Account Manager - Airlines

Forward Air Corporation; Los Angeles (CA); Remote; USD 72,000 - 88,000; Full time

Job summary

Forward Air Corporation is seeking an Account Manager - Airlines to manage strategic airline accounts, drive revenue growth, and partner with internal teams to optimize service delivery. You will act as the trusted advisor for airline partners, developing relationships and leading business reviews to identify opportunities.

The role requires understanding airline cargo operations, strong negotiation skills, and fluency with Salesforce and MS Office. Remote work is supported with travel as needed.

Qualifications

• Strong relationship management and communication skills.
• Analytical thinking and problem-solving abilities.
• Ability to identify revenue risks and growth opportunities.

Responsibilities

• Manage a portfolio of strategic airline accounts and serve as the primary contact.
• Lead Quarterly Business Reviews and executive reviews with customers.
• Collaborate with internal teams to improve account performance and retention.
• Drive growth, renewals, and profitability across airline partnerships.
• Maintain CRM data, forecasts, and account activity.

Job description

Job Description

The Account Manager - Airlines is responsible for managing, retaining, and growing strategic customer relationships. They serve as the primary point of contact and trusted advisor for their assigned accounts and are responsible for driving customer satisfaction, retention, operational performance, and long-term revenue growth. They partner closely with customers and internal stakeholders to identify opportunities, resolve challenges, and ensure service excellence. The position requires a deep understanding of customer operations and supply chain strategies, and the ability to leverage data to identify growth opportunities, lead business reviews, resolve complex challenges, and deliver solutions that enhance customer value and profitability.

Schedule

Monday-Friday 8am-5pm

Pay Range

$72,000-$88,000 per/year

Focus: Airline Partnerships

• Support a portfolio of airline partners and serve as a trusted advisor to key customer stakeholders.
• Develop a strong understanding of airline cargo operations, airport environments, and time-sensitive transportation requirements.
• Build and strengthen relationships with airline operational, commercial, and leadership contacts.
• Identify opportunities to increase freight volume, expand transportation lanes, and support account growth.

Responsibilities

• Manage a portfolio of strategic customer accounts.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for assigned accounts, building and maintaining strong relationships with customer stakeholders across operational, commercial, and leadership levels.
• Understand customer supply chain strategies and align solutions to support those initiatives.
• Position the Company as a preferred transportation provider within partner logistics networks.
• Monitor and analyze account performance, revenue trends, customer satisfaction, and retention risks to identify opportunities and recommend actions.
• Identify organic growth opportunities, share-of-wallet expansion opportunities, and additional transportation solutions within existing accounts.
• Establish and maintain customer-specific performance metrics and fact-based reporting to identify root causes, lead corrective action planning, and drive continuous improvement initiatives.
• Create, prepare, and lead Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs) and executive business reviews, presenting operational and financial performance, identifying opportunities for growth, and developing strategic action plans.
• Act as a customer advocate within the organization, influencing internal stakeholders and aligning resources to support customer commitments and business objectives.
• Drive account retention, expansion, and profitability by identifying growth opportunities, developing strategic account plans, and supporting contract renewals and commercial negotiations.
• Maintain accurate account plans, customer activity, business opportunities, and pipeline visibility within Salesforce and other business systems.
• Partner with Operations, Customer Service, Pricing, Commercial, and other internal teams to improve account performance, customer experience, and long-term retention.
• Partner with Sales on growth opportunities, RFP responses, customer expansions, and win-back initiatives.
• Monitor market trends, customer needs, and competitive activity to identify growth opportunities.
• Support customer onboarding, implementation activities, and service launches.
• Manage customer escalations, service concerns, and operational challenges through effective cross-functional collaboration.
• Maintain CRM documentation, account activity, forecasting information, and customer records.
• All other duties as assigned to meet evolving business needs.

Qualifications

• Education: Undergraduate degree in Business, Aviation Management, Supply Chain, Logistics, or a related field from an accredited college or university required.
• Experience: 3+ years’ experience in aviation, transportation, account management, or related customer-facing experience preferred.
• Deep understanding of airline cargo operations, airport environments, transportation services, or related logistics functions preferred.
• Strong relationship management, analytical, communication, negotiation, and problem-solving skills.
• Demonstrated ability to identify revenue risks, growth opportunities, and customer retention strategies.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and build effective relationships across functions.
• Demonstrated discretion and confidentiality in handling and protecting sensitive information.
• Technical: Proficient with common office technologies, including Windows PCs, Microsoft O365 (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.), CRMs (Salesforce), and web conferencing (Teams, Zoom, Webex, etc.)
• Environment: Remote; must be comfortable with travel for related meetings/events.