Strategic Account Manager - Payments Card Products & Digital Services

Thales Group • Austin, TX

110d • $122,472 - $264,000

About The Position

Thales is hiring an Account Manager that will handle US Large Accounts is a key segment within the PAY business line, focused on servicing all Tier 1 accounts in the United States. The role of the Account Manager is to lead a set of strategic accounts, taking full ownership of managing client relationships, driving growth and delivering results against agreed business targets. This role plays a critical part in ensuring customer satisfaction, retention, and overall business performance within the segment. Key business focus areas include developing and executing strategies to drive profitable growth in our payment card manufacturing and personalization business and defining and delivering on account plans to grow our digital services footprint. To succeed in this role, as Account Manager will build strong exposure to the payments industry and continuously develop market understanding, drive results by influencing and aligning cross-functional teams across both the customer and Thales organizations, operate with an entrepreneurial mindset, bringing initiative, curiosity, and a high degree of autonomy, naturally act as a team player and strong communicator, fostering collaboration across teams and demonstrate the ability to persuade, influence, and negotiate effectively - both internally and with customers.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance or Industry with a minimum of 8-12+ years of relevant work experience or Master's degree in field with 6+ years of relevant work experience.
• 8+ years of work experience in account management or sales, preferably within the payments, fintech, or financial services industry.
• Proven track record of managing enterprise accounts, with demonstrated success in driving account growth and improving client retention.
• Strong understanding of payment cards, card networks (e.g., Visa, Mastercard), payment processors, gateways, and digital payment trends.
• Familiarity with regulatory and compliance requirements in the payments industry (e.g., PCI-DSS, EMV, etc.).
• Strong relationship-building and client management skills.
• Proven experience in navigating complex commercial and legal negotiations.
• Analytical and data-driven mindset with the ability to interpret metrics and identify business opportunities and execute against ambitious growth objectives.
• Solid understanding of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) business models and solutions.
• Ability to get into the details, identify areas of maximum impact to invest time and resources.
• Comfortable with technical solutions and the ability to deep dive into discussions with technology teams.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and close sales opportunities from discovery through validation, negotiation, and deal closure, while effectively leveraging internal resources.
• Highly autonomous with a proactive and entrepreneurial mindset to drive business growth.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain an account plan for each assigned account, outlining the strategy to grow in revenue and market share and aligning it with both internal teams and customer stakeholders.
• Identify and define strategic initiatives in collaboration with the customer to generate growth beyond business-as-usual, and to build a long-term partnership.
• Gain a deep understanding of the customer's priorities, expectations, and long-term vision - and align Thales' offerings to support their business goals.
• Monitor competitor activity within the account and share relevant insights with internal stakeholders.
• Collaborate with Field Marketing to support execution of the plan, including identifying growth opportunities, defining 'must-win' initiatives, shaping the engagement plan, co-creating value-based pricing strategies, and developing relevant segment content.
• Lead commercial and contractual negotiations aligning with the objectives of the company and long-term relationship with the customer.
• Share timely and relevant information on the customer (e.g., strategy, organizational structure, needs, budget cycles), and serve as the voice of the customer internally.
• Orchestrate and manage the extended account team across various activities (e.g., RFPs, project execution, product & service portfolio alignment, customer experience, contract management) and support all actions required to close Order Intake.
• Provide regular and accurate forecasts of customer needs to ensure delivery readiness and internal alignment.
• Monitor and report on customer satisfaction issues and contribute to the improvement of customer satisfaction scores.
• Maximize customer satisfaction through proactive engagement and follow-through.
• Establish trust and loyalty by driving joint actions and long-term collaboration with the customer.
• Ensure performance against revenue targets and growth objectives in the short- and medium-term by maintaining strong customer intimacy.
• Lead and secure the execution of strategic initiatives as defined in the Account Plan.

Benefits

• Elective Health, Dental, Vision, FSA/HSA, Voluntary Life and AD&D, Whole Group Life w/LTC, Critical Illness, Hospital Indemnity, Accident Insurance, Legal Plan, Identity Theft, and Pet Insurance.
• Retirement Savings Plan after 30 days of employment with a company contribution and a match, and with no vesting period.
• Company paid holidays and Paid Time Off.
• Company provided Life Insurance, AD&D, Disability, Employee Assistance Plan, and Well-being Program.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Industry: Machinery Manufacturing
• Education Level: Bachelor's degree
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees