Sales Account Manager

About the role

This role is responsible for driving profitable growth through strategic account management, new business development, and strong customer partnerships. The Sales Account Manager manages a portfolio of assigned accounts, identifies opportunities to expand business, and develops sales plans that deliver revenue, margin, and volume objectives. The position covers the Northeast U.S. territory (MA, CT, VT, NH, RI, or ME) and requires travel up to 75% of the time.

Responsibilities

• Drive profitable revenue growth through effective account management, new business development, and expansion of existing customer relationships.
• Meet or exceed annual sales, margin, and volume targets for the assigned territory or account portfolio.
• Develop and execute strategic account plans that identify customer priorities, growth opportunities, competitive threats, and action plans to achieve business objectives.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with key decision-makers, influencers, and project stakeholders across customer organizations.
• Prospect for new business through cold calling, networking, referrals, and targeted outreach to high-potential customers.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to customers by understanding their business challenges and recommending solutions aligned with their goals.
• Prepare and deliver customer presentations, business reviews, proposals, and value-based selling materials to support growth opportunities.
• Maintain a healthy sales pipeline, track opportunities, and provide accurate forecasts through effective CRM management and regular reporting.
• Collaborate closely with internal teams, including technical, operations, customer service, and marketing, to ensure responsive support and successful solution implementation.
• Negotiate pricing, contracts, and commercial terms to deliver customer value while achieving acceptable returns for the business.
• Monitor market trends, customer activity, and competitive developments to identify risks, differentiate offerings, and strengthen market position.
• Manage accounts receivable and support timely collections while minimizing risk and protecting business profitability.
• Maintain accurate customer, opportunity, and account activity records, along with sales statistics and relevant documentation.
• Contribute to commercial strategy development by sharing market insights, customer feedback, and growth recommendations for targeted industries or accounts.
• Comply with all applicable EHS&S (Environment, Health, Safety & Sustainability) requirements and report incidents immediately.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in business, Marketing, Sales, or a related field required; equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered.
• Minimum 5 years of sales, account management, or business development experience in a business-to-business environment.
• Demonstrated success achieving sales targets, growing customer accounts, and managing complex sales cycles.
• Strong proficiency with CRM systems, sales forecasting, pipeline management, and Microsoft Office applications.
• Excellent communication, presentation, negotiation, and relationship-building skills with the ability to influence stakeholders at multiple levels.
• Strong business acumen, problem-solving skills, and the ability to work independently in a fast-paced environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in the assigned industry or market segment.
• Solution-based selling and contract negotiation experience.

Physical Demands

• Ability to sit, stand, walk, use a computer, and operate standard office equipment.
• Travel to customer locations, meetings, and industry events as needed (up to 75% of the time).
• Occasionally lift and carry materials weighing up to 20 pounds.
• Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the role.

About Us

Avient Corporation is an innovator of materials solutions that help customers succeed while enabling a sustainable world. Our global team of 9,000 professionals brings passion, creativity, and diverse expertise to drive innovation. We believe in equality of opportunity and maintain a policy of non-discrimination based on race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, color, religion, national origin, disability, genetic information, protected veteran’s status, or other legally protected classifications.

At Avient, leadership behaviors—such as playing to win, acting customer-centric, driving innovation and profitable growth, collaborating seamlessly, and motivating and developing others—are key to achieving strategic goals and meeting customer needs.