Description
The Nokia Client Executive (CE), is the senior most sales leader and relationship owner for one of Nokia's largest customers, serving as a trusted advisor for the client and an empowered leader across all Nokia business groups (BGs). The position is responsible for building and maintaining customer CxO level relationships, driving critical customer engagements, and proactively addressing issues to ensure a consistent, seamless, and strategic customer experience. The CE understands and prioritizes customer interests, encourages and facilitates collaboration, and presents a unified ONE Nokia approach in all engagements. The role oversees all sales and go-to-market (GTM) functions for a customer across the Nokia portfolio in a matrix organization structure. By consistently acting as the customer's advocate and voice of the customer, the Client Executive builds a strong strategic partnership focused on ensuring customer satisfaction and long-term customer success.
Responsibilities
Scope
• Build and maintain strong relationships with customer CxOs, leaders and stakeholders to align all sales efforts with the customer's business, technology, and transformation objectives.
• Develop and execute a strategic account plan to achieve financial objectives and drive growth across Nokia's portfolio, ensuring alignment with the customer's evolving needs.
• Directly manage an Enterprise Architect (CTO) and lead a diverse team of sales professionals and cross-functional teams in a matrix organization, ensuring alignment with Nokia's overall and BG strategic objectives.
• Possess insights into market trends and a deep understanding of the customer's business, challenges, and competitive landscape, to inform strategic decisions, provide innovative solutions, and drive value creation.
• Serve as the primary customer advocate within Nokia to ensure customer success and customer satisfaction. Aim to establish the client as a trusted advocate and reference for Nokia.
• Function as a business enabler, partnering with Nokia senior leaders, aligning BG sales teams, and facilitating cross-BG collaboration to ensure consistent, high-quality customer interactions and a unified customer experience.
• Maintain strong portfolio knowledge across all BGs, enabling impactful conversations and interactions with customers.
• Lead or support commercial and contractual negotiations, serving as Nokia's strategic leader for the account.
• Promote Nokia's thought leadership and solutions innovations at industry events and to external partners and stakeholders.
Key Deliverables
• Own the primary CxO relationships for the account, and facilitate senior-level customer engagements, particularly at the CxO level.
• Develop and execute a long-term account strategy and plan spanning the portfolio in close collaboration with the BGs.
• Partner with the Nokia Client CTO/EA and BG GTM teams to design a holistic technical roadmap for the account including current and future opportunities across the portfolio.
• Achieve financial targets with consistent and sustainable growth across the portfolio and in new technology domains.
• Develop and sustain a robust sales pipeline with effective opportunity management grounded in data-driven principles to support strong sales performance and deliver financial outcomes.
• Drive proactive quarterly executive engagements and Executive Review Meetings (ERMs) with Nokia and customer leadership.
• Define and implement customer satisfaction action plans across all BGs with a focus on continuous improvement.
Leadership Characteristics & Qualities
• Seasoned senior sales executive with deep industry, market, and customer insights.
• Analytical thinker with a deep understanding of telecommunications technologies, and CSP transformation and business challenges.
• Highly collaborative, prioritizing Nokia's overall business interests while enabling engagements to drive business growth across the portfolio.
• Ability to lead and inspire virtual sales teams and large, diverse cross-functional teams in a matrix organization model.
• Ability to develop and execute strategic plans with a focus on innovation and customer success.
• A purposeful and results-driven mindset with a strong focus on customer success, quality, and continuous improvement.
• An executive presence and the ability to influence decisi
Qualifications
Key Skills & Experience
• 15+ years of sales experience in the telecommunications industry, with proven success as an executive sales leader supporting Tier 1 telecom operators.
• Proven track record of exceeding sales targets, developing and executing sales strategies contributing to revenue growth, and navigating complex sales cycles.
• Ability to think strategically, analyze client needs, develop innovative strategies and solutions, and execute methodically in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
• Possess a deep understanding of the market, telecommunications domains, and current and new technology trends, with the ability to navigate and excel in a complex sales environment.
• Effective communication, interpersonal and presentation skills with the ability to engage with and develop a strong rapport with clients at all levels, including the C-level.
• Ability to build trust, establish rapport, and nurture long-term client relationships. Established relationships with customer CxOs and leaders is highly beneficial.
Success Criteria
• Achievement of financial targets (overall, per BG), growth in new technology domains, and share of wallet from winning new business and displacing the competition.
• Disciplined pipeline and opportunity management with a strong focus on thought leadership, cross BG solutions, innovation/co-creation programs, and strategic customer initiatives.
• Account plan content that provides long-term value to the CSP and drives new business growth.
• Thought leadership and contribution to Nokia cross-BG collaboration and customer initiatives.
• Improvement in customer satisfaction, based on customer feedback and surveys, with a specific focus on One Nokia perception.
• Internal stakeholder feedback on the CE's overall effectiveness and impact.