, service improvement planning, and long-range account management.
• Deep understanding of Government, Education, and/or Healthcare procurement processes.
• Demonstrated success selling telecommunications and internet services to end-user, strategic, large-business, and government customers using relationship management and systems-sales concepts.
• Ability to sell to C-level executives.
• Professional business acumen in funnel management and forecasting in a CRM environment.
• Product knowledge of switched and dedicated services and associated end-user and carrier applications.
• Operational understanding of telecommunications ordering, provisioning, and billing processes.
• Working knowledge of general marketing principles, tools, and processes.
• Ability to review complex legal documents, including master service agreements, service level agreements, and non-disclosure agreements.
• Decision-making skills and ability to maintain customer retention.
• Strong interpersonal skills.
• Detail-oriented and highly organized, with the ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously.

Nice To Haves

• Salesforce or other CRM experience.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute strategic account plans for key GEMS clients.
• Identify and pursue opportunities to upsell and cross-sell services tailored to each customer’s sector.
• Proactively contact assigned customers and coordinate periodic business reviews as defined by the customer.
• Build long-term relationships with decision-makers, procurement teams, and technical stakeholders, and act as the single point of contact for assigned accounts.
• Manage upcoming contract expirations and track and report renewal success rates.
• Serve as the primary contact and escalation point for post-sale issues, and manage customer communication through final resolution.
• Consultatively sell complex solutions, including fiber, wireless, IP networking, VoIP, unified communications, security, and cloud services.
• Lead RFP/RFI processes and develop competitive, compliant proposals.
• Negotiate contracts in line with client requirements and company policy.
• Review contracted services and ensure customers have copies of contracts, circuit IDs, and contact information for Astound support departments, including NOC, Billing, and Care.
• Monitor GEMS sector trends, procurement cycles, funding mechanisms such as E-Rate and government grants, and compliance requirements.
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders and sales representatives on installation updates and customer follow-up as needed.
• Provide leadership with periodic updates on customer experience best practices and initiatives intended to support positive outcomes for customers and Astound.
• Meet or exceed quarterly and annual sales targets, including new revenue, renewals, and retention KPIs.
• Travel periodically or quarterly within the company’s footprint for customer meetings.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• 401(k) retirement plan with employer match.
• Medical, dental, vision, life, and short-term disability insurance options.
• Paid time off/vacation starting at 80 hours per year, increasing with tenure.
• 40 hours of floating holiday time per year.
• Seven paid holidays per year.
• Paid sick leave, with hours varying by state and/or local laws.
• Tuition reimbursement program.
• Employee discount program.
• Opportunity for bonus and commission, including targeted annual commissions of $42,000 at full attainment and potential upside for exceeding sales targets.

What This Job Offers

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