Remote Senior LTL Strategic Account Leader

Forward Air Corporation

Chicago (IL)

Remote

USD 75,000 - 85,000

Full time

14 days+

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Job summary

Forward Air Corporation is seeking a Senior Account Manager for Less-Than-Truckload (LTL) to lead and grow a portfolio of strategic, complex transportation customers. You will serve as the primary relationship owner, align transportation solutions with customer supply chain goals, and drive revenue growth through retention and expanded services.

The role requires strong executive communication, data-driven account planning, and collaboration with Operations, Pricing, and Sales.

Qualifications

Education: Undergraduate degree in Business, Supply Chain, Logistics, Transportation, or a related field from an accredited college or university required.
Experience: 5+ years of transportation, logistics, account management, business development, or related customer-facing experience required, with demonstrated success managing strategic customer relationships.
Deep understanding of transportation, freight operations, transportation networks, pricing strategies, terminal/station environments, and related logistics functions.
Demonstrated experience managing complex customer accounts, leading executive-level discussions, and developing strategic account growth plans.
Strong business acumen with the ability to analyze financial, operational, and customer performance data to support decision-making and growth initiatives.
Proven ability to identify revenue risks, develop retention strategies, lead commercial discussions, and drive profitable customer growth.
Exceptional relationship management, communication, negotiation, presentation, and problem-solving skills.
Demonstrated ability to influence cross-functional teams and effectively manage competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.
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.), Salesforce, and web conferencing (Teams, Zoom, Webex, etc.).
Environment: Remote; must be comfortable with travel for related meetings/events.

Responsibilities

Lead a portfolio of strategic and complex transportation customers and serve as a trusted advisor to executive and operational customer stakeholders.
Identify, pursue, and close new shipping opportunities within assigned accounts and target markets.
Develop and execute strategic account growth plans aligned with customer supply chain initiatives and business objectives.
Collaborate with operations teams to ensure successful execution, service performance, and resolution of complex customer challenges.
Analyze customer spend, shipping patterns, transportation network activity, and market trends to identify opportunities for freight growth, network expansion, and increased customer value.
Manage a portfolio of strategic customer accounts with responsibility for retention, growth, profitability, and overall account performance.
Serve as the primary relationship owner for assigned accounts, building strong partnerships with stakeholders across operational, financial, procurement, and executive leadership levels.
Understand customer supply chain strategies and align transportation solutions to support business objectives and long-term partnership growth.
Position the Company as a preferred transportation provider within customer logistics networks and supply chain ecosystems.
Develop, maintain, and execute strategic account plans focused on revenue growth, retention, operational performance, and customer success.
Monitor and analyze account performance, revenue trends, customer satisfaction metrics, and retention risks to identify opportunities and recommend strategic actions.
Identify organic growth opportunities, share-of-wallet expansion opportunities, and additional transportation solutions within existing customer portfolios.
Establish and maintain customer-specific performance metrics and reporting frameworks to identify root causes, lead corrective action planning, and drive continuous improvement initiatives.
Create, prepare, and lead Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs), executive business reviews, and strategic planning discussions with customer leadership teams.
Act as a customer advocate within the organization, influencing internal stakeholders and aligning resources to support customer commitments, account objectives, and business priorities.
Drive account retention, expansion, and profitability through effective commercial strategy, contract renewals, pricing discussions, and customer negotiations.
Partner with Sales on strategic growth opportunities, RFP responses, customer expansions, contract negotiations, and win-back initiatives.
Collaborate cross-functionally with Operations, Customer Service, Pricing, Commercial, and Leadership teams to improve account performance and customer experience.
Provide guidance, mentorship, and best-practice sharing to Account Managers and other team members as a subject matter expert within the LTL business.
Monitor transportation industry trends, market conditions, customer needs, and competitive activity to identify opportunities and mitigate business risks.
Lead customer onboarding, implementation activities, solution launches, and major account transitions.
Manage high-level customer escalations, service concerns, and operational challenges through effective cross-functional leadership and decision-making.
Maintain accurate account plans, forecasting information, customer activity, growth opportunities, and pipeline visibility within Salesforce and other business systems.
All other duties as assigned to meet evolving business needs.