The National Account Director – Government, is responsible for providing total account management for a portfolio of high value complex government agencies in an effort to increase Marriott’s preference, loyalty, and profitable share. By applying the principles of strategic account management, this position provides overall leadership and direction in the development of business-to-business strategies to build long-term, value-based relationships between identified Marriott Hotels and to their portfolio of Government agencies. As total account manager, this individual will develop solid and broad relationships with the key buyers with the purpose of mapping all revenue opportunities to grow share and drive superior business results.

Specific areas of responsibility include establishing, managing and communicating overall account strategies in alignment with the overall government sector, including associated government agencies (Military & Embassies) priorities, mapping buyers to Hotels, and growing market share and revenue targets. Liaising with relevant cross-discipline resources (corporate, regional, market, property) to ensure effective pull-through of account strategies.

SCOPE / BUSINESS CONTEXT

Responsibilities for the position will include the following:

Total Account Management

• Develop and implement the overall account strategy in alignment with segment strategic goals. Promote accountability to achieve desired business results.
• Grow account revenue through account penetration, management and implementation of strategic initiatives.
• Assist in developing optimal Total Account Management property teams that are focused on delivering customer value and growing account share. Develop and enhance the concepts of total account management and team-based sales.
• Establish and maintain strong business relationships with key buying influencers. Act as the customer’s advocate through understanding account customer specific needs and opportunities. Monitor current and future customer needs, goals and attitudes including competitor activity to guide targeted solution development; remove barriers to business solution development.
• Harness and coordinate cross-discipline resources (market, corporate) to ensure pull-through of account strategies and selling solutions. Develop a close working relationship with operations and Market resources to establish integrated sales strategies that maximize customer relationships within the hotel portfolio and ensure pull-through of strategies at the hotel level.
• Liaise with relevant cross-discipline groups to resolve customer issues and ensure profitability of the account.
• When required, partner with the GSO Account Manager (Business Transient), global account leads and the PAS team to manage the annual RFP process and lead negotiations of preferred hotel agreements with customers.
• Lead the sales efforts for new and existing revenue streams within the government segment.
• Lead efforts to educate and communicate total account management and team-based sales principles to cross-discipline groups including Revenue Management, Market, Area, Property and Owner/Franchise partners.
• Attend and participate in all relevant customer events and trade shows.
• Serve as a proactive leader on the Sales team by providing input and execution to corporate initiatives. Establish strong partnerships between field and corporate by maintaining a productive dialog and exchange of ideas.

Organizational Excellence

• Champion business transformation and change efforts in support of Sales and Distribution strategies.
• Maintain operational excellence by directing productive, streamlined administrative functions.
• Ensure that the latest sales tools, including CI/SFA and other value-added products & services, are being leveraged effectively to maximize productivity and build sustainable competitive advantage.

Operational Excellence

• Achieve account revenue and sales goals as defined by segment leadership.
• Ensure the development of account plans that focus on improving market share, leveraging efficiencies, generating revenue and reducing overhead.
• Leverage methodologies, technical and business knowledge across the sales organisation
• Translate customer and account needs into a range of support products and services that maximize returns.
• Anticipate and identify business opportunities and challenges and respond with a profitable strategy that aligns with overall business direction.
• Leverage all available sales channels, i.e., marriott.com, group and transient intermediaries, field sales, worldwide reservation offices, etc, in an effort to optimize sales revenues.
• Conduct competitive assessments of lodging competitors, group intermediaries, technology companies, etc., and include in annual strategic planning process. Provide updates to Marriott Senior Management as appropriate.

