Strategic Account Manager- Air and Water

GE Appliances, a Haier company•Louisville, KY

16d

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 customer product strategies, program needs, and business priorities with coordinated actions across product management, engineering, manufacturing, supply chain, quality, and commercial teams. The position also links North American customer requirements with Haier’s global design and production capabilities, including collaboration with China-based teams. The role requires account management discipline, product and program lifecycle understanding, cross-functional coordination, and the ability to build credibility with customers and internal stakeholders. Responsibilities include strategic account planning and growth, customer relationship management, lifecycle and NPI coordination, global collaboration, forecasting, performance tracking, and commercial operations. The position is based in Louisville, Kentucky. Working conditions are typical for an office environment, with approximately 30% travel, primarily domestic and with periodic international travel. Occasional early morning or evening meetings may be needed to work across time zones. GE Appliances offers the opportunity to work with a leader to create a flexible work arrangement that balances individual, team, and organizational needs.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Engineering, Marketing, Operations, Supply Chain, or a related technical or commercial field; equivalent experience may substitute for the educational requirement.
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 work autonomously and manage end-to-end account planning, opportunity tracking, customer follow-up, and NPI coordination.
Ability to influence customer stakeholders and cross-functional partners, translate account needs into clear actions, and facilitate structured discussions.
Strong ownership, sound 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 routine reporting or process issues.
Ability to travel approximately 30%, primarily domestically, with periodic international travel.
Ability to accommodate occasional early morning or evening meetings to collaborate 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 within 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 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 a primary day-to-day relationship manager for assigned OEM customers across commercial, technical, and operational stakeholders.
Build customer relationships and lead or facilitate business reviews to assess performance, opportunities, risks, and follow-up actions.
Maintain customer contact maps, engagement cadence, relationship notes, and documented follow-up actions.
Translate customer strategies, market needs, and lifecycle requirements into actionable recommendations for internal teams.
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 to help translate customer commitments into 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.