- Location:
-
Palo Alto (94304) - California, United States
- Salary:
- Competitive
- Type:
- Permanent
- Main Industry:
- Search Sales Jobs
- Other Industries & Skills:
- Legal
- Advertiser:
- SAP
- Job ID:
- 132233555
- Posted On:
- 03 September 2025
We help the world run better
At SAP, we keep it simple: you bring your best to us, and we'll bring out the best in you. We're builders touching over 20 industries and 80% of global commerce, and we need your unique talents to help shape what's next. The work is challenging – but it matters. You'll find a place where you can be yourself, prioritize your wellbeing, and truly belong. What's in it for you? Constant learning, skill growth, great benefits, and a team that wants you to grow and succeed.
The Account Director has overall accountability and is the overall Account Owner serving as a trusted advisor by building strategic business relationships with senior customer executives. This role ensures that SAP provides a simplified, seamless customer experience across the enterprise while executing a long-term strategy to achieve the value the customer is targeting. This role drives commercials, expansions, and partner relationships while guiding the customers towards innovation.
The Account Director builds strong, long-term strategic customer relationships and ensures customer’s business objectives are met. They are also in charge of driving customer innovation and growth.
EXPECTATIONS AND TASKS
Account Management
-In partnership with the Managing Partner, serves as the end-to-end account owner.
-Owns senior client relationships, and understands business needs & context.
-Strong customer success focus with empathy for customers and ability to earn trusted advisor status.
-Sales skills to engage with customers during select and identify cross-sell/up-sell opportunities.
-Drives sales & consumption efforts leveraging relevant SAP resources.
-Deep knowledge of how companies operate/ business modes, strategies, and end-to-end business processes.
-Demonstrated success in dealing with difficult customer situations and discussing complex and often sensitive issues with customer executives.
-Leads (virtual) account team and coordinates all roles across the customer.
EDUCATION AND QUALIFICATIONS / SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES
-Experience driving customer value realization based on agreed business outcomes including driving renewals, expansions, and upsells.
-Expert governance and stakeholder management skills.
-10+ years of experience in Sales or Consulting with complex business software/IT solutions.
-Bachelor's degree or equivalent highly preferred (MBA preferred).
-Experience with long-term planning of resources, technology, and account structure.
-Knowledge of financial, competitive, and regulatory environment (as applicable).
-Strong knowledge of the complete SAP offering (including Service and Support).
-Experience working in and around cloud and on-premise software solutions, a deep understanding of the characteristics, challenges, and benefits of each.
-Knowledge of SAAS, PAAS, and IAAS processes including provisioning, onboarding, and customer support.
-Experience with complex global transformation programs in a consulting or advisory capacity across the SAP product portfolio and partner network.
-Proven ability to manage highly complex organizations and apply risk-mitigation strategies to customer situations.
-Leading the customer to desired business outcomes, value management, and ROl experience.
-Experience driving renewals, expansions, and up-sells of subscription or perpetual license-based solutions
-Excellent executive presence.
-Expert relationship-building skills, relationship-minded.
-Ability to partner with other SAP leads.
-Focused on both consumption and sales to maximize customer success.
-Strategic thinker, with a high degree of creativity and innovation.
-Results-driven.
-Excellent verbal and non-verbal communication skills.
-Strong program/project management.
-Expert governance and stakeholder management skills.
-Strong commercial/deal support skills, especially subscription-based.
-Ability to manage through crises
SAP Specific Knowledge
-Ability to Interpret consumption data and drive insights to action.
-Ability to structure and motivate core account team to support customers in a cost-efficient manner.
-Ability to orchestrate resources such as junior sales quota carriers as needed.
-Broad understanding of SAP solution portfolio and the business processes they enable with deep expertise in one or more LoBs.
-Detailed understanding of navigating SAP's support processes and Organization(s).
-Established relationships with SAP MU leadership, account teams, and Industry teams.
-Alignment with product/solution management teams /organizations is a plus.
Bring out your best
SAP innovations help more than four hundred thousand customers worldwide work together more efficiently and use business insight more effectively. Originally known for leadership in enterprise resource planning (ERP) software, SAP has evolved to become a market leader in end-to-end business application software and related services for database, analytics, intelligent technologies, and experience management. As a cloud company with two hundred million users and more than one hundred thousand employees worldwide, we are purpose-driven and future-focused, with a highly collaborative team ethic and commitment to personal development. Whether connecting global industries, people, or platforms, we help ensure every challenge gets the solution it deserves. At SAP, you can bring out your best.
We win with inclusion
SAP’s culture of inclusion, focus on health and well-being, and flexible working models help ensure that everyone – regardless of background – feels included and can run at their best. At SAP, we believe we are made stronger by the unique capabilities and qualities that each person brings to our company, and we invest in our employees to inspire confidence and help everyone realize their full potential. We ultimately believe in unleashing all talent and creating a better world.
SAP is committed to the values of Equal Employment Opportunity and provides accessibility accommodations to applicants with physical and/or mental disabilities. If you are interested in applying for employment with SAP and are in need of accommodation or special assistance to navigate our website or to complete your application, please send an e-mail with your request to Recruiting Operations Team: Careerssap.
For SAP employees: Only permanent roles are eligible for the
SAP Employee Referral Program
, according to the eligibility rules set in the SAP Referral Policy. Specific conditions may apply for roles in Vocational Training.
Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to their age, race, religion, national origin, ethnicity, age, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, et al), sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, protected veteran status, or disability.
Compensation Range Transparency
: SAP believes the value of pay transparency contributes towards an honest and supportive culture and is a significant step toward demonstrating SAP’s commitment to pay equity. SAP provides the annualized compensation range inclusive of base salary and variable incentive target for the career level applicable to the posted role. The targeted combined range for this position is 186800 - 397300 USD. The actual amount to be offered to the successful candidate will be within that range, dependent upon the key aspects of each case which may include education, skills, experience, scope of the role, location, etc. as determined through the selection process. Any SAP variable incentive includes a targeted dollar amount and any actual payout amount is dependent on company and personal performance. Please reference this link for a summary of SAP benefits and eligibility requirements:
SAP North America Benefits
.
AI Usage in the Recruitment Process
For information on the responsible use of AI in our recruitment process, please refer to our
Guidelines for Ethical Usage of AI in the Recruiting Process
.
Please note that any violation of these guidelines may result in disqualification from the hiring process.
Requisition ID: 434979 | Work Area: Sales | Expected Travel: 0 - 40% | Career Status: Professional | Employment Type: Regular Full Time | Additional Locations: #LI-Hybrid
