Strategic Account Manager

Title

Strategic Account Manager

Department

Business Development

Reports to

Vice President, Business Development

SEE YOUR CAREER THROUGH A NEW LENS WITH RPO!

RPO is a global leader in precision optical components, assemblies, and electro-optical systems. RPO specializes in a full spectrum of products & services including Design and Engineering, Visible and Infrared Components, Glass and Plastic Molded Aspheres, Thin Film Coating, Optical Assembly and Electro-Optical Systems Integration. As one of the fastest growing companies in Rochester, RPO offers exciting career paths to work on market-leading programs.

Job Summary:

Rochester Precision Optics (RPO) is seeking a results-driven, relationship-oriented Strategic Account Manager to accelerate sales growth across both defense and commercial markets. As a key member of our business development team, this individual will manage day-to-day customer service and transactional sales while also cultivating long-term partnerships by recognizing customer needs, uncovering growth potential within existing accounts, and coordinating internal teams to deliver lasting solutions.

This role is also integral to the strategic growth of RPOs catalog business by aligning e-commerce, inside sales, and operations to expand customer reach, improve responsiveness, and strengthen RPOs overall market footprint.

You Will:

• Act as the company representative for assigned customers, managing relationships, products, services, deliverables and communications.
• Develop strong, long-term client relationships and strategic account plans (targets, whitespace, product adoption, pricing strategy).
• Manage, resolve and communicate customer issues including delivery status, credit issues, reschedules, expedites, etc.
• Collaborate across the organization (Business Development, Inside Sales, Engineering, Program Management, Operations, Supply Chain) to execute quotes and respond swiftly to customer inquiriesensuring the catalog-/standard-product workflow is efficient and accurate.
• Attend production and sales meetings, conference calls with customers and BD team to report status, opportunities and risks.
• Review and manage all incoming orders and acknowledgements for accuracy, specification, timing, and alignment with catalog SKUs.
• Take ownership of ERP system (Epicor) and CRM (Hub Spot) data for the BD teamensure data integrity, training, and reliable usage.
• Manage incoming customer inquiries from the website, trade shows and direct outreach; spearhead the initial vetting and distribution of new catalog opportunities into the CRM.
• Partner with e-commerce/marketing to optimize online conversion, promotions, landing pages and catalog user experience; drive cross-sell/upsell of standard product lines.
• Forecast monthly/quarterly revenue, units and margin for assigned accounts; maintain pipeline hygiene and apply price-to-win logic for volume / standard orders.
• Regularly conduct QBRs with strategic catalog accounts; track SLAs (lead time, on-time-delivery, RMA rate) and drive corrective actions internally.
• Map and influence customer product roadmaps (e.g., transition from legacy to next-gen standard optics) to lock in catalog wins and ensure product lifecycle management.

You Have:

Education & Experience

• Bachelors degree in business, marketing, or related field preferred; 7+ years of relevant experience in lieu of degree considered.
• 5-7 years of proven B2B sales success in a high-impact role, ideally within manufacturing or optics.
• Minimum 3 years experience in project management, sales support or customer service.

Industry & Technical Knowledge:

• Familiarity with manufacturing environments and ability to communicate at a technical level; optics experience is strongly preferred.
• Advanced understanding of global account management principles and intermediate knowledge of business contract structure.

Sales & Account Management

Skills:

• Demonstrated ability to manage transactional sales while cultivating long-term strategic partnerships.
• Experience supporting business development efforts and driving growth within existing accounts.
• Proficient in strategic planning, data analysis, and KPI-driven performance management.

Communication & Relationship Building

• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills for presenting, negotiating, and cross-functional collaboration.
• Proven ability to build trust-based relationships with demanding clients, partners, and internal teams.

Organizational & Problem-Solving Abilities:

• Strong organizational skills with attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Proactive, adaptable and creative approach to solving customer challenges and uncovering growth opportunities.

Technology Proficiency:

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word, PowerPoint) and CRM Platforms (Hub Spot)
• Experience working with ERP systems to manage client data, order processing, and cross-functional collaboration;
  Epicor preferred.
• Ability to learn quickly and understand complex product offerings and translate them into…