Strategic Account Manager

IDEAL Industries, Inc.•Sycamore, IL

2d•$109,264 - $147,236•Remote

About The Position

The Strategic Account Manager (SAM) – Motive Power West Region serves as the primary business partner and point of contact for key OEM customers and strategic accounts throughout the Western United States. The role develops and executes strategic account plans, secures new design wins, expands market share, and drives profitable revenue growth across material handling equipment (MHE), automated guided vehicles (AGV/AMR), battery systems, charging infrastructure, warehouse automation, and Ground Support Equipment (GSE) applications. This position combines strategic account leadership with OEM business development. The manager influences engineering specifications, manages complex sales cycles, and converts opportunities into long-term production revenue. It is a remote role, ideally located in Texas or another western U.S. state, with travel of up to 50% throughout the Western United States.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Business, Engineering, or a related field.
At least 7 years of experience in strategic account management, OEM sales, business development, or technical industrial sales.
Demonstrated success managing large OEM accounts and developing long-term growth strategies.
Experience selling electrical, power distribution, connector, charging, electromechanical, or related industrial products.
Strong business acumen and ability to navigate complex customer organizations.
Excellent communication, negotiation, presentation, and relationship-building skills.
Proficiency with D365 CRM or equivalent sales management platforms.
Strong Microsoft Office skills.
Ability and willingness to travel up to 50% throughout the Western United States.
Proven ability to influence OEM design decisions and secure specification wins.
Strong understanding of material handling, warehouse automation, battery systems, charging infrastructure, AGV/AMR, and electrification markets.
Demonstrated success developing and executing long-term account growth strategies and building partnerships across technical, operational, and executive stakeholders.
Consistent track record of revenue growth, margin expansion, and strategic account penetration.

Nice To Haves

MBA.
Direct experience with Material Handling Equipment (MHE), AGV/AMR systems, battery technologies, charging infrastructure, warehouse automation, or Ground Support Equipment (GSE).
Established relationships with OEM engineering, sourcing, product management, and operations teams.
Experience selling high-current connectors, charging interfaces, cable assemblies, power distribution products, or related electrification technologies.
Proven record of securing design wins that result in long-term production revenue.
Experience working with manufacturer representative organizations and distribution channel partners to drive market growth.

Responsibilities

Own strategic relationships with assigned OEM and key accounts in the West region, serving as the internal advocate for customers.
Develop and execute multi-year strategic account plans, including growth initiatives, revenue targets, product roadmaps, and alignment with customer technology cycles.
Build relationships across engineering, sourcing, procurement, operations, product management, and executive leadership teams.
Identify and prioritize opportunities that strengthen long-term partnerships and increase specification adoption.
Create and execute OEM growth strategies to secure new design wins and expand the company's presence across customer platforms and product lines.
Develop opportunities involving material handling equipment, AGVs, AMRs, battery systems, charging infrastructure, warehouse automation, motive power, and electrification initiatives.
Drive revenue growth through new product introductions, share expansion, cross-selling, and strategic account penetration.
Lead commercial negotiations and pricing strategies to achieve annual revenue and margin objectives.
Maintain a healthy pipeline through disciplined opportunity management and CRM utilization.
Influence engineering specifications and product selection decisions to secure long-term production business.
Work with Engineering and Product Management to develop solutions aligned with customer requirements.
Support customer development programs from concept through production launch.
Monitor customer product roadmaps and identify future growth and expansion opportunities.
Partner with manufacturer representatives, distributors, and channel partners to increase market coverage and accelerate revenue growth.
Conduct joint account planning sessions and opportunity reviews with partners.
Support partner training on applications, products, and market opportunities.
Establish performance expectations and help partners drive strategic account growth.
Track and report performance against account plans, forecasts, budgets, and revenue objectives using Salesforce CRM.
Provide business reviews, pipeline updates, and account performance reports to leadership.
Monitor competitive activity, market trends, customer investments, and emerging technologies to identify risks and opportunities.
Use market intelligence to support business planning and growth initiatives.