Strategic Account Leader

MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc.; Des Moines (IA); On-site; USD 84,000 - 132,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive pay

401K and stock purchase

Tuition reimbursement

Paid time off

Health benefits

Job summary

MSC Industrial Supply Co. in Des Moines, IA is seeking a Strategic Accounts Leader to drive profitable growth by managing top accounts and leading cross-functional teams.

This role requires building executive relationships, guiding strategic plans, and ensuring successful onboarding and retention across Operations, Supply Chain, and Engineering. The position emphasizes deal closure, cost savings, CIRs, and long-term value realization, with a compensation package including base and commissions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in business or equivalent experience.
• 7+ years of sales/marketing success, including 2+ years in industrial, manufacturing, or distribution sales.
• Proven success leading high-performing teams to drive profitable solution sales and exceed sales objectives.
• Demonstrated excellence in negotiations, influencing at multiple organizational levels, and building senior-level relationships.
• Ability to interpret customer financial statements and translate insights into strategic guidance for profitability and growth.
• Solid project management history with accountability and cross-functional execution.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Salesforce.com (CRM).
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with data synthesis from multiple systems to guide solutions.
• Excellent written and verbal communication for executive presentations.
• Proven ability to collaborate cross-functionally and align leaders with competing priorities.
• High attention to detail and ability to adapt to changing market conditions.
• Self-motivated, adaptable, and able to lead teams in collaborative or independent settings.
• Skilled at fostering accountability, continuous improvement, and customer-focused execution.

Responsibilities

• Oversee management and retention of key account portfolios exceeding $250K in potential revenue, ensuring profitable growth and long-term customer success.
• Lead development and execution of strategic account plans aligned with objectives and opportunities for deeper penetration.
• Monitor account health and retention risks and direct interventions to safeguard satisfaction.
• Lead negotiation and renewal strategies for at‑risk accounts to optimize profitability.
• Ensure delivery of measurable cost savings initiatives and profitability through CIRs and solution optimization.
• Direct CIRs with senior stakeholders to showcase value and identify growth opportunities.
• Foster executive-level relationships across Operations, Supply Chain, Procurement, and Engineering; serve as escalation point.
• Collaborate with Business Development on late-stage opportunities and deal closure.
• Oversee customer onboarding processes and drive solution adoption.

Skills

Executive relationship building

Negotiation

Analytical skills

CRM (Salesforce)

Education

Bachelor's degree in business

Tools

Salesforce CRM

MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)

Job description

BUILD A BETTER CAREER WITH MSC

Serving customers and our community starts with the best people doing their best work. That is precisely what we have created at MSC Industrial Supply Co. We are a leading North American distributor of metalworking and maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO), products and services. We offer more than 2 million products and have over 80 years of experience across dozens of industries. We aim to execute our Built to Make You Better brand promise for all our stakeholders, including our associates.

Requisition ID : 21309

Employment Type : Full Time

Job Category : Sales

Work Location : Des Moines, IA

BRIEF POSITION SUMMARY

The Strategic Accounts Leader is responsible for leading the management and retention of selecting key accounts overseeing teams with portfolios greater than $250K in potential revenue, ensuring profitable growth through customer analysis, strategic account planning, and value realization. This role directs efforts to maximize account penetration and long-term retention by overseeing the delivery of measurable value through cost savings initiatives, continuous improvement reviews (CIRs), and solution optimization. The Leader builds and sustains trusted executive-level relationships with cross-functional leaders in Operations, Supply Chain, Procurement, and Engineering, while guiding disciplined engagement at the site level to strengthen adoption and results. In addition, this leader partners closely with the Business Development team on late-stage opportunities to support deal closure, oversee customer onboarding, and position MSC's solutions as a long-term competitive advantage.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Oversee management and retention of key account portfolios exceeding $250K in potential revenue, ensuring profitable growth and long-term customer success.
• Guide the development and execution of strategic account plans, ensuring alignment with business objectives and opportunities for deeper account penetration.
• Monitor account health and retention risks, directing interventions and supporting teams in safeguarding customer satisfaction.
• Lead negotiation and renewal strategies for underperforming or at‑risk accounts to optimize profitability and value realization.
• Ensure delivery of measurable cost savings initiatives, overseeing customer assessments, solution optimization, and documented profitability
• Direct Continuous Improvement Reviews (CIRs) with senior stakeholders to showcase delivered value and identify new growth opportunities.
• Foster trusted relationships with internal and external executives across Operations, Supply Chain, Procurement, and Engineering, serving as an escalation point when needed.
• Collaborate with Business Development leadership on late-stage opportunities, providing oversight to secure deal closure and strategic positioning.
• Oversee customer onboarding processes, ensuring teams deliver on commitments and drive solution adoption.
• Lead, coach, and develop Strategic Development Consultants, setting clear performance expectations and providing regular feedback.
• Align team resources to customer priorities while building capability through best practices in analysis, negotiation, and solution positioning, fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

