Director, Strategic Accounts - Automotive Refinish

Axalta; Northern (KY); Hybrid; USD 200,000 - 225,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Paid time off

Job summary

Axalta seeks a Director of Strategic Accounts to drive the strategic direction, growth, and profitability of its Refinish North America partnerships. You will lead long-term account strategies, foster executive-level relationships, and align customer needs with Axalta’s business objectives to deliver sustainable value.

The role requires building cross-functional teams, shaping innovative offerings, and guiding commercial strategy across Sales, Marketing, and Product functions to maximize revenue

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree or MBA preferred.
• 10–15 years of progressive experience in sales, account management, or customer strategy roles.
• Demonstrated success in managing complex, multi-level customer relationships and negotiating high‑value agreements.
• Strong business acumen with deep understanding of MSO operations, jobber networks, and collision repair industry economics.
• Exceptional negotiating and influencing skills as well as exceptional communication and presentation skills.
• Experience leading cross‑functional teams and driving alignment across diverse stakeholders.
• Proficiency in MS Office and Salesforce; strong analytical and strategic thinking capabilities.
• Autonomy in dynamic, fast‑paced environments.
• Ability to travel internationally and domestically as needed.

Responsibilities

• Drive customer share expansion and portfolio penetration by developing and executing strategies that increase product and service adoption across existing customer relationships.
• Partner with Sales, Distribution, Marketing, and Technical teams to identify cross-sell and SKU expansion opportunities that deepen customer engagement, increase wallet share, and accelerate profitable revenue growth.
• Lead commercial margin improvement initiatives by proactively managing customer renewals, contract negotiations, pricing strategies, and value-based selling programs.
• Ensure commercial agreements appropriately capture the value delivered by Axalta while balancing long-term customer retention, profitability objectives, and competitive positioning.
• Champion technology transformation and innovation adoption by identifying, evaluating, and implementing new products, services, digital tools, and technology solutions that create competitive differentiation and unlock new customer opportunities.
• Collaborate with Product Management, Marketing, Technical Services, IT, and Operations to accelerate commercialization and drive market adoption of emerging technologies.
• Design and optimize organizational strategies and operating models to ensure the business can profitably serve targeted market segments while supporting long-term growth objectives.
• Continuously evaluate resource deployment, coverage models, organizational structure, and capabilities to improve customer service levels, increase productivity, and maximize return on investment.
• Develop long-range segment growth plans that align customer needs, market trends, technology roadmaps, and organizational capabilities with Axalta's strategic objectives.
• Establish measurable performance indicators and accountability mechanisms to ensure sustained growth, profitability improvement, and market share gains.
• Lead strategic account management for North America by overseeing planning, execution, and performance across key customer partnerships.
• Develop and implement multi-year account strategies that align with Axalta’s growth objectives and customer business goals.
• Cultivate and maintain executive-level relationships with strategic customers, acting as a trusted advisor and business partner.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams (Sales, Distribution, Finance, Legal, Marketing, Technical Services, Supply Chain) to deliver integrated solutions and maximize customer value.
• Identify and pursue new business opportunities within existing strategic accounts, including expansion into new geographies, segments, or service offerings.
• Monitor industry trends, customer dynamics, and competitive landscape to inform strategic decisions and account planning.
• Ensure consistent use of CRM tools and data analytics to track performance, forecast growth, and identify improvement areas.
• Champion Axalta’s core values and foster a culture of innovation, accountability, and customer‑centricity.
• Partner with Refinish Senior Leadership Team to shape strategic initiatives and influence broader commercial strategy.

Skills

Strategic account management

Business development

Enterprise sales leadership

Cross-functional leadership

Negotiation skills

Communication skills

Salesforce

MS Office

Analytical thinking

Autonomy

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor’s degree

MBA preferred

Tools

Salesforce

MS Office

Job description

Director, Strategic Accounts - Automotive Refinish

Reports to: VP, Sales – Refinish NA

Location: US–Remote, preferably within driving distance of Philadelphia, PA

Scope: US$ 268.9M net revenue

Reports: 10 direct reports including Global & National Account Managers plus ~50 indirect reports

Travel: up to 50%, mostly domestic and some international

Expected Compensation

We consider an individual’s qualifications, skillset, and experience to determine final salary. This role is eligible for benefits such as health insurance and paid time off. The actual offer will be at the company’s sole discretion and determined by relevant business considerations, including the final candidate’s qualifications, years of experience, skillset, and geographic location.

The expected compensation range for this position is $200,000 - $225,000 base.

Job Summary

The Director, Strategic Accounts is responsible for the strategic direction, growth, and overall profitability of Axalta’s Refinish North America products and services across its most influential and complex customer partnerships. This role leads the development and execution of long-term account strategies, fosters executive-level relationships, and ensures alignment between customer needs and Axalta’s business objectives. The Director drives innovation, collaboration, and sustainable value creation across strategic accounts.

