Strategic Account Manager

**Description**

**Being part of Air Canada is to become part of an iconic Canadian symbol, recently ranked the best Airline in North America. Let your career take flight by joining our diverse and vibrant team at the leading edge of passenger aviation.**

Reporting to the Manager Regional Sales, Central Canada, this role will be responsible to develop, maintain, and grow strong business relationships with our customers and industry partners in the region. They will be responsible for a diversified portfolio of large, medium, and small customers within the region. Using a strategic and advisor-type role through a consultative selling approach. The incumbent will maintain and grow sales numbers and achieve maximum sales profitability and account penetration at both the local and regional levels. The position will give commercial and functional direction to the associate managers that will assist in tactical sales strategies.

**Responsibilities**:

- Promote/sell/secure business from existing and prospective customers through consultative sales approach.
- Responsible to qualify prospects, current customer opportunities, understand customer concerns, and manage the sales process.
- Travel to various customer head and branch offices as appropriate
- Use the CRM system and BI tools on a daily basis to capture and record customer information and sales activity data and to report pipeline and prospecting activities.
- Identify opportunities by researching industry, customer, publications and tracking individual contributors.
- Analyze the customers' potential and determine the value of existing and prospective customers.
- Provide intelligence, guidance and direction regarding pricing strategies and allocation management for assigned accounts to the Associate Account Managers, Pricing teams and Capacity teams.
- Provide guidance to the Associate Account Managers and assistance in the day-to-day management of tactical questions relating to pricing and capacity.
- Create and prepare sales presentations and strategic sales calls and joint calls to be given at various levels of the customers' hierarchy to effectively engage all levels of decision-makers and create a multi-facetted and deep relationship with customers.
- Create and manage customer value plan for existing customers highlighting profile, share and value opportunities.
- Plan and organize personal sales strategy by maximizing the Return on Time Investment for the territory/segment.
- Identify revenue opportunities with customers and jointly develop a strategy plan to mutually increase profitability.
- Coordinate sales efforts with marketing, sales management, capacity, accounting, and operation teams.
- Obtain competitive information during contacts and share as appropriate.
- Provide strategic support to the Western Regional Sales Manager and the Director, Cargo Sales in Canada.
- Act as interface between Air Canada and forwarders
- Conduct regular account performance reviews (quarterly business reviews
- Achieve or exceed cargo revenue and market share improvement targets.
- Represent and promote Air Canada within cargo industry community at trade events, industry functions and appropriate events.
- Assist with all sales and marketing plans relating to regional and national development.

**Qualifications**
- Strong understanding of the cargo business with commercial sales experience.
- Highly developed interpersonal, communication and presentation skills.
- Demonstrated leadership and decision-making abilities.
- Strong negotiating skills.
- Results oriented.
- Exceptional planning and organization skills.
- Ability to build strong relationships with both internal and external customers.
- Very analytical skills in dealing with data and general industry information.
- Proven time management and prioritization skills.
- Ability to cope with irregular or multiple work demands.
- Must be receptive to flexible work hours, holiday/weekend coverage and travel expectations.
- Undergraduate business degree a definite asset

**Conditions of Employment**:
**Linguistic Requirements**

**Diversity and Inclusion**

Air Canada is strongly committed to Diversity and Inclusion and aims to create a healthy, accessible and rewarding work environment which highlights employees' unique contributions to our company's success.