Strategic Account Director

Apply Job Type Full-time Description About Yanmar Compact Equipment North America Yanmar Compact Equipment North America Inc. (YCENA) is a premium, professional OEM delivering industry-leading compact construction equipment — including excavators, wheel loaders, and track loaders — backed by a North American dealer network. As part of the One Yanmar global strategy, YCENA is investing in the people, programs, and infrastructure required to drive sustained growth across key verticals and markets. Strategic Account Director – North America Department: Sales | Reports To: President | Location: Field-Based / Remote Position Summary The Strategic Account Director – North America is responsible for developing, leading, and executing YCENA's strategic national account growth strategy across the United States and Canada. This role is accountable for identifying, securing, managing, and expanding key enterprise-level customer relationships that drive long-term profitable growth, market share expansion, and strategic brand positioning for Yanmar Compact Equipment. This position will lead national account development across key verticals including: • Rental • Construction • Landscape • Utilities • Government / Municipal • Infrastructure • Agriculture • Industrial / Fleet • Strategic OEM / Corporate Partnerships The Director will work cross-functionally with Sales, Product, Marketing, Finance, Operations, Service, and Dealer Development to ensure a disciplined, scalable, and customer-centric approach aligned to the One Yanmar strategy. This role requires a highly commercial, strategic, and execution-oriented leader capable of balancing enterprise customer relationships while protecting and strengthening dealer partnerships across North America. Key Responsibilities National Account Strategy & Growth • Develop and execute a North American National Accounts strategy aligned with YCENA growth objectives. • Identify and prioritize high-value target accounts and strategic growth verticals. • Build multi-year account penetration plans focused on profitable growth and market expansion. • Establish account segmentation strategy and annual growth plans by vertical. • Drive enterprise-level agreements, pricing frameworks, and fleet strategies. • Lead strategic account forecasting and opportunity pipeline management. Customer Relationship Management • Establish executive-level relationships with key national customers. • Serve as primary escalation and relationship leader for strategic accounts. • Conduct regular executive business reviews with national customers. • Develop customer retention and loyalty strategies. • Monitor customer satisfaction, fleet utilization trends, competitive positioning, and future needs. Dealer Alignment & Channel Management • Ensure national account initiatives support and strengthen dealer relationships. • Collaborate with dealers on execution, service support, inventory planning, and account coverage. • Create clear governance regarding account ownership, lead management, and customer support expectations. • Support dealer participation in national account opportunities where applicable. Commercial Execution • Partner with Sales Leadership and BDMs to execute strategic account initiatives. • Work closely with Marketing to develop customer-specific programs, branding opportunities, and launch strategies. • Collaborate with Product Management regarding fleet requirements, future product needs, and competitive positioning. • Support forecasting accuracy and inventory planning for national accounts. Financial & Performance Accountability • Deliver annual revenue, margin, and market share targets. • Maintain disciplined pricing and profitability management. • Monitor program performance, rebate structures, and commercial ROI. • Support risk mitigation related to customer concentration and contract exposure. One Yanmar Alignment • Support enterprise collaboration across CE, Rural Lifestyle, and broader One Yanmar initiatives where strategic opportunities exist. • Promote a unified customer experience and coordinated market approach. • Identify cross-divisional growth opportunities within key enterprise accounts. KPI Framework Success in this role will be measured across four dimensions: Commercial Impact • Annual revenue and margin attainment vs. targets • Pipeline value and new logo acquisition rate • Fleet penetration across key verticals • Enterprise agreement volume and renewal rate Account Development • Number of active national accounts under management • Multi-year account penetration plan completion • Executive business review cadence and participation • Customer satisfaction and retention rates Dealer Alignment • Dealer participation rate in national account programs • Account ownership governance adherence • Service and support SLA compliance for national accounts • Dealer satisfaction scores for national account support Operational Excellence • Forecast accuracy for national accounts • Pricing and margin discipline vs. plan • Cross-functional initiative execution rate • Rebate and program ROI performance Operating Cadence: Weekly Pipeline review; account status updates; cross-functional alignment Monthly Customer visits; executive relationship meetings; performance reporting Quarterly Executive business reviews; KPI review; account plan refresh; leadership reporting Annually Strategic account planning; contract renewal cycle; vertical market review Talent Profile The ideal candidate brings a rare combination of enterprise sales leadership, dealer channel acumen, and executive presence. They Are: A hunter who opens and expands enterprise account Commercially disciplined — margin matters, not just revenue Dealer-aware — protects and enables the channel Executive-level communicator — comfortable in the C-suite Cross-functional integrator — aligns Sales, Product, Marketing, and Ops Strategic and data-driven — plans with precision They Are Not: A relationship manager who maintains, not grow A deal-closer who discounts to win at any cost Bypassing the dealer network for short-term wins More comfortable with transactions than relationships A solo operator who avoids internal collaboration Reactive and activity-driven without pipeline discipline Requirements Qualifications Required • 10+ years of progressive experience in national accounts, enterprise sales, or key account management — preferably within capital equipment, construction, rental, or industrial OEM sectors. • Demonstrated track record of building and scaling national account programs from the ground up. • Deep understanding of dealer channel dynamics and the ability to manage national account activity without displacing dealer relationships. • Strong commercial acumen — experienced in enterprise pricing, contract negotiation, and fleet program development. • Executive presence with the ability to build and sustain C-suite relationships with national customers. • Highly organized with strong pipeline management and forecasting discipline. • Willing and able to travel up to 60–70% across North America. Preferred • Prior experience at a compact equipment, construction equipment, or related OEM. • Familiarity with rental industry dynamics (e.g., RSC, Sunbelt, United Rentals ecosystems). • Experience structuring and managing national fleet agreements. • Exposure to cross-divisional or One Brand commercial models. Core Competencies Strategic Account Management Commercial Negotiations Enterprise Sales Leadership Relationship Management Financial Acumen Dealer Channel Understanding Forecasting & Pipeline Management Cross-Functional Leadership Executive Communication Market Intelligence Organizational Relationships Internal • Regional Sales Directors • Business Development Managers (BDMs) • Marketing • Product Management • Finance • Operations • Service & Parts • Dealer Development • Executive Leadership Team External • National account customers • Dealer Principals • Fleet managers • Procurement leaders • Rental executives • Government agencies • Strategic partners