Key Responsibilities

• Drive customer share expansion and portfolio penetration by developing and executing strategies that increase product and service adoption across existing customer relationships.
• Partner with Sales, Distribution, Marketing, and Technical teams to identify cross-sell and SKU expansion opportunities that deepen customer engagement, increase wallet share, and accelerate profitable revenue growth.
• Lead commercial margin improvement initiatives by proactively managing customer renewals, contract negotiations, pricing strategies, and value-based selling programs.
• Ensure commercial agreements appropriately capture the value delivered by Axalta while balancing long-term customer retention, profitability objectives, and competitive positioning.
• Champion technology transformation and innovation adoption by identifying, evaluating, and implementing new products, services, digital tools, and technology solutions that create competitive differentiation and unlock new customer opportunities.
• Collaborate with Product Management, Marketing, Technical Services, IT, and Operations to accelerate commercialization and drive market adoption of emerging technologies.
• Design and optimize organizational strategies and operating models to ensure the business can profitably serve targeted market segments while supporting long-term growth objectives.
• Continuously evaluate resource deployment, coverage models, organizational structure, and capabilities to improve customer service levels, increase productivity, and maximize return on investment.
• Develop long-range segment growth plans that align customer needs, market trends, technology roadmaps, and organizational capabilities with Axalta's strategic objectives.
• Establish measurable performance indicators and accountability mechanisms to ensure sustained growth, profitability improvement, and market share gains.
• Lead strategic account management for North America by overseeing planning, execution, and performance across key customer partnerships.
• Develop and implement multi-year account strategies that align with Axalta’s growth objectives and customer business goals.
• Cultivate and maintain executive-level relationships with strategic customers, acting as a trusted advisor and business partner.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams (Sales, Distribution, Finance, Legal, Marketing, Technical Services, Supply Chain) to deliver integrated solutions and maximize customer value.
• Identify and pursue new business opportunities within existing strategic accounts, including expansion into new geographies, segments, or service offerings.
• Monitor industry trends, customer dynamics, and competitive landscape to inform strategic decisions and account planning.
• Ensure consistent use of CRM tools and data analytics to track performance, forecast growth, and identify improvement areas.
• Champion Axalta’s core values and foster a culture of innovation, accountability, and customer‑centricity.
• Partner with Refinish Senior Leadership Team to shape strategic initiatives and influence broader commercial strategy.

Qualifications

• Proven track record in strategic account management, business development, or enterprise sales leadership, ideally within the refinish or automotive aftermarket industry.
• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree or MBA preferred.
• 10–15 years of progressive experience in sales, account management, or customer strategy roles.
• Demonstrated success in managing complex, multi-level customer relationships and negotiating high‑value agreements.
• Strong business acumen with deep understanding of MSO operations, jobber networks, and collision repair industry economics.
• Exceptional negotiating and influencing skills as well as exceptional communication and presentation skills.
• Experience leading cross‑functional teams and driving alignment across diverse stakeholders.
• Proficiency in MS Office and SalesForce; strong analytical and strategic thinking capabilities.
• Comfortable operating in dynamic, fast‑paced environments with a high degree of autonomy.
• Ability to travel internationally and domestically as needed.

About the Company

Axalta has remained at the forefront of the coatings industry by continually investing in innovative solutions. We engineer technologies that protect customers’ products – whether they are battling heat, light, corrosion, abrasion, moisture, or chemicals – and add dimension and beauty with colorful finishes. We have a vast and ever‑evolving portfolio of brands primed to play an important part in everything from modernizing infrastructure around the world to enabling the next generation of electric and autonomous vehicles.

Axalta operates its business in two segments: Performance Coatings and Mobility Coatings, which serve four end markets, including Refinish, Industrial, Light Vehicle and Commercial Vehicle, across North America, EMEA, Latin America and Asia‑Pacific. Our diverse global footprint allows us to deliver solutions in over 140+ countries and coat 30 million vehicles per year. We’ve recently set an exciting 2040 carbon neutrality goal, in addition to 10 other sustainability initiatives, and we take pride in working with our customers to optimize their businesses and achieve their goals.

Axalta may use technology‑assisted tools, including artificial intelligence (AI), to support certain aspects of the recruitment and selection process. These tools may be used to help manage applications, identify job‑related qualifications, and assist recruiter review. All hiring decisions involve human oversight and review.

Axalta is a global coatings company focused on providing customers with innovative, colorful and sustainable solutions. With more than 150 years of experience in the coatings industry, Axalta continues to find ways to serve more than 100,000 customers with the finest coatings, application systems and technology.

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