Strategic Account Manager - Payments Card Products & Digital Services

Location : Austin, United States of America

Thales people architect identity management and data protection solutions at the heart of digital security. Business and governments rely on us to bring trust to the billons of digital interactions they have with people. Our technologies and services help banks exchange funds, people cross borders, energy become smarter and much more. More than 30,000 organizations already rely on us to verify the identities of people and things, grant access to digital services, analyze vast quantities of information and encrypt data to make the connected world more secure.

Hybrid- Austin, TX

Thales is hiring an Strategic Account Manager - Payments Card Products & Digital Services to support its US Large Accounts segment a key focus area within the PAY business line, dedicated to servicing Tier 1 accounts in the United States.

This role involves leading a portfolio of strategic accounts, taking full ownership of client relationship management, driving business growth, and delivering results in line with agreed targets. The Strategic Account Manager -Payments Card Products & Digital Services plays a critical role in ensuring customer satisfaction, retention, and strong business performance within this high-impact segment.

Key business focus areas include developing and executing strategies to drive profitable growth in our payment card manufacturing and personalization business and defining and delivering on account plans to grow our digital services footprint.

To succeed in this role, the Strategic Account Manager -Payments Card Products & Digital Services will build strong exposure to the payments industry while continuously develop market insight. They will drive results by influencing and aligning cross-functional teams across both the customer and Thales organizations. Success in this position requires an entrepreneurial mindset—bringing initiative, curiosity, and a high degree of autonomy. The ideal candidate is a natural team player and strong communicator, capable of fostering collaboration across teams and demonstrating the ability to persuade, influence, and negotiate effectively, both internally and with customers.

Key Areas of Resposibilities

1. Account Planning : Develop and maintain an account plan for each assigned account, outlining the strategy to grow in revenue and market share and aligning it with both internal teams and customer stakeholders. The plan should broadly include :

Identifying and defining strategic initiatives in collaboration with the customer to generate growth beyond business-as-usual, and to build a long-term partnership.

Gaining a deep understanding of the customer’s priorities, expectations, and long-term vision — and aligning Thales’ offerings to support their business goals.

Monitoring competitor activity within the account and sharing relevant insights with internal stakeholders.

Collaborating with Field Marketing to support execution of the plan, including identifying growth opportunities, defining “must-win” initiatives, shaping the engagement plan, co-creating value-based pricing strategies, and developing relevant segment content.

Lead commercial and contractual negotiations aligning with the objectives of the company and long-term relationship with the customer.

2. Orchestration & Stakeholder Alignment : Coordinate with cross-functional teams to ensure alignment and execution of the account strategy by :

Sharing timely and relevant information on the customer (e.g., strategy, organizational structure, needs, budget cycles), and serving as the voice of the customer internally.

Orchestrating and managing the extended account team across various activities (e.g., RFPs, project execution, product & service portfolio alignment, customer experience, contract management) and supporting all actions required to close Order Intake.

Providing regular and accurate forecasts of customer needs to ensure delivery readiness and internal alignment.

Monitoring and reporting on customer satisfaction issues and contributing to the improvement of customer satisfaction scores.

3. Customer Representation & Relationship Management : Serve as the key representative of Thales to the customer by :

Maximizing customer satisfaction through proactive engagement and follow-through.

Establishing trust and loyalty by driving joint actions and long-term collaboration with the customer.

Ensuring performance against revenue targets and growth objectives in the short- and medium-term by maintaining strong customer intimacy.

Leading and securing the execution of strategic initiatives as defined in the Account Plan

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance or Science & Technology with a minimum of 8-12+ years of relevant work experience or Master’s degree in field with 6+ years of relevant work experience

8+ years of work experience in account management or sales, preferably within the payments, fintech, or financial services industry.

Proven track record of managing enterprise accounts, with demonstrated success in driving account growth and improving client retention.

Strong understanding of payment cards, card networks (e.g., Visa, Mastercard), payment processors, gateways, and digital payment trends.

Familiarity with technology, regulatory and compliance requirements in the payments industry (e.g., PCI-DSS, EMV, etc.).

Strong relationship-building and client management skills.

Proven experience inn navigating complex commercial and legal negotiations.

Analytical and data-driven mindset with the ability to interpret metrics and identify business opportunities and execute against ambitious growth objectives.

Solid understanding of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) business models and solutions.

Ability to get into the details, identify areas of maximum impact to invest time and resources.

Comfortable with technical solutions and the ability to deep dive into discussions with technology teams.

Demonstrated ability to lead and close sales opportunities from discovery through validation, negotiation, and deal closure, while effectively leveraging internal resources.

Highly autonomous with a proactive and entrepreneurial mindset to drive business growth.

Proficiency in CRM platforms (e.g., Microsoft Dynamics) and other tools such as Microsoft Office or equivalent.

If you’re excited about working with Thales, but not meeting the requirements for this position, we encourage you to join our Talent Community!

You can upload your CV and our recruiters can get in touch with any new opportunities that may be of interest to you.

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This position will require successfully completing a post-offer background check. Qualified candidates with [a] criminal history will be considered and are not automatically disqualified, consistent with federal law, state law, and local ordinances.

We are an equal opportunity employer, including disability and veteran status. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected Veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by law.

If you need an accommodation or assistance in order to apply for a position with Thales, please contact us at talentacquisition@us.thalesgroup.com.

The reference Total Target Compensation (TTC) market range for this position, inclusive of annual base salary and the variable compensation target, is between

This reflects how companies in a similar industry and geographic region generally pay for similar jobs. This range helps the Company make pay decisions as one data point among many. Where a position falls within this range is also dependent on other factors including – but not limited to – the employee’s career path history, competencies, skills and performance, as well as the company’s annual salary budget, the customer’s program requirements, and the company’s internal equity. Thales may offer additional benefits and other compensation, depending on circumstances not related to an applicant’s status protected by local, state, or federal law.

(For Internal candidate, if you need more information, please reach out to your HR Shared Service, 1st Point)

Thales provides an extensive benefits program for all full-time employees working 30 or more hours per week and their eligible dependents, including the following :

• Elective Health, Dental, Vision, FSA / HSA, Voluntary Life and AD&D, Whole Group Life w / LTC, Critical Illness, Hospital Indemnity, Accident Insurance, Legal Plan, Identity Theft, and Pet Insurance
• Retirement Savings Plan after 30 days of employment with a company contribution and a match, and with no vesting period
• Company paid holidays and Paid Time Off
• Company provided Life Insurance, AD&D, Disability, Employee Assistance Plan, and Well-being Program