Strategic Account Manager

As a Strategic Account Manager – Banking, you will take full ownership of complex client relationships within Reward’s banking portfolio. You will be responsible for driving client satisfaction, retention and revenue growth through proactive account management, strong governance and a deep understanding of client priorities. 
 
You will act as a trusted partner to banking clients across loyalty, digital, payments and customer engagement teams, working closely with Account Managers, and Account Directors to translate client needs into clear plans, actions and outcomes. You will operate in a matrixed environment, aligning Product, Operations, Marketing, Data, Engineering and Partnerships around client delivery and growth. 
 
The role combines hands-on ownership of key accounts with increasing commercial, strategic and mentoring responsibility. 

Requirements

• Must have demonstrable account management experience, including ownership of B2B client relationships and account plans
• Must have experience in retail banking, payments, loyalty or closely related sectors
• 5+ years’ experience managing multi-stakeholder client relationshipsinB2B environments
• Proven ability to drive client satisfaction, retention and revenue growth through proactive and consultative strategic account management
• Strong commercial acumen, with experience identifying growth opportunities and supporting renewals, expansions and commercial conversations
• Confident, credible communicator able to engage and influence senior stakeholders internally and externally
• Strong understanding of KPIs, performance management and customer engagement and loyalty drivers
• Experience operating effectively in fast-paced, matrixed organisations, balancing strategic priorities with hands-on delivery

Responsibilities

Client Relationship and Account Ownership: 

• Own the end-to-end management of assigned banking and financial services accounts, acting as the primary day-to-day and senior relationship lead
• Develop a deep understanding of each client’s business goals, priorities and challenges, translating these into detailed account plans
• Build trusted relationships with client stakeholders across loyalty, digital, payments, marketing and customer engagement teams
• Lead regular client engagement, proactively identifying needs, opportunities, risks and actions to improve the client experience
• Support Account Directors and the VP of Banking on senior forums, renewals, road map discussions and commercial conversations

 
Commercial Growth and Client Success: 

• Be accountable for client satisfaction, retention and growth across your assigned accounts
• Identify, develop and progress opportunities for additional products, services and partnership value in collaboration with Sales and Product teams
• Use performance data, market insight and client feedback to shape recommendations, improve outcomes and support commercial growth
• Maintain robust account plans, opportunity tracking and governance records to support forecasting and pipeline visibility

Strategic Delivery and Cross-functional Collaboration: 

• Oversee the end-to-end client lifecycle across onboarding, BAU, change and continuous improvement activity
• Lead QBRs, MBRs and client governance forums, ensuring clear narratives, insight-led updates, decision-making and closure of actions
• Act as the escalation point for complex client issues, coordinating internal teams to resolve challenges quickly and effectively
• Partner with Product, Operations, Marketing, Data, Engineering and Partnerships to ensure client commitments are understood and delivered
• Manage change requests, BRDs and supporting documentation, working with senior colleagues on SOWs, contracts and commercial approvals
• Champion process improvements and best-practice ways of working that improve consistency, scalability and client experience across Banking

 
Data, Insights and Team Contribution: 

• Lead the development of customer segmentation, personalisation and loyalty strategies that support client objectives and maximise long-term value
• Use advanced analytics, KPIs and market insight to refine partnership strategies and align activity to client and Reward objectives
• Share best practice across the Customer Engagement team to improve account management standards and commercial focus
• Mentor and support Account Managers and junior client-facing colleagues, providing guidance on client relationship management and professional growth

Governance & Compliance 

• Ensure client accounts operate in line with Reward’s regulatory, compliance, contractual and audit requirements
• Support internal and external audits, ensuring documentation, processes and controls are accurate, robust and up to date
• Proactively manage client-specific compliance obligations and governance milestones in partnership with internal stakeholders 

Benefits

• Annual Leave: 25 days + bank holidays 
• Ability to buy and sell holiday days as well as the ability to bank days (tenure dependant) 
• Flexible working options: we are operating a hybrid working model with 3 days a week from the office
• Pension: Hargreaves Lansdown up to 6% matched contribution 
• Employee share scheme
• Generous family friendly cover
• Private healthcare - Bupa 
• Income protection
• Critical illness cover
• Life insurance cover
• Dental cover
• Optical cover
• Yulife app for access to employee wellbeing and discounts 
• Perks at Work, cashback/discount shopping site
• Employee referral scheme 
• Salary sacrifice program which includes cycle to work scheme, electric car scheme and season ticket loans
• Volunteering program
• Company events i.e. Christmas party, all-company event and other social/hosted events during the year (we have an active social committee!)
• Team socials