MSC Industrial Direct

Strategic Account Leader

MSC Industrial Direct$83K — $131K *
Business Services
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in business or equivalent experience required.
  • Minimum of 7 years in sales and marketing, with 2 years in industrial, manufacturing, or distribution sales.
  • Success in leading high-performing sales teams and surpassing sales objectives.
  • Expertise in negotiation and building senior-level customer relationships.
  • Ability to interpret financial statements to guide strategic customer solutions.
  • Strong project management skills with accountability for measurable results.
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and Salesforce.com.
  • Strong analytical skills for data synthesis and problem-solving.
  • Excellent communication skills for impactful presentations.
  • Demonstrated collaboration across functions with competing priorities.

Responsibilities

  • Oversee management and retention of key accounts with revenue potential over $250K.
  • Guide strategic account plan development to align with business goals.
  • Monitor account health and address retention risks proactively.
  • Lead negotiation and renewal strategies for underperforming accounts.
  • Ensure delivery of measurable cost-saving initiatives and assess solutions.
  • Drive Continuous Improvement Reviews with senior stakeholders for growth opportunities.
  • Build trusted relationships with internal and external executives for effective engagement.
  • Collaborate with Business Development to secure late-stage deal closures and onboarding processes.

Benefits

  • Comprehensive health benefits package.
  • Opportunities for professional development and coaching.
  • Flexible work environment with potential remote work options.
  • Performance-based commission opportunities to enhance base salary.
  • Supportive company culture focused on continuous improvement and accountability.
Full Job Description
Requisition ID : 21233

Employment Type : Full Time

Job Category : Sales

Work Location : Supporting Ann Arbor Michigan with a 2 1/2 hour radius.

BRIEF POSITION SUMMARY:

The Strategic Accounts Leader is responsible for leading the management and retention of selecting key accounts overseeing teams with portfolios greater than $250K in potential revenue, ensuring profitable growth through customer analysis, strategic account planning, and value realization. This role directs efforts to maximize account penetration and long-term retention by overseeing the delivery of measurable value through cost savings initiatives, continuous improvement reviews (CIRs), and solution optimization. The Leader builds and sustains trusted executive-level relationships with cross-functional leaders in Operations, Supply Chain, Procurement, and Engineering, while guiding disciplined engagement at the site level to strengthen adoption and results. In addition, this leader partners closely with the Business Development team on late-stage opportunities to support deal closure, oversee customer onboarding, and position MSC's solutions as a long-term competitive advantage.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
  • Oversee management and retention of key account portfolios exceeding $250K in potential revenue, ensuring profitable growth and long-term customer success.
  • Guide the development and execution of strategic account plans, ensuring alignment with business objectives and opportunities for deeper account penetration.
  • Monitor account health and retention risks, directing interventions and supporting teams in safeguarding customer satisfaction.
  • Lead negotiation and renewal strategies for underperforming or at-risk accounts to optimize profitability and value realization.
  • Ensure delivery of measurable cost savings initiatives, overseeing customer assessments, solution optimization, and documented profitability
  • Direct Continuous Improvement Reviews (CIRs)with senior stakeholders to showcase delivered value and identify new growth opportunities.
  • Foster trusted relationships with internal and external executives across Operations, Supply Chain, Procurement, and Engineering, serving as an escalation point when needed.
  • Collaborate with Business Development leadership on late-stage opportunities, providing oversight to secure deal closure and strategic positioning.
  • Oversee customer onboarding processes, ensuring teams deliver on commitments and drive solution adoption.
  • Lead, coach, and develop Strategic Development Consultants, setting clear performance expectations and providing regular feedback.
  • Align team resources to customer priorities while building capability through best practices in analysis, negotiation, and solution positioning, fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

QUALIFICATIONS
What You Need:
  • Bachelor's degree in business or equivalent experience required.
  • Minimum of 7 years of demonstrated sales and marketing success, including at least 2 years in industrial, manufacturing, or distribution sales.
  • Proven success in leading high-performing teams to drive profitable solution sales and consistently surpass sales objectives.
  • Demonstrated excellence in leading negotiations, influencing at multiple organizational levels, and building senior-level customer relationships.
  • Ability to interpret customer financial statements and translate insights into strategic guidance, enabling teams to craft solution recommendations that drive profitability and long-term growth.
  • Solid project management skills with a solid history of accountability, measurable results and cross functional execution.
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Salesforce.com (CRM).
  • Demonstrated analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to synthesize data from multiple systems and guide teams in developing effective, data-driven solutions.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to develop and deliver impactful executive level presentations.
  • Proven success collaborating cross-functionally (e.g., Marketing, Product Management, Finance) and with leaders holding competing priorities.
  • High attention to detail with strong follow-through and the ability to adapt quickly to changing market and business conditions.
  • Self-motivated, adaptable, and able to build and lead teams that perform effectively in both collaborative and independent work environments.
  • Skilled at fostering a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and customer-focused execution.

Bonus Points If You Have:
  • Industrial or manufacturing segment experience preferred
Other Requirements:
  • A valid driver's license may be required.
  • Ability to lift up to 50 lbs and perform physical tasks (walking, bending, standing for long periods).
  • Willingness to comply with customer safety and PPE protocols.
  • This position may require access to International Traffic in Arms Regulations Information ("ITAR") and/or Controlled Unclassified Information ("CUI")

*INDICATES ESSENTIAL DUTIES

To perform this job successfully an associate must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed are representative of knowledge, experience level and abilities required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential duties.

Compensation starting at $83738 - $131588 plus commission opportunities depending on experience.

The salary range represented is based on similar roles in comparable industries, and the cost of labor in respective cities. Actual compensation is based on the candidate's relevant experience, education requirements and peer pay equity. The Company reserves the right to modify the range as market conditions change.

Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment Visa for this position at this time.

This job posting will remain open for a minimum of 3 business days from the original posting date or longer as needed to fill the position.

About MSC Industrial Direct

MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. is a leading North American distributor of metalworking and maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO) products and services. We help our customers drive greater productivity, profitability, and growth with more than 1.7 million products, inventory management and other supply chain solutions, and deep expertise from over 75 years of working with customers across industries.
Learn more about MSC Industrial Direct
Size
6,571 employees
Market Cap
$4.6 billion
Industry
Net Income
$224.1 million
Founded
1941
5 Year Trend
+5%
Revenue
$3.1 billion
NASDAQ

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