Strategic Account Manager- Air and Water

At GE Appliances, a Haier company, we come together to make “good things, for life.”  As the fastest-growing appliance company in the U.S., we’re powered by creators, thinkers and makers who believe that anything is possible and that there’s always a better way.  We believe in the power of our people and in giving them the freedom to explore, discover and build good things, together.  

The GE Appliances philosophy, backed by three simple commitments defines the way we work, invent, create, do business, and serve our communities: we come together, we always look for a better way, and we create possibilities. 

Interested in joining us on our journey? 

As GE Appliances’ Strategic Account Manager, you will manage a focused portfolio of OEM customer relationships for the Air & Water OEM micro-enterprise, with responsibility for executing account growth plans, supporting profitable account development, and advancing new product introduction opportunities. You will stay closely connected to customer product strategies, program needs, and business priorities, translating those insights into coordinated actions across product management, engineering, manufacturing, supply chain, quality, and commercial teams. This role serves as an important link between North American customer requirements and Haier’s global design and production capabilities, including regular collaboration with China-based teams. Success in this role requires strong account management discipline, product and program lifecycle understanding, cross-functional coordination, and the ability to build credibility with customer and internal stakeholders to support growth and execution priorities.

Position

Strategic Account Manager- Air and Water

Location

USA, Louisville, KY

How You'll Create Possibilities

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

Strategic Account Planning & Growth Delivery (30%)

• Manage annual account plans for assigned OEM customers, supporting revenue, margin, relationship, and new product introduction objectives aligned to Air & Water business priorities.
• Develop and maintain customer-specific account plans that outline growth opportunities, product roadmap alignment, key contacts, competitive considerations, and execution milestones.
• Identify, qualify, and advance a rolling pipeline of expansion and new product introduction opportunities across HVAC, water heating, and water treatment categories.
• Support pricing recommendations, contract preparation, and partnership discussions for assigned accounts.
• Maintain clear opportunity stage-gates, next steps, and internal ownership to improve forecast visibility and commercial follow-through.

Customer Relationship Management & Engagement (25%)

• Serve as a primary day-to-day relationship manager for assigned OEM customers, maintaining active engagement across commercial, technical, and operational stakeholders.
• Build trusted working relationships with customer contacts by demonstrating business acumen, responsiveness, and a strong understanding of customer product and lifecycle priorities.
• Lead or facilitate customer business reviews for assigned accounts to assess performance, opportunities, risks, and follow-up actions.
• Maintain documented contact maps, engagement cadence, and relationship notes for key customer stakeholders.
• Coordinate a consistent customer engagement rhythm through commercial check-ins, technical discussions, and documented follow-up actions.

Product Lifecycle, NPI & Voice-of-Customer Coordination (20%)

• Translate customer strategies, market needs, and lifecycle requirements into actionable recommendations for internal teams.
• Partner with Product Management and Engineering to align OEM needs with roadmap inputs, development priorities, and launch timing.
• Manage an NPI opportunity funnel with defined value, timing, required resources, owners, and next-step actions.
• Provide regular voice-of-customer updates to help prioritize actions related to features, quality, service, delivery, and lifecycle support.
• Monitor competitive activity, regulatory developments, and emerging technologies that may affect OEM demand and account opportunities.

Global Cross-Functional Collaboration & Program Support (15%)

• Work directly with Haier engineering, manufacturing, product management, and supply chain teams, including China-based partners, to communicate customer requirements and support alignment with global platform and production capabilities.
• Participate in technical reviews, feasibility discussions, production readiness activities, and product alignment conversations tied to customer opportunities.
• Act as a consistent customer-facing liaison between North American OEM expectations and global internal teams to support scalable solutions.
• Track cross-functional follow-through to help ensure customer commitments are translated into practical internal actions and timelines.

Forecasting, Performance Tracking & Commercial Operations (10%)

• Maintain reliable account forecasting and pipeline management practices to improve visibility, planning discipline, and execution accuracy.
• Track account performance against agreed scorecard metrics, including revenue growth, margin, quality, delivery, service, NPI progress, and issue resolution timing.
• Maintain accurate CRM records, account documentation, pipeline updates, and internal reporting materials.
• Support continuous improvement of account planning tools, review mechanisms, and commercial operating rhythms for OEM relationships.

