Strategic Account Manager

From a small family business to a multi-billion-dollar global company, Sonoco has been changing the face of products and packaging since 1899 — all while keeping the heart of “People Build Businesses” alive.

Our talented people are at the core of our growth, constantly reinventing the Sonoco wheel with brilliant solutions every year. Today we are a world leader in global packaging solutions with diversified operations in over 34 countries. We're extremely proud of our portfolio of brands, our achievements in sustainability and industrialization and the groundbreaking work accomplished by our people. 

The safety and health of employees takes precedence over any other duties of this position. This position is responsible for leading strategic account management activities for assigned Protective Packaging customers, with emphasis on appliance, HVAC, electronics, durable goods, and industrial manufacturing markets. The role owns customer strategy, relationship development, revenue growth, profitability, pricing coordination, service performance, product quality, new business development, and cross-functional execution. The successful candidate will work closely with sales, operations, engineering, quality, finance, customer service, and product development teams to expand Sonoco’s value proposition and strengthen Sonoco’s position as a strategic partner to assigned accounts.

What you will be doing:

• The position is not only responsible for strategic account relationships but will also be responsible for direct account management and account representative responsibilities at select sites.

• Develop and manage strong relationships with key customer stakeholders across procurement, engineering, operations, quality, supply chain, and executive leadership.

• Owns assigned Protective Packaging strategic accounts, including account strategy, growth plans, profitability, customer satisfaction, and execution across all participating Sonoco locations.

• Prepare and maintain strategic account plans, including relationship mapping, opportunity pipeline, pricing strategy, revenue and margin objectives, competitive position, value-creation initiatives, and long-term growth plans.

• Lead cross-functional execution of account plans with plant, regional sales, operations, engineering, quality, customer service, finance, product development, and division leadership teams.

• Monitor protective packaging, appliance, HVAC, electronics, durable goods, material, logistics, sustainability, and manufacturing trends that impact assigned accounts and provide regular updates to management.

• Analyze customer potential, sales performance, forecast changes, and volume trends to support account planning and business decisions.

• Coordinate pricing, contract, bid proposal, specification, quality, service, and commercial commitments with appropriate internal stakeholders.

• Identify and lead customer value projects that improve total cost of ownership, including packaging performance, damage reduction, freight and logistics efficiency, labor productivity, material optimization, SKU rationalization, quality improvement, and manufacturing flow.

• Keeps line and staff personnel informed as to competitive activity at accounts assigned to include share, price, quality, product offerings, and all other areas of involvement 

• Work with design, engineering, operations, and product development resources to identify protective packaging solutions, new applications, material substitutions, productivity improvements, sustainability improvements, and expanded use of existing product platforms.

• Partner with plant and regional teams to resolve customer complaints, quality issues, service concerns, and open action items in a timely and professional manner.

• Communicates regularly with other Sonoco businesses and functional teams to coordinate activity on common accounts, identify cross-selling opportunities, share customer intelligence, and present one coordinated Sonoco approach to the customer.

• Protects assets, confidential and restricted information, developments, specifications, materials, legal obligations, and other such data in contacts with external parties 

• Complies with all company policies 

• Is responsible for ensuring AR/DSO is managed and kept within the terms of the customer agreement. 

• Coordinate regular business reviews with assigned accounts to review performance, service, quality, forecast changes, open issues, innovation priorities, and joint value-generation opportunities.

• Attend appropriate industry events and customer-facing forums and develop subject-matter expertise in targeted Protective Packaging markets, including appliance, HVAC, electronics, durable goods, and industrial manufacturing.

• Reports to the Senior Director, Protective Packaging & Partitions.

• Demonstrates knowledge and understanding of Sonoco including businesses, organizational structure, value drivers, products and services, and competitive market position 

• Can deliver Boardroom level presentations 

• Questions and challenges the status quo 

• Displays honesty and integrity, and honors company, customer and personal commitments 

• Builds a team vision and identities opportunities for multifunctional collaboration and management of a strategic customer 

• Demonstrates consistent, methodical work habits to drive and complete the account management process, within time and resource constraints. 

This is a remote Mid-West position with the preferred candidate being in the Louisville, KY or Benton Harbor, MI area and manages our Protective Packaging Segment.

We'd love to hear from you if:

• A 4-year college degree is required

• 7–10+ years of commercial, strategic account, business development, technical sales, or account leadership experience in protective packaging, industrial packaging, engineered materials, appliances, HVAC, durable goods, electronics, or related manufacturing markets.

• Prior experience in protective packaging is required; direct experience serving appliance, HVAC, electronics, durable goods, or industrial manufacturing OEMs is strongly preferred.

• Demonstrated ability to sell value-based solutions, quantify customer ROI, and communicate the business impact of packaging improvements through TCO, damage reduction, logistics savings, labor efficiency, quality improvement, and sustainability benefits.

• Experience managing complex, multi-location customer relationships and working cross-functionally with manufacturing, engineering, quality, finance, supply chain, and executive stakeholders.

• Strong analytical skills and the ability to develop/quantify value are required

• Must have strong written and oral communication skills 

• Must have good working knowledge of Excel, PowerPoint and Word 

• Travel will be required as an expectation of this role and could be up to 50% depending on where candidate is located.

Compensation:

This is a progression position, and the level will be based on the candidate's experience and business needs. The annual base salary range for this role is as follows: $150,160 - $168,930 with 12.5% annual target bonus.

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At Sonoco Products Company, we offer a comprehensive total rewards package, including competitive pay and benefits. *Benefits listed below are for employees located in the U.S. Specific benefits and wellbeing programs may vary depending on your location (within the U.S. or global), or if you are a union employee.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage for you and your dependents, including FSA and HSA options
• 401(k) retirement plan with company match
• Wellbeing tools and resources to support holistic health, including an Employee Assistance Program with a variety of services
• Paid time off and holidays to recreate, rejuvenate and care for the health of yourself and family
• Variety of company paid and voluntary employee-paid insurance plans including life, personal accident, and disability insurance
• Tuition reimbursement

We are an equal opportunity employer, and we strictly prohibit and do not tolerate discrimination against employees, applicants or any other covered persons because of race, color, religion, national origin or ancestry, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, marital status, gender identity or expression, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any legally protected characteristic.