What does a global account director do?
Global account managers are executive professionals who manage global staff in work and design procedures to generate profitable sales in existing and new business accounts of an organization. These managers must analyze the requirements of all their customers so that they can develop solutions and provide assistance to a variety of services and products. They must maintain relationships with key customers while preparing market strategies to enhance growth. Global account managers must also update their knowledge on all new technology in business by participating in various industry events and conferences.
Global account director responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real global account director resumes:
- Supervise insurance billing maintenance and review all manage care contractual adjustments to ensure patients are billed correctly prior to self-pay transfer.
- Research and purchase CRM system to facilitate customer feedback and retention.
- Utilize and champion state-of-the-art technology, including CRM and Hoteligence tools.
- Supervise insurance billing maintenance and review all manage care contractual adjustments to ensure patients are billed correctly prior to self-pay transfer.
- Process payroll using several payroll-processing systems.
Global account director skills and personality traits
We calculated that 14% of Global Account Directors are proficient in Account Management, Global Account, and Business Development. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Communication skills, and Customer-service skills.
We break down the percentage of Global Account Directors that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Account Management, 14%
Led six-person core account management team and regional cross-functional agency teams.
- Global Account, 11%
Tasked with accelerating market growth of the global account business unit and creating/implementing a nation-wide Regional Global Account Manager Program.
- Business Development, 9%
Implemented new business development procedure resulting in a 21% increase in annual proposal wins.
- Portfolio, 7%
Specialized in Application Portfolio Management, Project/Program Management Office and creating cost effective solutions utilizing global delivery.
- Customer Satisfaction, 7%
Implemented new processes resulting in a 60% efficiency improvement and improved customer satisfaction.
- Cloud, 5%
Provided enterprise services, software licensing and cloud based solutions.
Most global account directors use their skills in "account management," "global account," and "business development" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential global account director responsibilities here:
Analytical skills. One of the key soft skills for a global account director to have is analytical skills. You can see how this relates to what global account directors do because "sales managers must collect and interpret complex data to target the most promising geographic areas and demographic groups, and determine the most effective sales strategies." Additionally, a global account director resume shows how global account directors use analytical skills: "directed team of 35 global account managers selling wireless voice & data services to fortune 1000 companies based in south florida. "
Communication skills. Many global account director duties rely on communication skills. "sales managers need to work with colleagues and customers, so they must be able to communicate clearly.," so a global account director will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways global account director responsibilities rely on communication skills: "increased revenue growth year-over-year by 12%+ even in in down-market times for telecommunications. "
Customer-service skills. global account directors are also known for customer-service skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to global account director responsibilities, because "when helping to make a sale, sales managers must listen and respond to the customer’s needs." A global account director resume example shows how customer-service skills is used in the workplace: "maintained responsibility for carey international's global accounts with strong customer relationships. "
Leadership skills. For certain global account director responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "leadership skills." The day-to-day duties of a global account director rely on this skill, as "sales managers must be able to evaluate how their sales staff performs and must develop strategies for meeting sales goals." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what global account directors do: "provided ongoing leadership, support and direction to the sales and service teams and managers to ensure effective account management. "
The three companies that hire the most global account directors are:
- Salesforce10 global account directors jobs
- QuintilesIMS6 global account directors jobs
- Thermo Fisher Scientific5 global account directors jobs
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Compare different global account directors
Global account director vs. Vice president, business development
A vice president of business development is an individual who leads in the execution of business plans and provides new business strategies for an organization. Vice presidents of business development closely work with a team of salespeople, management, and lower-level employees to secure contracts with new customers and manage ongoing agreements. They often travel to participate in business conferences and meetings with vendors and suppliers. Vice presidents of business development must also possess a bachelor's degree in business administration or marketing.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between global account directors and vice president, business development. For instance, global account director responsibilities require skills such as "global account," "portfolio," "customer satisfaction," and "cloud." Whereas a vice president, business development is skilled in "business strategy," "financial services," "product development," and "sales process." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Vice presidents, business development earn the highest salaries when working in the manufacturing industry, with an average yearly salary of $164,511. On the other hand, global account directors are paid more in the media industry with an average salary of $126,959.vice presidents, business development tend to reach similar levels of education than global account directors. In fact, vice presidents, business development are 0.2% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.7% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Global account director vs. Senior business development manager
As senior business development manager is mainly responsible for creating and maintaining solid relationships and making business decisions. They do plan ways to grow the business, find areas of client needs, manage business negotiations, and review and approve other business decisions. It is expected in their job to seamlessly complete target deadlines and delegate tasks to subordinates. Moreover, they should be able to have good working relationships with employees and clients, so good communication and interpersonal skills are necessary.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, global account director responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "global account," "portfolio," "client satisfaction," and "international travel." Meanwhile, a senior business development manager has duties that require skills in areas such as "business relationships," "project management," "market research," and "strategic partnerships." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Senior business development managers may earn a higher salary than global account directors, but senior business development managers earn the most pay in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $128,937. On the other hand, global account directors receive higher pay in the media industry, where they earn an average salary of $126,959.In general, senior business development managers achieve similar levels of education than global account directors. They're 1.0% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 1.7% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Global account director vs. Director of sales & business development
A director of sales & business development is responsible for monitoring the business and project plans, ensuring that the sales targets are met, according to project requirements and specifications. Directors of sales & business development perform data analysis to track business performance and identify opportunities to grow revenues and profits. They also coordinate with the clients and maintain healthy business relationships by enhancing their brand image on various platforms and reach the target audience. A director of sales & business development works closely with the marketing and sales team for public relations and marketing campaigns placement.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a global account director is likely to be skilled in "global account," "portfolio," "customer satisfaction," and "client satisfaction," while a typical director of sales & business development is skilled in "value proposition," "sales cycle," "leveraged," and "lead qualification."
Directors of sales & business development earn the best pay in the technology industry, where they command an average salary of $127,443. Global account directors earn the highest pay from the media industry, with an average salary of $126,959.Most directors of sales & business development achieve a lower degree level compared to global account directors. For example, they're 5.9% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.8% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Global account director vs. Director new business development
A director of new business development is in charge of spearheading new programs and procedures, ensuring efficiency and smooth workflow. It is their duty to set goals and objectives in adherence to the company's vision and mission, establishing guidelines, allocating budgets, and overseeing the progress of all efforts. Furthermore, as a director of new business development, it is essential to lead and encourage the workforce to reach goals, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
Types of global account director
Updated January 8, 2025
