Strategic Account Manager

Focus•Chicago, IL

21d•Remote

About The Position

The Strategic Account Manager (SAM) serves as the strategic business partner and primary point of contact for Metropolitan Warehouse & Delivery's customer portfolio. This role is responsible for developing long-term customer relationships, driving customer satisfaction and retention, and identifying opportunities for organic account growth while ensuring operational excellence across all warehousing, transportation, and logistics services. The SAM serves as the Voice of the Customer (VoC) within Metropolitan, partnering closely with Operations, Finance, IT, and Sales to ensure customer expectations, contractual commitments, key performance indicators (KPIs), and service level agreements (SLAs) are consistently achieved. The role also works closely with international customers, suppliers, and partners, requiring strong cross-cultural communication and the ability to support customers conducting business across multiple regions. This position requires a commercially focused leader who can balance strategic account management, operational execution, business development, and customer advocacy while leading cross-functional teams to deliver an exceptional customer experience. The successful candidate will proactively identify opportunities to strengthen customer relationships, improve operational performance, expand Metropolitan's share of wallet, and support the long-term growth of strategic accounts.

Requirements

3-5+ years of experience in Account Management, Customer Success, Business Development, Supply Chain, or Logistics.
Experience managing strategic or enterprise customer relationships.
Experience in warehousing, transportation, fulfillment, 3PL, freight forwarding, or international logistics preferred.
Demonstrated success growing customer relationships and managing complex accounts.
Exceptional relationship management skills.
Strong executive communication and presentation skills.
Strategic planning and problem-solving abilities.
Ability to influence cross-functional teams without direct authority.
Strong analytical and financial acumen.
Excellent project management skills.
Experience managing multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
High level of professionalism and customer focus.
Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Word)
CRM platforms
Warehouse Management Systems (WMS)
Transportation Management Systems (TMS)
ERP systems
Business Intelligence and reporting tools
AI productivity tools and automation platforms

Nice To Haves

Experience working with furniture, home furnishings, or oversized products.
Experience supporting omnichannel retail, eCommerce, and B2B distribution.
Willingness to travel domestically and internationally.

Responsibilities

Serve as the point of contact for assigned strategic customer accounts.
Build trusted relationships with customer stakeholders at all organizational levels.
Develop a deep understanding of each customer's business, growth strategy, products, and operational requirements.
Champion the Voice of the Customer (VoC) by advocating for customer needs while balancing operational excellence and business objectives.
Anticipate customer needs and proactively recommend solutions that improve service and create value.
Lead Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs), annual business planning sessions, and executive customer meetings focused on performance, continuous improvement, and strategic growth.
Develop executive-level relationships across customer organizations to strengthen long-term partnerships.
Champion the Voice of the Customer across the organization.
Develop strategic account plans focused on customer retention, expansion, and long-term partnership growth.
Identify opportunities to expand warehousing, transportation, fulfillment, and value-added services.
Partner with Business Development on account expansion opportunities and new customer implementations.
Support contract renewals, pricing discussions, Statements of Work (SOWs), and commercial negotiations.
Participate in customer presentations, site visits, and facility tours.
Coordinate cross-functional teams to ensure successful execution of customer programs.
Monitor service performance against KPIs and SLAs.
Lead resolution of operational issues through root cause analysis and corrective actions.
Drive continuous improvement initiatives that enhance customer experience and operational efficiency.
Ensure customer onboarding and implementation projects are executed successfully.
Lead, mentor, and develop Customer Service Representatives and account support staff.
Establish clear priorities and accountability across assigned account teams.
Foster collaboration between Customer Service, Operations, Transportation, and Sales.
Promote a culture of urgency, ownership, accountability, and continuous improvement.
Analyze customer performance metrics, operational trends, and financial performance.
Prepare executive-level reports, dashboards, and customer scorecards.
Monitor profitability, account health, and customer satisfaction.
Present recommendations for operational improvements and growth opportunities.
Own the escalation process for customer concerns.
Coordinate cross-functional teams to resolve issues quickly and effectively.
Identify root causes and implement long-term corrective actions.
Communicate proactively with customers regarding issue resolution and service recovery.