Strategic Account Manager

Position Overview

A Strategic Account Manager is primarily responsible to partner with his/her Customer(s) to develop business solutions that will drive Profitable Growth through "best in class" Customer Satisfaction appropriately leveraging our entire portfolio of products, services and solutions.

China SAM will be implementing strategic, long-term business plans for the Key Strategic Accounts building sustainable engagements and integrating customer insights.

They lead Value Creation through the accomplishment of the established key Customer/strategic objectives and addressing previously unmet and/or evolving patient/customer needs. China SAM is the primary point of contact for the Customer.

They understand the customers and stakeholders who determine whether a brand is listed or purchased, the purchasing process within the account, and the Brand Priorities so that they can support brand Profitable Access in these accounts.

They lead and partner with interdisciplinary teams to implement and to maximize the strategic agreement with the account, ensuring One voice to the Customer.

Primary Responsibilities & Activities

Market and Customer Understanding and Analysis (20% of time)

• Identifying emerging or accelerating market and policy dynamics and relevant insights to drive growth opportunities with key accounts.
• Understanding the mission, vision and development direction of the Customer; its key interests, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and challenges; and creating value propositions accordingly.
• Developing an in-depth understanding of the Key Account's unmet and evolving needs and deducting implications integrating full portfolio.
• Completing a competitor analysis for the Customer.
• Gathering detailed information about individual key accounts as the basis for Account Profile development.
• Understanding the decision-making, logistical, listing and contracting processes within the Account.
• Identifying Key Account Stakeholders and understanding their perspectives on our competitors and the healthcare environment as well as their needs related to improving patient outcomes to create a competitive advantage.

Account Plan Development (30% of time)

• Capturing short and long-term business opportunities based on in depth Market and Customer understanding.
• Defining, presenting and validating Account objectives and KPIs with relevant business stakeholders.
• Developing a Account Plan that contains a thorough understanding of the customers goals and needs as well as considers competitive and business challenges.
• Defining a tailored value proposition linked to Customer needs using a cross-BU approach.
• Developing long-term customer-centric strategies that will appropriately grow revenue, market share and portfolio penetration while also building our reputation through professional engagement and partnerships with key decision-makers.
• Defining collaborative opportunities to address unmet and/or evolving business needs.
• Determining how to develop and appropriately implement comprehensive strategic offerings by leveraging cross-functional internal resources.
• Obtaining a thorough understanding of negotiation position relative to each product in the portfolio as the basis for business case and opportunity development.
• Developing and implementing effective, purposeful and concise communications linked to the value proposition for the Key Account based on shared interests to drive Customers' engagement integrating value based offers for the whole portfolio.

Account Plan Implementation and Tracking (30% of time)

• Developing and maintaining long-term engagements with customers/stakeholders within the Key Accounts that are responsible for the "business" side of the account (e.g. Directors of Pharmacy, Senior Procurement Managers, Business Development Managers, and Hospital "C-Suite" customers).
• Serving as primary interface for all products and services to the business-end of the Key Account.
• Conducting full product portfolio and value-based negotiation aiming at developing a strategic collaboration. Identifies value differentiators linked to products and services.
• Seizing listing opportunity and being responsible for hospital listing result.
• Working with key decision makers to align around mutually beneficial business opportunities. Disproportionally invests where portfolio growth opportunities lay.
• Coordinating resources to support collaboration goals.
• Monitoring metrics and KPIs according to the tracking plan and re-shaping account strategy and operational activities based on learnings.

Integrated Account Team Influencing (20% of time)

• Gaining local leadership team sponsorship to ensure local focus and investment aligned for the Key Account.
• Holding regular account planning and review meetings which act as a station for information sharing, providing status updates and initiating course corrections related to the Key Account.
• Ensuring excellence in execution and follow-up related to entire field team.

Education, Experience & Competencies

Desired Experience/Education

• Bachelor Degree in Business, medical, pharmacy or relevant subject or fields.
• 5+ years of experience working in a customer-facing role.
• Experience in Marketing highly preferred.
• Strong knowledge of customer/business strategy.
• Understanding of local healthcare industry.

Functional Expertise

• Sales Acumen
• Customer Segmentation & Targeting
• Customer & Market Insights
• Customer Engagement
• Product Knowledge & Portfolio Management
• Market Access
• Market Management
• Negotiation & Contracting
• Commercial Channel Strategy
• Value Co-Creation

Desired Leadership Skills (draft for further prioritization)

• Business Savviness
• Strategic Planning
• Networking & Partnership
• Influence
• Ownership and Accountability