Senior Sales Account Manager – Defense & Major OEM Accounts

Liberty Personnel Services, Inc.; Buffalo (NY); Hybride; USD 120 000 - 150 000; Plein temps

Résumé du poste

Liberty Personnel Services, Inc. represents a well-established defense/aerospace manufacturer seeking a Senior Account Manager to lead strategic relationships with major OEMs.

This is a customer-facing, high-impact role requiring deep understanding of defense programs, long sales cycles, and cross-functional collaboration with engineering, procurement, and program management. You will own key accounts, drive product and solutions into large organizations, pursue new opportunities, and negotiate

Qualifications

• 8+ years of defense/aerospace sales or strategic account management experience.
• Experience with major defense OEMs and large multi-year contracts.
• Ability to travel 30–40% domestically with occasional international travel.
• Strong ownership and executive relationship skills.
• Understanding of FAR/DFARS and ITAR/EAR compliance.
• Proficiency with CRM and Microsoft Office for forecasting.

Responsabilités

• Own and expand relationships with defense OEM accounts.
• Develop strategic account plans aligned with customer programs.
• Drive revenue growth through account expansion and new programs.
• Support RFP/RFQ responses, pricing strategies, and negotiations.
• Collaborate with engineering, program management, and quality teams.
• Represent the company at defense industry events.

Connaissances

Strategic account management

Customer-facing

CRM

Negotiation

Presentation skills

Communication

Formation

Bachelor's degree in Business, Engineering, or related field

Outils

CRM systems

Microsoft Excel

Description du poste

Our client is a well-established manufacturer serving the defense and aerospace industries and is seeking an experienced Senior Account Manager to lead and expand relationships with major defense OEMs and strategic accounts.

This is a high-impact, customer-facing opportunity for a strategic sales professional who understands the defense manufacturing ecosystem and can navigate complex, long-cycle programs involving engineering, procurement, supply chain, program management, and executive leadership.

The successful candidate will own key strategic accounts, serve as the key point person for major customers, drive company products and solutions into large customer organizations, identify and capture new program opportunities, and drive profitable revenue growth.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Account Management: Own, develop, and expand relationships with major defense OEM accounts. Create and execute strategic account plans aligned with customer programs, technology roadmaps, and business objectives.
• Customer & Product Growth: Serve as the key point person and primary customer contact for major accounts. Drive company products, solutions, and capabilities into customer organizations and identify opportunities for account expansion.
• Revenue Growth: Achieve or exceed annual sales, bookings, and revenue targets through account expansion, new program wins, and long-term customer development.
• Business Development & Program Capture: Identify, qualify, and pursue new business opportunities within existing OEM accounts and adjacent markets. Support RFP/RFQ responses, proposal development, pricing strategies, and contract negotiations.
• Customer Relationship Management: Build and maintain strong, multi-level relationships with customer engineering, procurement, supply chain, program management, and executive leadership teams.
• Cross-Functional Leadership: Partner with Engineering, Program Management, Quality, Operations, and other internal teams to ensure customer requirements, technical specifications, certifications, quality standards, and delivery expectations are clearly understood and met.
• Contract & Commercial Negotiations: Lead negotiations involving pricing, long-term agreements, terms and conditions, volume commitments, and other commercial arrangements.
• Forecasting & CRM Management: Maintain accurate sales forecasts, pipeline activity, account plans, and program status within the company's CRM system.
• Market Intelligence: Monitor defense industry trends, OEM program schedules, government budgets, competitor activity, and emerging market opportunities.
• Industry Engagement: Represent the company at defense industry conferences, OEM supplier events, trade shows, and customer meetings.
• Compliance: Ensure sales and business development activities comply with applicable ITAR, EAR, DFARS, FAR, export control, and company requirements.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Engineering, or a related field; equivalent industry experience may be considered.
• 8+ years of progressive sales, business development, or strategic account management experience within the defense and/or aerospace manufacturing industry.
• Proven experience working directly with major defense OEMs, prime contractors, or major subsystem manufacturers.
• Demonstrated success managing large, complex customer accounts and securing multi-year and/or multi-million-dollar contracts.
• Strong ownership, drive, and accountability for strategic customer relationships and revenue growth.
• Strong customer-facing presence and ability to serve as the key point person with large customer accounts and executive-level stakeholders.
• Strong understanding of defense procurement processes, OEM supply chains, and FAR/DFARS requirements.
• Working knowledge of ITAR, EAR, and export control requirements.
• Strong negotiation, presentation, communication, and executive relationship-building skills.
• Experience using CRM systems and Microsoft Office, including Excel, for forecasting and reporting.
• Willingness and ability to travel approximately 30–40%, primarily domestically with occasional international travel.

Preferred Qualifications

• Established relationships with major defense OEMs, prime contractors, or Tier 1 defense suppliers.
• Technical understanding of manufacturing processes such as machining, composites, castings, forgings, or other precision manufacturing processes.
• Experience managing RFP/RFQ responses, proposal development, program capture, and long-term agreement negotiations.
• MBA or advanced technical degree.
• Experience selling into complex, highly regulated defense and aerospace supply chains.
• Ownership, drive, and accountability
• Strategic account planning and consultative selling
• Defense and aerospace business development
• Customer-facing leadership and executive presence
• Product and account growth
• Program capture and opportunity development
• Executive-level relationship management
• Cross-functional leadership and influence
• Commercial and financial acumen
• Pricing, margin, and contract negotiation
• Long-cycle sales management
• Strong communication and presentation skills
• High integrity and discretion when handling sensitive or controlled information
• $120,000–$140,000++ bonus & incentive compensation
• Medical, dental, and vision benefits
• 401(k) with company match
• Paid time off and company holidays
• Opportunity to support mission-critical defense and aerospace programs
• Career growth within an established and technically sophisticated organization
• Onsite – remote/hybrid
• 30% – 60% travel – depends on location

Keywords

Sales | Senior Account Manager | Senior Account Executive | Strategic Account Management | Business Development | Account Ownership | Customer-Facing | Product Growth | Defense | Aerospace | OEM | Prime Contractor | Program Capture | RFP | RFQ | Defense Manufacturing | Account Growth | Sales Strategy | Customer Relationships | Contract Negotiation