Strategic Account Manager

Applied Industrial Technologies

$100K — $120K *
Technical Services
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in business, engineering, or related field (or equivalent experience)
  • 5+ years of strategic or technical B2B sales experience, preferably in data cooling centers
  • Experience managing large, complex accounts with long-term revenue potential
  • Strong understanding of project management and communication with customers and technical teams
  • Ability to sell complex, engineered solutions effectively

Responsibilities

  • Own and manage a portfolio of strategic data center accounts, including hyperscale and OEM customers
  • Develop and execute account plans aligning customer goals with growth objectives
  • Identify and manage key target accounts to support growth initiatives
  • Build executive-level relationships with decision-makers and procurement teams
  • Drive revenue growth through solution-based selling of cooling technologies
  • Lead complex sales cycles from identification through closing
  • Translate customer technical requirements into viable solutions

Benefits

  • Product training on cooling solutions and systems design
  • Hydraulics, pneumatics, and mechanics training offered
  • Skill development in sales techniques and computer systems
  • Support for obtaining and maintaining relevant certifications
  • Travel opportunities to customer sites within a defined region
Full Job Description
Position Summary

The Strategic Account Manager (SAM) for Data Cooling Centers is responsible for developing, managing, and expanding relationships with key strategic customers within the data center and mission-critical cooling market. This role focuses on long-term account growth, solution-based selling, and alignment of customer technical requirements with the company's cooling, fluid power, or thermal management solutions. The SAM acts as the primary point of contact for assigned strategic accounts, coordinating internal resources, driving revenue growth, and ensuring customer satisfaction across the full lifecycle of data center cooling projects.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Account Management
  • Own and manage a portfolio of strategic data center accounts, including hyperscale, enterprise, and OEM customers.
  • Develop and execute account plans that align customer goals with company growth objectives.
  • Identify and manage key target accounts, including general and mechanical contractors, to support strategic growth initiatives.
  • Build executive-level relationships with decision-makers, engineers, and procurement teams.
  • Identify expansion opportunities across new sites, retrofits, upgrades, and service agreements.


Sales & Business Development
  • Drive revenue growth through solution-based selling of technologies (liquid cooling, air cooling, CDU systems, heat exchangers, fluid conveyance, etc.)
  • Lead complex sales cycles from opportunity identification through contract negotiation and close.
  • Collaborate with engineering and applications teams to deliver customized solutions.
  • Monitor market trends, customer investments, and competitive activity within the data center space.


Technical & Cross-Functional Collaboration
  • Translate customer technical requirements into viable product and system solutions.
  • Coordinate with internal teams including engineering, operations, project management, and service to ensure successful execution.
  • Support system design reviews, technical presentations, and customer site visits.
  • Ensure alignment between customer expectations and operational capabilities.


Customer Experience & Retention
  • Serve as the escalation point for customer issues and ensure timely resolution.
  • Maintain high levels of customer satisfaction through proactive communication and performance reviews.
  • Track KPIs related to account growth, retention, and project success.
  • Support long-term service, maintenance, and lifecycle solutions.


Position Qualifications

Education & Experience
  • Bachelor's degree in business, Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent experience)
  • 5+ years of strategic or technical B2B sales experience, data cooling center experience a plus
  • Experience managing large, complex accounts with multi-year revenue potential.


Skills & Competencies
  • Strong understanding of project management and communication to customer, manufacture and leadership teams on technologies, infrastructure, and expectations.
  • Proven ability to sell complex, engineered solutions.
  • Excellent communication, negotiation, and relationship-building skills
  • Ability to work cross-functionally with technical and non-technical teams.
  • Strategic thinker with strong analytical and planning capabilities
  • Willingness to travel to customer sites as required.


Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
  • Revenue growth within assigned strategic accounts.
  • New opportunity identification and pipeline development
  • Customer retention and satisfaction
  • Successful execution of account plans


Skills taught after hire as needed:

Product Training, Hydraulics Training, Pneumatics Training, Mechanics Training, Systems Design, Sales Techniques, Computer System Training, Microsoft Training, ISO Training

Other Requirements:

Valid Driver's License, Acceptable Motor Vehicle Record

Able to travel by car within several hundred miles of their branch frequently and overnight occasionally; some air travel expected.

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