Other related duties as assigned:

• Support internal leadership updates, customer presentation preparation, and special commercial projects.
• Assist with trade events, customer visits, and internal workshops tied to OEM growth priorities.
• Contribute to process improvements that enhance account management effectiveness and cross-functional coordination.

 

What You'll Bring to Our Team

Qualifications, Education, and Experiential

Background

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Engineering, Marketing, Operations, Supply Chain, or a related technical or commercial field; equivalent experience may substitute for educational requirement.
• 5+ years of relevant experience in account management, OEM business development, technical sales, program coordination, product management, engineering-facing commercial roles, or related B2B/customer-facing disciplines.
• Experience in OEM or B2B technical sales/account management in HVAC, water heating, water treatment, or related manufacturing industries.
• Demonstrated success supporting account growth, pipeline development, customer retention, or launch execution through measurable business outcomes.
• Working knowledge of product development cycles, new product introduction processes, commercial negotiation support, and technical selling in a manufactured-products environment.
• Experience working across functions such as product management, engineering, operations, supply chain, and quality to support customer commitments and lifecycle execution.

Preferred Qualifications/Education/Experience

• Experience with cross-border product development, sourcing, or global manufacturing collaboration.
• Background in program coordination, engineering, product management, or operations.
• Experience working with Asia-based manufacturing or engineering teams.

 

Position Competencies (Required Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities)

• Domain Knowledge & Technical Expertise – Applies advanced knowledge of OEM account management, B2B commercial practices, product development and lifecycle processes, and technical selling to manage assigned accounts, assess opportunities, and support growth execution in a manufactured-products environment.
• Problem Resolution & Critical Thinking – Evaluates difficult and sometimes complex customer and business issues by weighing commercial, operational, technical, timing, and lifecycle considerations to recommend practical next steps.
• Execution, Planning & Scope – Works autonomously to achieve account and pipeline objectives; independently manages end-to-end account planning, opportunity tracking, customer follow-up, and NPI coordination activities that directly impact business results.
• Communication, Influence & Stakeholder Engagement – Influences cross-functional partners and customer stakeholders by translating account needs into clear actions, supporting aligned decisions, and facilitating structured discussions around opportunities, priorities, and issue resolution.
• Professional Contribution, Autonomy & Leadership – Functions as a seasoned contributor with limited supervision, demonstrating strong ownership, sound judgment, and the ability to maintain momentum through matrix coordination, follow-through, and informal guidance to others.
• System Proficiency – Independently leverages CRM tools to maintain account data, manage pipeline visibility, support forecast discipline, and resolve day-to-day reporting or process issues.

Preferred Competencies:

• Demonstrated ability to grow and maintain OEM or technical B2B customer relationships within a structured account management environment.
• Experience translating voice-of-customer insights into product, sourcing, service, or commercial follow-up actions across cross-functional teams.
• Working knowledge of cross-border product development, sourcing, or global manufacturing collaboration models.
• Familiarity with the Rendanheyi model and customer-zero-distance principles.

Working Conditions & Travel Requirements

• Working conditions are typical for an office environment.
• Occasional early morning or evening meetings may be required to support collaboration across time zones, including China-based teams.
• ~30% travel, primarily domestic, with periodic international travel, for customer meetings, partnership development, technical alignment, factory visits, and strategic planning sessions. #LI-REMOTE

 

Our Culture

Our work is centered on our People and Culture as reflected in our Zero Distance philosophy and we recognize the importance of reaffirming our commitment to inclusion and diversity (I&D). This underscores our commitment to fostering an environment where every individual feels valued, connected, and empowered to contribute, while positioning our organization to adapt seamlessly to the evolving needs of our workforce and communities.

This reflects our dedication to creating solutions that: Empower colleagues by fostering an environment where all voices are heard, valued, and encouraged to contribute. Strengthen communities where we live and work. Reinforce a culture of belonging, purpose, and engagement. Reflect the diversity of the communities we serve through our workforce, products, and practices.

By further embedding Zero Distance into our People and Culture framework, we will continue to build a deeply connected organization. We are cultivating a culture of engagement, belonging, and connection, because while attracting new talent remains a priority, retention is a cornerstone of our strategy.

GE Appliances is a trust-based organization. It is important we offer our employees the flexibility they need to do their best work while balancing the needs of the business and individuals. When you join GE Appliances, you will have the opportunity to work with your leader to create a flexible work arrangement that balances the needs of the individual, team, and organization.

GE Appliances is an Equal Opportunity Employer.  Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by law.

GE Appliances participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S

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