Manager, Client Executive and Sales Capture

The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (www.aiaa.org) in Reston, VA seeks a Client Executive and Sales Capture Manager who will be responsible for developing sales opportunities with aerospace companies. Reporting to the Director, Revenue Development, you will be tasked with growing the relationship between AIAA and its corporate members and customers. You will grow engagement and deepen relationships with employees of existing corporate members; maintain and grow the recurring annual dues of corporate customers and drive sales of other AIAA products (including event sponsorships, exhibits and advertising). This requires a thorough understanding of the Institute’s broad range of products, services, events, strategic investments, staff and procedures.

AIAA has a Flexible Workplace, where staff work primarily remote, but are required to attend meetings in the office and collaborate in person as needed. Candidates must reside in the Washington, DC metro area.

Basic Purpose:

• Meet or exceed key order and revenue targets as assigned.
• Aid in the identification, qualification, assessment, and development of business opportunities, by performing market research, including analysis of customer budgets.
• Development of creative value propositions and business cases for customers based on their needs or market feedback to uniquely position AIAA to capture new opportunities.
• Implement the win strategy, customer engagement strategy and translate into a capture and proposal development plan.
• Execute capture activities to gain and maintain stakeholder (senior management, partners, and teammates) buy-in, support, and commitment of resources required to successfully shape, respond to, and win business with new and existing customers.
• Coordinate and manage capture activities, reviews, and customer briefings.
• Design and implement strategic account plans that expands the customer relationship and maximizes revenue capture securing buy-in from team and Institute leadership
• Ensure revenue growth across AIAA product lines by meeting or exceeding sales targets for corporate membership, product sponsorship, exhibitions, and advertising
• Develop, maintain, and expand a pipeline of prospective customers for assigned customer segments
• Successfully articulate the AIAA value proposition for each product and customer segment
• Provide customers high value through a combination of off-the-shelf and custom opportunities

Accountabilities:

• Develop a growth strategy focused both on financial gain and customer satisfaction
• Assess, clarify, and validate customer needs on an ongoing basis
• Create actionable and implementable customer roadmaps for assigned corporate members.
• Conduct research to identify new markets and customer needs
• Arrange business meetings with prospective clients
• Promote the company’s products/services addressing or predicting clients’ objectives
• Prepare sales contracts ensuring adherence to established guidelines
• Keep accurate records of sales, revenue, invoices, within AIAA’s information technology system.
• Provide trustworthy feedback and after-sales support
• Build long-term relationships with new and existing customers

Position Dimensions:

• Enlists the support of Sales Team, implementation resources, service resources, and other operations and fulfillment resources as needed
• Coordinates Institute executive leadership involvement with customer management as necessary
• Coordinates closely with sales team and other customer interfaces closely to ensure customer satisfaction and problem resolution
• Work closely with Revenue Development, Community and Partnership Engagement Team, Forum Program Executives, Marketing, Communications, Sales Operations to ensure that integrated promotional packages are developed and implemented appropriate customer segment
• Attend and participate in planning and review meetings with various internal teams for products and offerings
• Travel required approximately 10-15% travel, predominantly domestic and mostly weekdays.
• Local travel as needed.
• Occasional client support and entertainment outside of normal working hours.

Requirements/Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree required, Business or Marketing background preferred, or an equivalent combination of education and experience
• Requires a minimum of 6 years direct and indirect sales experience or account management, preferably in a trade show, media, or trade association market
• Excellent demonstrated ability to build strong, long-term relationships that satisfy customers through engagement and negotiation
• Demonstrated ability to communicate clearly and concisely with senior executive and C-level customers
• Demonstrated ability to develop and implement new programs and services tailored to market demographic or business segment
• Strong attention to customer and product detail
• Strong personal engagement skills whether in person, phone, or online platforms
• Experience with CRM required, Netforum, HubSpot or Salesforce a plus
• Demonstrated experience developing and achieving short- and long-term sales strategies
• Aerospace and Defense industry knowledge experience, a plus
• Ability and motivation to expand and evolve industry knowledge of targeted market demographics, their customers, their desired expansion/growth plans, and business needs
• Trade or professional association experience, a plus
• Curiosity and energy to explore adjacent markets
• Self-confidence, well-spoken with a quick ability to adapt
• Competency making decisions with imperfect and incomplete information
• Can interpret, condense, and present findings to audiences with variable skill sets and experience levels
• Must be available to travel as necessary

About AIAA

AIAA’s purpose is to ignite and celebrate aerospace ingenuity and collaboration, and its importance to our way of life. AIAA is the world’s largest technical society dedicated to the global aerospace profession. We are comprised of individual and corporate members from around the world. AIAA carries forth a proud tradition of more than 80 years of aerospace leadership.

Working at AIAA

AIAA offers a strong compensation package for this position, which includes base salary and a discretionary bonus. Our benefits are highly competitive and include medical, dental and vision insurance with dependent coverage; 403(b) plan with an employer contribution and match; generous paid leave and holiday schedule.

AIAA