Account manager: job description template
Role: Account Manager
Location: [City, Remote, or Hybrid]
Reports to: [Director of Account Management or VP Customer Success]
About the role:
The Account Manager owns the post-sale relationship with a portfolio of customer accounts. The role drives retention, identifies expansion opportunities, and serves as the primary point of contact between the customer and internal teams. Success in this role means high renewal rates, healthy NRR, and customer relationships that compound over time.
Responsibilities
Manage a portfolio of 15 to 30 customer accounts with combined ARR of [target range].
Drive renewal motion for every account in the portfolio, owning the renewal forecast and the close itself.
Identify and execute expansion opportunities (upsell, cross-sell, new-product introductions).
Build and maintain account plans for top-tier customers in Salesforce.
Map relationships across the buying committee and executive layer.
Run quarterly business reviews and (where relevant) annual executive business reviews.
Coordinate cross-functional resources (customer success, sales engineering, support, product) to deliver value.
Maintain CRM hygiene and accurate forecasting on the renewal pipeline.
Required skills and experience
3+ years in account management, customer success, or B2B sales (5+ for senior roles).
Track record of meeting or exceeding retention and expansion targets.
Strong written and verbal communication, including executive presence.
Salesforce CRM proficiency. Familiarity with account planning tools (Prolifiq CRUSH or similar) a plus.
Comfort running QBRs and executive presentations.
Industry-specific knowledge for vertical specializations.
KPIs the role is measured on
Gross renewal rate (target depends on segment, typically 90 to 95%).
Net revenue retention (target typically 105 to 120% depending on tier).
Expansion ACV per account per year.
Account plan completeness and freshness for top-tier accounts.
QBR completion rate and CSAT.
Compensation framework
Base: $80K to $130K depending on segment and geography.
Variable: 25 to 40% of base, tied to renewal and expansion targets.
Equity (for growth-stage companies): typically 0.05 to 0.25% of fully-diluted shares for individual contributor roles.
How to differentiate the job description by tier
Account Manager (entry to mid): smaller portfolio, lower-tier accounts, more renewal-focused.
Senior Account Manager: larger portfolio, mix of strategic and standard accounts, expansion-heavy.
Key Account Manager: 5 to 10 strategic accounts, executive engagement required, custom planning, often involves named account programs.
Strategic Account Manager: fewer than 5 accounts, deep enterprise relationships, partnership-style engagement, often reports directly into CRO.
Common job description mistakes
Conflating account manager with account executive. Different roles. AE owns new logos; AM owns the post-sale relationship.
Not specifying portfolio size. 'Manage a book of accounts' is vague.
Omitting expansion responsibility. Modern AMs are accountable for NRR, not just retention.
Underspecifying CRM and tooling expectations. Salesforce-native account planning experience is now a default for enterprise B2B.
Setting unrealistic KPIs. 100% gross retention is a fantasy in most categories.
Frequently asked questions
What's in a good account manager job description?
Role summary, responsibilities, required skills, KPIs, compensation framework, and differentiators by tier (AM, Senior AM, KAM, SAM).
What KPIs is an account manager measured on?
Gross renewal rate, net revenue retention, expansion ACV per account, account plan freshness, and QBR completion rate.
What's the difference between an account manager and a key account manager?
Portfolio size and depth of engagement. AM manages 15 to 30 accounts. KAM manages 5 to 10 strategic accounts with executive engagement and custom planning.
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