Strategic Account Sales Manager

Be yourself at Protolabs 

Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification.  We are an equal opportunity employer, and we are committed to building a diverse team that feels they are valued in the workplace.  So do you feel you do not meet every single requirement but still intrigued? We encourage you to still apply!  You can help make our company even better.  We do not discriminate based on race, color, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, age, mental or physical ability, or any way you represent yourself.  We strongly believe diversity makes for more successful teams. 

Why Protolabs? 

We are the leaders in digital manufacturing.  We hire doers, makers, and creative thinkers who tackle our roles with an entrepreneurial spirit.  Our culture is centered around meaningful work that brings new and innovative products to market at unprecedented speeds.  We are a diverse team that comes from all walks of life and take pride in our team who is smart, genuine, humble, and passionate about what we do.  It’s our people who fuel our creativity and make our culture feel like home. 

Join our team as a Strategic Account Sales Manager!

This is a hybrid role being onsite in Maple Plain, MN on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.

Role requires 25%-50% travel 

The Strategic Account Sales Manager plays a crucial role in empowering and mentoring the Strategic Account Manager (SAM) team. The primary responsibility of this role is to meet and exceed the annual bookings quotas as established by the company, ensuring that all strategic initiatives and customer engagements align with this critical objective. This role is crucial in collaborating with and leveraging PODs to maximize sales growth and deliver comprehensive solutions across accounts, fostering an integrated and dynamic ecosystem that enhances communication, coordination, and strategic alignment.  This senior leadership role is integral to aligning the team's objectives with Protolabs' strategic goals and fostering innovation that expands our offerings and capabilities. By promoting cross-functional collaboration and consistency in performance management, the SAM Manager ensures that SAMs deliver unparalleled solutions and act as trusted advisors to our company's top enterprise customers. With high visibility within the sales organization, the SAM Manager drives significant impacts on customer businesses, enhances profitability, and cultivates long-term, mutually beneficial relationships. This role is accountable for implementing performance metrics, leading strategic alignment, and ensuring maximum growth and profitability in line with company goals.   

Duties and Responsibilities:  

• Oversee the development and execution of multi-year strategies for SAM (Strategic Account Manager) personnel portfolios. 
• Ensure alignment of the SAM's strategies with the overall business objectives of Protolabs. 
• Provide guidance and direction in the creation and management of account budgets, forecasting and strategic plans. 

• Establish clear performance metrics and KPIs for SAMs to ensure accountability and operational excellence. 
• Regularly review the performance scorecards and business analytics to assess progress against goals and objectives. 

• Ensure that the SAMs have access to the necessary resources, including cross-functional teams, to effectively manage and grow their accounts. 
• Facilitate the resolution of complex issues that may require cross-departmental collaboration. 

• Encourage and support the SAMs in introducing innovative and strategic manufacturing ideas for competitive advantage. 
• Keen awareness of industry trends and emerging technologies to guide the SAMs in strategic decision-making in a cross-functional team environment. 

• Provide mentorship and support to SAMs in their personal and professional development, including succession planning. 
• Lead by example, fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement. 

• Build and maintain relationships with key stakeholders within the organization and externally to support SAMs in their roles. 
• Act as an escalation point for major issues or opportunities within strategic accounts. 

• Ensure that the SAMs' activities align with Protolabs' overall strategic priorities and initiatives. 
• Oversee the execution of strategic goals and ensure that SAMs remain aligned with the account's complexity and the organization’s broader objectives. 

• Lead the development and implementation of best practices in account management. 
• Encourage feedback and lessons learned to continuously enhance the strategic account management process. 

• Proven ability to exceed annual performance plans consistently and demonstrate sustained sales growth.  
• 5+ years of sales leadership experience, particularly in a strategic accounts context, with a proven ability to manage complex B2B relationships. 
• Experience managing a quota-carrying team with a track record of achieving or exceeding $50 MM+ annual targets. 
• Bachelor's Degree in Business, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent education and/or experience.  

• Customer-centric mindset with a demonstrated history of building and nurturing trusted advisor relationships. 
• Demonstrated ability to connect and innovate based on customer needs, integrating them with Protolabs’ capabilities to deliver comprehensive solutions. 
• Exceptional leadership and team development skills, proven by the ability to inspire and maximize the performance of high-performing teams with a focus on strategic account management. 
• Advanced strategic thinking skills, involving the translation of broad business objectives into customer co-creation, actionable plans and operational execution. 
• Proactive problem-solving skills and adaptability, with experience driving continuous improvement initiatives in dynamic environments. 
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills, capable of influencing senior stakeholders strategically and navigating cross-functional opportunities. 
• Strong proficiency in CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot) and data analytics tools, with the ability to leverage analytics for strategic insights. 
• Superior organizational and multitasking abilities, ensuring prioritization of strategic objectives. 
• Analytical mindset with a capability to derive actionable insights from data, supporting data-driven decision-making. 
• Proven leadership capacity to mobilize and drive sales teams toward achieving ambitious goals. 
• Enhanced presentation abilities, ensuring clarity and engagement, both in person and virtually. 
• Effective conflict resolution capabilities, ensuring successful management and mitigation of customer conflicts to maintain relationship integrity. 
• Ability to collaborate and thrive in a team-oriented environment, encouraging an open and inclusive culture. 
• Commitment to embodying Protolabs' values and promoting them within the team. 
• Working knowledge of the manufacturing process and product life cycle.   (Medical industry knowledge is a plus.) 
• Comprehensive familiarity with Protolabs’ complete service offerings (preferred). 

• We offer a competitive total compensation package
• In addition, we offer competitive benefits including but not limited to:
• Health Insurance: Traditional OR High Deductible plan
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Health Savings Account (including employer contributions)
• Dental and Vision
• Basic and Supplemental Life Insurance
• Short-Term and Long-Term Disability
• Paid caregiver leave
• You will receive PTO + Holiday Pay + Volunteer Hours
• 401k with company match and immediate vest
• Employee Stock Purchase Program
• And More!

Proto Labs maintains ITAR-compliant operations in all of our United States based facilities.  Due to ITAR regulations, this role is only open to U.S. Citizens, lawful permanent residents (green card holders) or foreign nationals granted refugee or asylee status.  Individuals with temporary visas (e.g. E, F-1, H-1, H-2, L, B, J, TN or OPT) are not eligible for hire in this role.

Proto Labs, Inc. is an Affirmative Action / Equal Opportunity Employer

Physical Demands:

While performing the essential duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit; use a computer keyboard, monitor and mouse, telephone and printer; reach with hands, and arms, talk, see and hear.  The employee is occasionally required to stand, walk, stoop or kneel and must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.

Work Environment:

Indoors (A/C); nonsmoking; the majority of this job function is performed in an office setting requiring normal safety precautions. However, there may be job duties that require the employee to spend time in the manufacturing areas exposed to machinery and noise; eye protection occasionally required. Occasionally works in outside weather conditions. Occasionally works near moving mechanical parts and in high, precarious places and is occasionally exposed to wet and/or humid conditions, fumes or airborne particles, toxic or caustic chemicals, risk of electrical shock and vibration. The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet to moderate.