Strategic Account Manager, Semi

POSITION SUMMARY
As a Strategic Account Manager (SAM), your primary responsibility is to orchestrate all interactions and business development activities with account customers, fostering strong, long-term partnerships. Your main activities and responsibilities include:

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Account Strategy and Goal Setting: Understand customers’ business, technical, and organizational needs. Align with HQ and regional teams on long-term aspirations and set timely goals to drive results.
• Partnership Management: Map, build, and strengthen multi-level relationships between Rigaku and key stakeholders within the customers’ organization. Organize executive meetings, TRMs, technical workshops, etc.
• Customer Escalations and Requests: Coordinate regional support teams and HQ to address customer escalations and CIP requests. Enhance overall customer satisfaction with Rigaku’s support and products.
• Business Development: Collaborate with applications, service, and technical development teams to explore new business opportunities. Align customer and Rigaku roadmaps to drive early entry into new application areas and fab locations within the account.
• Cross-Site Communication: Create and set the narrative that advances the account strategy. Ensure alignment across all account sites to present a unified voice to customers.
• Deal Structuring and Commercial Coordination: Negotiate profitable and fair deals. Manage all commercial items effectively, including NDAs, RFI/RFP/RFQ responses, Evaluation Agreements, PA/CPA, lead times, forecasts, POs, and any commercial escalations.

WORK ENVIRONMENT
This position requires frequent travel to customer sites, including industrial and manufacturing locations, which may involve exposure to varying environmental conditions such as noise, dust, heat, and outdoor weather. The role also includes time spent in a typical office setting for administrative tasks, customer communication, and planning. Flexibility and adaptability to diverse work settings are essential for success in this role.

Education:

• PhD or Masters preferred; Physics, Chemistry or Engineering

Experience:

• Over 5 years of experience in capital equipment field application, marketing, account management, or business development within the industry. Experience with metrology tools is preferred.
• Proven track record of managing and growing strategic accounts.
• Experience working with cross-functional teams (e.g., Applications, Service, Product, Customer Procurement, etc.).
• Technical proficiency with CRM software, presentation tools, and other sales enablement tools.
• Willingness to travel domestically and internationally as required to meet business needs.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently, prioritize effectively, and manage multiple tasks simultaneously.
• High level of integrity, professionalism, and drive, with a strong commitment to excellence and accountability in supporting Rigaku’s growth beyond your own strategic account.

Computer Skills:

• Proficiency with Salesforce for aligning account forecasts and managing customer information

Certificates & Licenses: None

Other Requirements:

• Ability to develop and maintain relationships with key large account customers
• Exceptional customer engagement skills and experience
• Strong ability to understand and document customer requirements
• Understanding of Rigaku’s position versus competition and key differentiators
• Ability to communicate customer requests, specification documents, purchase specification, commercial and legal contracts