QUALIFICATIONS

What You Need:

• Bachelor's degree in business or equivalent experience required.
• Minimum of 7 years of demonstrated sales and marketing success, including at least 2 years in industrial, manufacturing, or distribution sales.
• Proven success in leading high‑performing teams to drive profitable solution sales and consistently surpass sales objectives.
• Demonstrated excellence in leading negotiations, influencing at multiple organizational levels, and building senior‑level customer relationships.
• Ability to interpret customer financial statements and translate insights into strategic guidance, enabling teams to craft solution recommendations that drive profitability and long‑term growth.
• Solid project management skills with a solid history of accountability, measurable results and cross‑functional execution.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Salesforce.com (CRM).
• Demonstrated analytical and problem‑solving skills with the ability to synthesize data from multiple systems and guide teams in developing effective, data‑driven solutions.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to develop and deliver impactful executive level presentations.
• Proven success collaborating cross‑functionally (e.g. Marketing, Product Management, Finance) and with leaders holding competing priorities.
• High attention to detail with strong follow‑through and the ability to adapt quickly to changing market and business conditions.
• Self‑motivated, adaptable, and able to build and lead teams that perform effectively in both collaborative and independent work environments.
• Skilled at fostering a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and customer‑focused execution.

Bonus Points If You Have:

• Industrial or manufacturing segment experience preferred

Other Requirements:

• A valid driver's license may be required.
• Ability to lift up to 50 lbs and perform physical tasks (walking, bending, standing for long periods).
• Willingness to comply with customer safety and PPE protocols.
• This position may require access to International Traffic in Arms Regulations Information (“ITAR”) and/or Controlled Unclassified Information (“CUI”)

INDICATES ESSENTIAL DUTIES

To perform this job successfully an associate must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed are representative of knowledge, experience level and abilities required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential duties.

Compensation starting at $83738 - $131588 plus commission depending on candidate location and experience.

The salary range represented is based on similar roles in comparable industries, and the cost of labor in respective cities.

Actual compensation is based on the candidate's relevant experience, education requirements and peer pay equity. The Company reserves the right to modify the range as market conditions change.

Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment Visa for this position at this time.

This job posting will remain open for a minimum of 3 business days from the original posting date or longer as needed to fill the position.

WHY MSC?

People. Collaboration. Insight. That's how you build something that works. Built on a foundation of trust, MSC works side by side with our customers to help them drive business results. With more than one million product offerings and 80+ years of experience across industries, MSC strives to help our customers achieve greater productivity, profitability, and growth through inventory management and other innovative supply chain solutions. We care about our associates and have programs in place to help our 6,500+ team members achieve their potential.

OUR COMMITMENT TO YOU

Our associates are our top priority and investing in their well‑being is one way we execute our Built to Make You Better brand promise. Alongside competitive pay, we have a comprehensive benefits program to support you and your family's health, well‑being and financial future. We offer dynamic healthcare plans, generous 401K and stock purchasing programs, tuition reimbursement opportunities, and paid time away for holidays, vacations, and illness. Visit our page for a better look at our extensive benefits: Your Future Benefits. You will also have the opportunity to join our Associate Inclusion Circles: Women, Pride, Black, Generational, Veterans, HOLA, and Able. These circles are open to all associates and are designed to promote awareness, collaboration, and respect.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY STATEMENT

At MSC, we are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all qualified applicants and our associates without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, sexual orientation or any category protected by applicable law. Accommodation requests can be made at any stage of the recruitment process; applicants are asked to make their needs/requirements known.

Please note that MSC uses electronic monitoring and system logs in its workplace, including monitoring of Company-provided systems and collaboration tools, as permitted by applicable law. Location/Region: Des Moines , Iowa