MANAGEMENT COMPETENCIES

• Leadership
  • Adaptability – Determines how change impacts self and others; displays flexibility in adjusting priorities; and communicates both the reasons for change and how it impacts the workplace.
  • Communication – Customizes approach to conveying complex information and ideas to others in a convincing and engaging manner; appropriately interprets verbal and non-verbal behavior; and models active listening to ensure understanding.
  • Problem Solving and Decision Making – Models and coaches others on breaking complex issues into manageable parts, identifying and evaluating alternatives and their implications before making decisions, and involving and gaining agreement from others when making key decisions.
  • Professional Demeanor – Exhibits behavioral styles that convey confidence and command respect from others; makes a good first impression and represents the company in alignment with its values.
• Managing Execution
  • Building and Contributing to Teams – Leads and participates as a member of a team to move the team toward the completion of common goals while fostering cohesion and collaboration among team members.
  • Driving for Results – Sets high standards of performance for self and/or others; assumes responsibility for work objectives; initiates, focuses, and monitors the efforts of self and/or others toward the accomplishment goals; proactively takes action and goes beyond what is required.
  • Planning and Organizing – Gathers information and resources required to set a plan of action for self and/or others; prioritizes and arranges work requirements for self and/or others to accomplish goals and ensure work is completed.
• Building Relationships
• Coworker Relationships – Interacts with others in a way that builds openness, trust, and confidence in the pursuit of organizational goals and lasting relationships.
• Customer Relationships – Develops and sustains relationships based on an understanding of customer needs and actions consistent with the company’s service standards.
• Global Mindset – Supports employees and business partners with diverse styles, abilities, motivations, and/or cultural perspectives; utilizes differences to drive innovation, engagement and enhance business results; and ensures employees are given the opportunity to contribute to their full potential.
• Generating Talent and Organizational Capability
  • Organizational Capability – Evaluates and adapts the structure of team assignments and work processes to best fit the needs and/or support the goals of an organizational unit.
  • Talent Management – Provides guidance and feedback to help individuals develop and strengthen skills and abilities needed to accomplish work objectives.
• Learning and Applying Professional Expertise
  • Applied Learning – Seeks and makes the most of learning opportunities to improve performance of self and/or others.
  • Business Acumen – Understands and utilizes business information to manage everyday operations and generate innovative solutions to approach team, business, and administrative challenges.
  • Technical Acumen – Understands and utilizes professional skills and knowledge in a specific functional area to conduct.
    • Devising Sales Strategies and Solutions – Trying different and novel ways to deal with sales challenges and opportunities; taking courses of action or developing sales strategies that appropriately consider available facts, constraints, competitive circumstances, and probable consequences.
    • Sales Disposition – Demonstrating the traits, inclinations, and outlooks that characterize successful salespersons; exhibiting behavior styles that facilitate adaptation to the demands of the sales roles
    • Sales Opportunity Analysis – Understanding and utilizing economic, financial, industry, and organizational data; accurately diagnosing customers’ business strengths, weaknesses, and key issues that can inform sales strategies and plans.
    • Team Based Selling – Ability to harness and leverage appropriate sales resources to facilitate goal accomplishment.
    • Financial Acumen – Solid understanding of revenue and profitability drivers for Marriott International’s properties and brands (e.g., ability to analyze Profit and Loss (P&L) statements, develop operating budgets, forecasting and capital expenditure planning).
    • Management of Financial Resources– Ability to analyze Profit and Loss (P&L) statements, develop operating budgets and revenue goals, forecasting, and capital expenditure planning; determining how money will be spent to get the work done, and accounting for these expenditures.
    • Revenue Management – Knowledge of total hotel revenue management concepts, processes and strategies (including sales cycles and trends, account management, pricing, and inventory management).
  • Basic Competencies – Fundamental competencies required for accomplishing basic work activities.
    • Basic Computer Skills – Uses basic computer hardware and software (e.g., personal computers, word processing software, Internet browsers, etc.).
    • Mathematical Reasoning – Demonstrates ability to add, subtract, multiply, or divide quickly, correctly, and in a way that allows one to solve work-related issues.
    • Oral Comprehension – Demonstrates ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
    • Reading Comprehension – Demonstrates understanding of written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
    • Writing – Communicates effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience

CANDIDATE PROFILE

Experience

• 6-8 years of hotel industry work experience, demonstrating progressive career growth and a pattern of exceptional performance.
• Previous Government sales experience preferred.
• Account management experience, specifically complex accounts required
• Experience evaluating business trends and developing and successfully implementing new business programs or strategies that enhance business performance
• Demonstrated ability to deliver results under difficult conditions, even when faced with complexity and ambiguity.
• Effective multi-level communicator between hotels and clients and problem solver

Education or Certification

• College degree and related experience generally required.
• English language written and spoken

PERSONAL COMPETENCIES (Knowledge, Skills, Abilities and Other Attributes)

• Ability to act as a strategic business advisor – strong business diagnosing and consultative skills; strategic thinker; processes information through a strategic lens and applies tenants of systems thinking to issues / assignments
• Exceptional networking and prospecting skills.
• Strong negotiating skills.
• Ability to balance creative solution-development with pragmatic business considerations.
• Must have good business acumen skills (e.g., keeping current on industry practices and developments; ability to evaluate business trends and develop successful solutions that meet customer needs and bring incremental business).
• Must have good financial acumen (e.g., using budgets and forecasts to manage financial performance; identifying and using key financial indicators to measure business performance, understanding ROI of the account etc.).
• Demonstrated competency for planning, delegating, implementing, managing and improving processes that bring initiatives to a successful conclusion.
• Gather and analyze information from a variety of sources; probe for underlying causes; consider alternative solutions before making decisions; advance problems toward resolution when encountering ambiguity or uncertainty; make sound decisions in a timely manner
• Approach problems with open-mindedness, generate innovative ideas and solutions, stimulate creativity and innovation in others.
• Develop and maintain effective relationships with both internal and external stakeholders. Actively engage the right stakeholders from other HQ disciplines and the market to refine account offerings.
• Ability to sell ideas and influence persuasively, settling differences and winning concessions without damaging relationships; can be both direct and forceful while remaining diplomatic.
• Strong organizational navigation acumen – cross-discipline understanding and ability to mobilize organizational resources to achieve superior business results.
• Bring a global perspective to ideas and solutions. Has a cross-discipline and cross-regional understanding and is knowledgeable about MI brands, sales and marketing strategies and service offerings.
• Ability to balance strategic thinking into idea execution.
• Active learner – able to enhance personal, professional and business growth through new knowledge and experiences; pushes the organization to learn from other industries’ standards and practices.

Marriott International is an equal opportunity employer. We believe in hiring a diverse workforce and sustaining an inclusive, people-first culture. We are committed to non-discrimination on any protected basis, such as disability and veteran status, or any other basis covered under applicable law.

Marriott International is the world’s largest hotel company, with more brands, more hotels and more opportunities for associates to grow and succeed. Be where you can do your best work, begin your purpose, belong to an amazing global team, and become the best version of you.