Account Director — National Accounts

Our client is a well-established and growing supplier serving commercial, industrial, and residential markets. Known for its commitment to customer service and operational excellence, the company continues to invest in its people, technology, and long-term growth.

Job Summary

The Account Director – National Accounts grows Our Client revenue through the systematic, disciplined development of national account relationships. This role requires a working knowledge of each assigned account, including its organizational structure, key personnel, purchasing patterns, and strategic direction.

The Account Director – National Accounts serves as a primary business conduit between the company and its national account customers, coordinating closely with departmental and cross-functional teams to identify, attract, and retain business. Above all, the position is accountable for delivering Outrageous Customer Service, always acting with integrity.

The Account Director – National Accounts is expected to pursue and maintain the highest available level of product, industry, and technical certification so that our client is positioned as a knowledge authority, and customers regard the Account Director – National Accounts as their most trusted resource and first choice for doing business.

The long-term mission of this position is to maintain a consistently positive, solutions-oriented attitude while continually expanding our client's national account business base year over year.

Reporting Relationships

This position is selected by, and reports directly to, the Director – National Accounts. The Account Director – National Accounts is required to regularly communicate and coordinate with inside sales support staff, purchasing, quotations, warehouse operations, and other corporate departments necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of the role.

Authority and Accountability

The Account Director – National Accounts is delegated sufficient authority by the Director – National Accounts to accomplish the responsibilities, goals, and objectives established for this position, and is expected to exercise independent initiative to foster positive relationships with Our Client employees, suppliers, and — most importantly — customers, through exceptional service and unwavering integrity.

This position is responsible for proactively proposing new programs and initiatives to the Director – National Accounts or the President, and for researching, developing, and recommending operating procedures where they affect Our Client operations, subject to the President's final review and approval.

Key Responsibilities

The responsibilities below may be delegated to support personnel (such as an inside Project Manager – National Accounts); however, the Account Director – National Accounts remains fully accountable for the accuracy, timeliness, and quality of the results.

Regulatory Compliance

• Ensure area operations comply with all applicable government laws, rules, and regulations, including those administered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and other applicable state and local laws and ordinances.

Team Development and Customer Interaction

• Develop and positively motivate any personnel reporting to the position, ensuring employees can effectively perform their duties, complete assignments, and interact professionally with customers, colleagues, vendors, delivery personnel, and sales representatives.
• Advise customers on product selection, coordinate merchandise delivery, and troubleshoot equipment utilization and operation.
• Communicate clearly and promptly with employees to support customer satisfaction and to prevent and resolve problems proactively.

Documentation and Forms

• Produce and revise operational forms, including work orders, product pick-up documentation, and take-off sheets, in conjunction with the Director – National Accounts.

Business Growth, Market Research, and Benchmarking

• Drive continued growth of business with Our Client customers and develop performance benchmarks, reported no less than monthly.
• Conduct continuous market research and maintain findings in an organized electronic file, including category cost-of-sales as a percentage of building permits/remodel activity, and competitor market share relative to our client.
• Create and regularly update a customer list within our client's CRM system, including store location counts, planned locations for the next 12 months, sales estimates, support preferences, active promotions, and website URLs.
• Track any additional benchmarks or market intelligence requirements designated by the Director – National Accounts or the President.

New Customer Development

• Maintain a target list of fifty (50) new prospective customers, tracking prospect profile, cost of current fixture package, potential savings, current problems, conversion strategy and timeline, and calls-to-close ratio.

Sales Presentation and Proposal Materials

• Maintain the merchandising and ongoing currency of sales presentation materials, producing and maintaining all electronic and printed presentations in a customer-appropriate format.
• Review and polish all proposals prior to customer presentation.

Confidentiality

• Maintain strict confidentiality of all business and personnel information encountered in the course of employment.

Customer Grievance Resolution

• Effectively resolve customer grievances, including emergency site visits, minor field corrections to product, or repair assessments as needed.
• Use letters of apology and/or budgeted gift certificates to help ensure resolution of a dissatisfied customer.
• Report the root cause of, and corrective action taken for, significant customer grievances to the Director – National Accounts and the President and continually evaluate systems and procedures to eliminate repetitive or foreseeable problems.

External and Internal Liaison Activities

• Attend meetings, customer functions, conventions, and other events as designated by the Director – National Accounts.
• Oversee and coordinate trade show presentation, staffing, and sponsorship to ensure Our Client standards are met while defraying costs.
• Proactively contact assigned accounts to solicit feedback on Our Client performance and request referrals.

Quarterly Reporting

• Maintain and distribute all target accounts, the General Contractor (GC) and Electrical Contractor (EC) directory, and key account data on a quarterly basis.

Essential Duties

• Support the growth and profit goals established by the Director – National Accounts or President.
• Attend and actively contribute to the weekly sales meeting held each Wednesday.
• Conduct sales calls independently or with manufacturer representatives, visiting each assigned account at least once per calendar year to build long-term partnerships and gather a customer satisfaction rating; summarize findings by account in the CRM system.
• Ensure the quality of customer and employee satisfaction, communicating improvement ideas to the Director – National Accounts or President.
• Support all Our Client policies, including the Employee Handbook, General Operating Procedures, and Personnel Policies and Procedures.
• Maintain awareness of national business trends and assess their competitive impact; update an annual SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) and communicate it to the Director – National Accounts or President by year-end.
• Attend monthly sales meetings to facilitate communication and teamwork toward store and departmental goals.
• Review and assist in resolving past-due accounts under 90 days, facilitating communication and teamwork toward cost-center goals; may be involved in difficult collection matters on occasion.
• Personally assist in resolving customer and human-relations problems or grievances within assigned accounts.
• Perform other duties as delegated by the Director – National Accounts or President to support our client's continued growth.
• Support physical inventory activities at the discretion of Our Client management.
• Operate within the scope of authority defined in this document; discuss any decisions falling outside this authority with the Director – National Accounts and/or the President before acting.

Qualifications

Education and Experience

• Required: Two (2) year technical degree, or equivalent relevant work experience in lieu of formal education.
• Preferred: Four (4) year college degree with a concentration in business (or equivalent), plus a minimum of four (4) years of outside sales experience in the wholesale or retail electrical distribution industry.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to travel regularly by automobile and occasionally by air to customer sites, job sites, and Our Client events.
• Ability to walk, stand, and move through warehouse, showroom, and job-site environments for extended periods.
• Ability to lift and carry product samples or materials up to 25 lbs. as needed.
• Ability to operate a motor vehicle and hold a valid driver's license in good standing.
• Ability to communicate effectively, in person and by phone/email, with customers, vendors, and staff. Reasonable accommodation will be considered for qualified individuals with disabilities in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Our Client policy.

Work Environment

• General office environment with standard office equipment (computer, phone, CRM systems).
• Wholesale storage and warehouse environments with variable temperatures and moderate-to-high noise levels.
• Frequent exposure to job-site conditions, which may include construction sites, retail environments, and varying weather conditions.
• Minimum 40 hours across a standard five-day workweek; additional hours — including weekends — may be required to support special events, conventions, functions, and physical inventory.