About this role
SUMMARY:
The Strategic Account Manager is an operations-heavy, customer-facing role responsible for the full lifecycle of assigned accounts: day-to-day execution, carrier sourcing and relationship management, service recovery, account penetration, and organic growth. This is not a "sitback-and-maintain" role. The right candidate runs their book of business like an owner: covering freight, solving problems before customers know they exist, expanding market share within existing accounts, and working shoulder-to-shoulder with a collaborative sales and operations team.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:
Account Ownership & Growth
• Serve as the primary point of contact for assigned customer accounts,
• owning the relationship from tender to invoice.
• Penetrate existing accounts by identifying new lanes, modes, facilities, and decision-makers; grow revenue and margin within the current book.
• Develop account plans with volume targets, margin goals, and expansion strategies; review progress with leadership on a regular cadence.
• Conduct regular business reviews (QBRs) with key customers covering service metrics, market conditions, and new opportunities.
Carrier Relationships
• Build and maintain a reliable core carrier base for assigned lanes and equipment types.
• Negotiate rates that balance carrier retention with customer margin targets.
• Track carrier performance (on-time %, claims, communication) and develop preferred carrier relationships accordingly.
Operations & Execution
• Manage daily load execution end-to-end: quoting, booking, dispatch, tracking, and proactive customer updates in the TMS.
• Source, negotiate, and cover freight across flatbed, specialized, and open-deck equipment with a focus on service and margin.
• Own service recovery — when things go sideways, communicate early, present solutions, and protect the relationship.
• Maintain clean, accurate data in the TMS and CRM: load details, rates, contacts, notes, and account activity.
• Ensure all carriers meet Armstrong's carrier vetting and compliance standards before dispatch — no exceptions.
Team & Collaboration
• Work closely with sales, operations, and back-office teams to onboard new accounts and hand off cleanly.
• Share market intelligence, capacity insight, and pricing feedback with the broader team.
• Support teammates' accounts during coverage gaps — we win and lose as a team.
• Contribute to SOPs and process improvements that make the whole operation faster and more consistent.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
• Minimum 5 years of freight brokerage experience in an account management, carrier sales, or customer operations role.
• Proven track record of growing revenue within existing accounts (account penetration, lane expansion, mode diversification).
• Strong carrier sourcing and rate negotiation skills; established carrier relationships a plus.
• Working knowledge of TMS platforms and CRM systems; disciplined about data hygiene.
• Experience with flatbed, open-deck, or specialized freight strongly preferred.
• Excellent written and verbal communication — able to deliver bad news early and good news with detail.
• High sense of urgency, ownership mentality, and comfort operating in a fast-paced, collaborative team environment.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
• Experience supporting industrial, construction, energy, or data center customers.
• Familiarity with drayage, transloading, or warehousing operations.
• Bachelor's degree in business, logistics, supply chain, or equivalent practical experience.
COMPENSATION & BENEFITS:
• Competitive base salary plus performance-based commission/bonus structure.
• Clear growth path — top performers earn larger books, bigger accounts, and leadership opportunities.
• Collaborative, high-performance team culture in a growing Memphis-based company.
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:
• The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job:
• Specific vision abilities include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and the ability to adjust focus.
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk and hear.
• This position requires the ability to occasionally lift office products and supplies, up to 20 pounds.
• Ability to sit for long periods; stand and walk frequently; and bend, stoop, and reach occasionally.
WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE:
• First 90 Days - Full command of assigned accounts, TMS, and SOPs; zero dropped balls on daily execution; carrier base mapped for core lanes.
• 6 Months - Measurable revenue and margin growth within assigned accounts; at least one new lane, mode, or facility opened per key account.
• 12 Months - Recognized by customers as their go-to logistics partner; book of business growing year-over-year with strong service scores.