Director, Strategic Accounts

Summary

The Director, Strategic Accounts is responsible for handling the most important client accounts in a company. This role will be the lead point of contact for all key customer matters, anticipate the customer needs, work within the company to ensure deadlines are met to help the customer succeed. The key account manager is responsible for bringing in new business from existing customer or contacts and will develop new relationships.

This position can be located at our corporate headquarters in Inver Grove Heights, MN or remote within our sales territory, traveling as needed to the corporate office.  

Responsibilities

• Lead the development, implementation, and execution of an enterprise-wide go-to-market strategy for assigned key wholesale customers. 
• Drive profitable CHS product and service growth within assigned key customers 
• Foster collaboration across multiple product lines to enhance the customer experience with key customers 
• Partner with key wholesale customers to intimately understand their strategic plan and go-to-market approach 
• In partnership with our key customer leadership team this role will lead the completion of annual needs assessments, inclusive of all product and service lines 
• Clearly understand the barriers preventing growth with each customer and why those barriers exist. Share customer plans, intentions and feedback with internal stakeholders (sales, customer service, supply, trading, etc.) in a clear, consistent and actionable manner 
• Lead the development of annual and multi-year account plans that encompass our account strategy, market approach, product and service offers resulting in a “win-win” for the customer and CHS. 
• Lead through delivering exceptional customer experience while being the primary account executive and representative of CHS to assigned customers. 
• Possess a strong financial acumen along with exceptional negotiation, selling, and collaboration skills 
• Ability to understand the enterprise and product line relationship, strategies and tactics for each of the product and service lines with each of the assigned customers 
• Utilize internal resources to drive towards long-term solutions and offer a sales delivery that offers and promotes different approaches and solutions to provide value to the customer. 
• Provide efficient, cost-effective solutions to customer requests and quickly respond to customer complaints, inquiries and other customer needs.

Minimum Qualifications (required)

• High School Diploma or GED 
• 7+ years of sales management, marketing, business development experience
• Prior leadership experience with progressively advancing level of leadership responsibilities

Additional Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree strongly preferred in Business, Agriculture Business, Agriculture Science or related field 
• Strong sales experience leading and managing strategic accounts 
• Ability to work with all levels inside an organization 
• Excel in communicating in person with executive level leaders of large agriculture cooperatives and/or ag retailers 
• Must have in-depth knowledge of the customer to provide tailored solutions 
• Strategic mindset with a focus on building long-term relationships 
• Visionary and solution minded with leadership attributes to gain trust and respect internally and externally 
• Demonstrate critical thinking, decision-making and problem-solving techniques 
• Ability to adapt to a continually changing business and work environment 
• Ability to resolve complex issues and handle multiple priorities 
• Demonstrated ability to influence – both with customers and internal stakeholders

Physical Requirements

• Travel up to 60% of the time throughout the United States