Strategic Account Manager- Air and Water

GE Appliances•Louisville, KY

15d•Remote

About The Position

The Strategic Account Manager manages a focused portfolio of OEM customer relationships for GE Appliances’ Air & Water OEM micro-enterprise. The role executes account growth plans, supports profitable account development, and advances new product introduction opportunities. It connects North American customer requirements with Haier’s global design and production capabilities, including regular collaboration with China-based teams. The position works closely with customers to understand product strategies, program needs, and business priorities, then coordinates actions across product management, engineering, manufacturing, supply chain, quality, and commercial teams. Success requires disciplined account management, product and program lifecycle understanding, cross-functional coordination, and credibility with customer and internal stakeholders. The role is based in Louisville, Kentucky. Working conditions are typical of an office environment. Approximately 30% travel is required, primarily domestic, with periodic international travel for customer meetings, partnership development, technical alignment, factory visits, and strategic planning. Occasional early-morning or evening meetings may be needed to collaborate across time zones, including with China-based teams. GE Appliances offers flexibility in work arrangements, developed with the employee’s leader to balance individual, team, and business needs.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Engineering, Marketing, Operations, Supply Chain, or a related technical or commercial field; equivalent experience may substitute.
At least 5 years of relevant experience in account management, OEM business development, technical sales, program coordination, product management, engineering-facing commercial roles, or related B2B/customer-facing disciplines.
Experience in OEM or B2B technical sales/account management in HVAC, water heating, water treatment, or related manufacturing industries.
Demonstrated success supporting account growth, pipeline development, customer retention, or launch execution through measurable business outcomes.
Working knowledge of product development cycles, new product introduction processes, commercial negotiation support, and technical selling in a manufactured-products environment.
Experience working across product management, engineering, operations, supply chain, and quality to support customer commitments and lifecycle execution.
Advanced knowledge of OEM account management, B2B commercial practices, product development and lifecycle processes, and technical selling in a manufactured-products environment.
Ability to evaluate complex customer and business issues across commercial, operational, technical, timing, and lifecycle considerations and recommend practical next steps.
Ability to independently manage account planning, opportunity tracking, customer follow-up, and NPI coordination activities.
Ability to influence customer stakeholders and cross-functional partners, translate account needs into clear actions, and facilitate structured discussions.
Strong ownership, judgment, follow-through, and ability to maintain momentum through matrix coordination with limited supervision.
Ability to use CRM tools independently to maintain account data, manage pipeline visibility, support forecast discipline, and resolve day-to-day reporting or process issues.
Ability to travel approximately 30%, primarily domestically, with periodic international travel.
Availability for occasional early-morning or evening meetings to support collaboration across time zones.

Nice To Haves

Experience with cross-border product development, sourcing, or global manufacturing collaboration.
Background in program coordination, engineering, product management, or operations.
Experience working with Asia-based manufacturing or engineering teams.
Demonstrated ability to grow and maintain OEM or technical B2B customer relationships in a structured account management environment.
Experience translating voice-of-customer insights into product, sourcing, service, or commercial follow-up actions across cross-functional teams.
Working knowledge of cross-border product development, sourcing, or global manufacturing collaboration models.
Familiarity with the Rendanheyi model and customer-zero-distance principles.

Responsibilities

Manage annual account plans for assigned OEM customers, supporting revenue, margin, relationship, and new product introduction objectives.
Develop and maintain customer-specific account plans covering growth opportunities, product roadmap alignment, key contacts, competitive considerations, and execution milestones.
Identify, qualify, and advance a rolling pipeline of expansion and new product introduction opportunities in HVAC, water heating, and water treatment.
Support pricing recommendations, contract preparation, and partnership discussions.
Maintain opportunity stage-gates, next steps, and internal ownership to improve forecast visibility and commercial follow-through.
Serve as the primary day-to-day relationship manager for assigned OEM customers across commercial, technical, and operational stakeholders.
Build customer relationships through business acumen, responsiveness, and understanding of customer product and lifecycle priorities.
Lead or facilitate customer business reviews to assess performance, opportunities, risks, and follow-up actions.
Maintain customer contact maps, engagement cadence, and relationship notes.
Coordinate customer engagement through commercial check-ins, technical discussions, and documented follow-up actions.
Translate customer strategies, market needs, and lifecycle requirements into actionable internal recommendations.
Partner with Product Management and Engineering to align OEM needs with roadmap inputs, development priorities, and launch timing.
Manage an NPI opportunity funnel with defined value, timing, required resources, owners, and next steps.
Provide voice-of-customer updates to help prioritize features, quality, service, delivery, and lifecycle support.
Monitor competitive activity, regulatory developments, and emerging technologies that may affect OEM demand and account opportunities.
Work with Haier engineering, manufacturing, product management, and supply chain teams, including China-based partners, to communicate customer requirements and align with global platform and production capabilities.
Participate in technical reviews, feasibility discussions, production readiness activities, and product alignment conversations related to customer opportunities.
Serve as a customer-facing liaison between North American OEM expectations and global internal teams.
Track cross-functional follow-through so customer commitments are translated into practical internal actions and timelines.
Maintain account forecasts and pipeline management practices to improve visibility, planning discipline, and execution accuracy.
Track account performance against scorecard metrics, including revenue growth, margin, quality, delivery, service, NPI progress, and issue-resolution timing.
Maintain accurate CRM records, account documentation, pipeline updates, and internal reporting materials.
Support continuous improvement of account planning tools, review mechanisms, and commercial operating rhythms.
Support leadership updates, customer presentation preparation, and special commercial projects.
Assist with trade events, customer visits, and internal workshops tied to OEM growth priorities.
Contribute to process improvements that enhance account management effectiveness and cross-functional coordination.
Perform other related duties as assigned.