Strategic Account Manager

Strategic Account Manager

The Strategic Account Manager is an operations-heavy, customer-facing role responsible for the full lifecycle of assigned accounts: day-to-day execution, carrier sourcing and relationship management, service recovery, and — critically — account penetration and organic growth. This is not a sitback- and-maintain role. The right candidate runs their book of business like an owner: covering freight, solving problems before customers know they exist, expanding market share within existing accounts, and working shoulder-to-shoulder with a collaborative sales and operations team.

Account Ownership & Growth

• Serve as the primary point of contact for assigned customer accounts, owning the relationship from tender to invoice.
• Penetrate existing accounts by identifying new lanes, modes, facilities, and decision-makers; grow revenue and margin within the current book.
• Develop account plans with volume targets, margin goals, and expansion strategies; review progress with leadership on a regular cadence.
• Conduct regular business reviews (QBRs) with key customers covering service metrics, market conditions, and new opportunities.

Carrier Relationships

• Build and maintain a reliable core carrier base for assigned lanes and equipment types.
• Negotiate rates that balance carrier retention with customer margin targets.
• Track carrier performance (on-time %, claims, communication) and develop preferred carrier relationships accordingly.

Operations & Execution

• Manage daily load execution end-to-end: quoting, booking, dispatch, tracking, and proactive customer updates in the TMS.
• Source, negotiate, and cover freight across flatbed, specialized, and open-deck equipment with a focus on service and margin.
• Own service recovery — when things go sideways, communicate early, present solutions, and protect the relationship.
• Maintain clean, accurate data in the TMS and CRM: load details, rates, contacts, notes, and account activity.
• Ensure all carriers meet Armstrong's carrier vetting and compliance standards before dispatch — no exceptions.

Team & Collaboration

• Work closely with sales, operations, and back-office teams to onboard new accounts and hand off cleanly.
• Share market intelligence, capacity insight, and pricing feedback with the broader team.
• Support teammates' accounts during coverage gaps — we win and lose as a team.
• Contribute to SOPs and process improvements that make the whole operation faster and more consistent.

Minimum Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years of freight brokerage experience in an account management, carrier sales, or customer operations role.
• Proven track record of growing revenue within existing accounts (account penetration, lane expansion, mode diversification).
• Strong carrier sourcing and rate negotiation skills; established carrier relationships a plus.
• Working knowledge of TMS platforms and CRM systems; disciplined about data hygiene.
• Experience with flatbed, open-deck, or specialized freight strongly preferred.
• Excellent written and verbal communication — able to deliver bad news early and good news with detail.
• High sense of urgency, ownership mentality, and comfort operating in a fast-paced, collaborative team environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting industrial, construction, energy, or data center customers.
• Familiarity with drayage, transloading, or warehousing operations.
• Bachelor's degree in business, logistics, supply chain, or equivalent practical experience.

Compensation & Benefits

• Competitive base salary plus performance-based commission/bonus structure.
• Clear growth path — top performers earn larger books, bigger accounts, and leadership opportunities.
• Collaborative, high-performance team culture in a growing Memphis-based company.

Physical Requirements

• The…