Strategic Account Lead - Pulp & Paper

Buckman International; United States; On-site; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Buckman is a private global specialty chemical company headquartered in Memphis, TN. This role leads strategic account plans for Buckman’s largest corporate customers in pulp and paper, driving revenue growth, profitability, and executive relationships across North America and beyond.

The successful candidate will coordinate with Sales, Technical Service, Marketing, Supply Chain, and Product Management to align corporate strategy with customer objectives and ensure long-term partnership value.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required in Business, Engineering, Pulp & Paper Science, Chemistry, or related field.
• 7–10 years of sales, account management, or technical service experience in the pulp and paper industry.
• Proven success managing large strategic accounts and multi-site relationships.
• Strong commercial acumen with experience in value-based selling, contract negotiations, and growth strategy development.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute annual strategic account plans aligned with Buckman objectives.
• Identify and pursue new growth opportunities across multiple customer locations.
• Expand share of wallet through new products, technologies, and service offerings.
• Lead commercial growth initiatives and customer business reviews.
• Maintain regular engagement with key decision-makers and executive stakeholders.
• Identify customer risks, competitive threats, and business retention opportunities.
• Develop mitigation and recovery plans for at-risk business.
• Ensure timely resolution of customer concerns and service issues.
• Establish strategic relationships with senior leaders across assigned corporate accounts.
• Serve as the primary corporate point of contact for customer leadership teams.
• Facilitate executive business reviews and long-term planning discussions.
• Strengthen Buckman's position as a strategic business partner.
• Utilize value-based selling principles to increase customer value and margin contribution.
• Lead contract negotiations and commercial discussions.
• Review account financial performance and implement profitability improvement strategies.
• Manage pricing discipline and value realization initiatives.
• Coordinate activities across Sales, Technical Service, Marketing, Supply Chain, Operations, and Product Management.
• Ensure alignment between customer expectations and internal execution.
• Lead account-specific projects and strategic initiatives.
• Drive accountability for customer commitments and project deliverables.
• Develop a comprehensive understanding of customer goals, challenges, and operational priorities.
• Deliver solutions that support customer productivity, sustainability, and business objectives.
• Conduct regular account reviews and customer feedback discussions.
• Promote continuous improvement and partnership development.
• Document critical customer relationships, account strategies, and growth opportunities.
• Ensure continuity during account transition activities.
• Facilitate knowledge transfer and organizational learning.
• Maintain uninterrupted customer engagement and business execution.
• Maintain account forecasts, business opportunities, and strategic pipeline information.
• Provide management with market intelligence, competitive assessments, and account risk evaluations.
• Support annual planning and budgeting processes.
• Utilize data and analytics to support business decisions.
• Monitor industry trends, competitive activities, and customer investment plans.
• Identify opportunities to grow Buckman's strategic influence within key accounts.
• Promote innovative solutions that differentiate Buckman from competitors.
• Support long-term corporate growth initiatives across the portfolio of accounts across North America.

Skills

Strategic account management

Executive relationship development

Commercial negotiation

Value-based selling

Financial analysis

Cross-functional leadership

Sales forecasting

Project management

Pulp & Paper processes

Leadership

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Engineering, Pulp & Paper Science, Chemistry, or related field

Job description

Buckman is a private global specialty chemical company headquartered in Memphis, TN. This role leads strategic account plans for Buckman’s largest corporate customers in pulp and paper, driving revenue growth, profitability, and executive relationships across North America and beyond.

The successful candidate will coordinate with Sales, Technical Service, Marketing, Supply Chain, and Product Management to align corporate strategy with customer objectives and ensure long-term partnership value.