Strategic Account Director
Location: Halifax/Atlantic Region Canada
Department: Dealer Solutions - Account Management
Reports to: Director, Canada, Dealer Solutions - Account Management
Partners with: Performance Managers / Product SMEs, Professional Services, Customer Success, Support
Employment Type: Full-Time
Role Overview
The Strategic Account Director, Solera Dealer Solutions is the senior relationship and growth owner for a defined portfolio of high‑value, strategic automotive dealer groups. This role is accountable for retention, renewal execution, and expansion of existing business, with a strong emphasis on upsell growth, multi‑solution adoption, and long‑term partner alignment. This position has no responsibility for new logo acquisition.
The Strategic Account Director serves as a trusted advisor to dealer executive leadership, aligning Solera’s DMS, CRM, Service, and Marketing solutions to dealership‑level business objectives. Working closely with Solution Performance Managers (SPMs), Product SMEs, and Professional Services, the role ensures customers realize measurable ROI, increased operational efficiency, and expanded value from their Solera investment over time.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Relationship & Account Ownership
Own executive‑level relationships across assigned strategic accounts, including Corporate Management, Dealer Principals, General Managers, Fixed Ops Directors, BDC Leaders.
Position Solera as a long‑term strategic partner by aligning solutions to Group growth, profitability, and operational priorities.
Lead structured, value‑based executive business reviews focused on performance outcomes, roadmap alignment, and future growth opportunities.
Retention, Renewal & Revenue Expansion
Own renewal strategy, negotiation, and execution for assigned strategic accounts, ensuring high retention and contract continuity.
Proactively identify renewal risk, develop mitigation strategies, and mobilize cross‑functional resources to protect revenue.
Drive upsell and expansion revenue by identifying whitespace opportunities, multi‑solution adoption paths, and incremental module growth.
Articulate clear ROI and value stories that justify continued investment and expanded solution adoption.
Strategic Account Planning
Develop and maintain annual and quarterly strategic account plans that include:
Enterprise business goals across fixed ops, variable ops, and marketing
Current solution footprint and adoption maturity
Expansion targets and revenue growth opportunities
Risk indicators, renewal timelines, and mitigation strategies
Use account plans as a living document to guide engagement strategy and prioritize revenue‑generating initiatives.
Portfolio Expansion Focus
Drive growth across Solera’s solution portfolio, including:
DMS: Service, parts, accounting, and inventory workflows
CRM: Lead management, showroom effectiveness, and BDC optimization
Service: Service Suite check‑in, scheduling, inspections, and technician productivity
Marketing: Campaign execution, retention, reputation management, and equity mining through Sales Journey
Inventory+:
Partner with Product SMEs to position additional capabilities based on dealership performance gaps and growth objectives.
Product Adoption & Performance Enablement
Collaborate with Solution Performance Managers and Product SMEs to ensure deep adoption across strategic accounts.
Align performance engagements to dealership outcomes such as:
Increased service lane throughput
Improved lead response time and conversion rates
Reduced no‑shows through scheduling optimization
Higher marketing ROI and customer retention
Translate usage and performance insights into actionable upsell and optimization recommendations.
Customer Health & Risk Management
Monitor product utilization, customer satisfaction metrics (NPS/CSAT), support trends, and operational KPIs.
Identify early indicators of churn or dissatisfaction and lead corrective action plans.
Manage complex escalations by coordinating cross‑functional resolution efforts.
Cross‑Functional Leadership
Act as the quarterback across Customer Success, Professional Services, Product, Support, and Marketing teams.
Provide strategic field insight on competitive threats, dealer needs, adoption barriers, and product enhancement opportunities.
Partner with Marketing on targeted communications, executive events, and strategic account initiatives.
Qualifications
Required
3–6+ years of experience in automotive SaaS, dealership technology, or automotive retail operations.
Demonstrated success managing strategic or enterprise‑level accounts with retention and expansion responsibility.
Strong understanding of dealership operations across fixed ops, variable ops, CRM, and marketing.
Proven ability to drive upsell revenue and multi‑solution adoption within an existing customer base.
Strong executive communication, negotiation, and presentation skills.
Data‑driven approach to identifying growth opportunities and customer risk.
Preferred
Experience with automotive DMS, CRM, FixOps platforms.
Prior dealership leadership experience (Sales Management, Finance, BDC, Service lane).
Familiarity with OEM standards, compliance requirements, and certification programs.
Experience using structured account planning frameworks and customer health models.
Success Metrics
Strategic account renewal and retention rate
Net Dollar Retention (NDR) and upsell / expansion revenue growth
Multi‑solution adoption and utilization across portfolio
Customer satisfaction improvements and reduced escalations
Quality, accuracy, and execution of strategic account plans
Effectiveness of cross‑functional collaboration
Core Competencies
Strategic Customer Leadership – Trusted advisor at the executive level
Revenue Growth Mindset – Retention and expansion focused
Business Acumen – Deep understanding of dealer performance drivers
Account Strategy & Planning – Disciplined, outcome‑oriented
Influence & Communication – Confident, credible, and consultative
Cross‑Functional Collaboration – Leads without authority
Travel
60–75%, based on Customer engagement needs
Compensation
Competitive base salary with variable compensation aligned to renewal performance, upsell revenue, and adoption outcomes
Comprehensive benefits and professional development opportunities
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER
The Solera group is an equal opportunity employer and complies with all applicable federal, provincial, and local fair employment practices laws.
Skills Required
- 3-6+ years experience in automotive SaaS, dealership technology, or automotive retail operations
- Demonstrated success managing strategic or enterprise-level accounts with retention and expansion responsibility
- Strong understanding of dealership operations across fixed ops, variable ops, CRM, and marketing
- Proven ability to drive upsell revenue and multi-solution adoption within an existing customer base
- Strong executive communication, negotiation, and presentation skills
- Data-driven approach to identifying growth opportunities and customer risk
- Experience with automotive DMS, CRM, FixOps platforms
- Prior dealership leadership experience (Sales Management, Finance, BDC, Service lane)
- Familiarity with OEM standards, compliance requirements, and certification programs
- Experience using structured account planning frameworks and customer health models
What We Do
Solera is a leading global provider of integrated vehicle lifecycle and fleet management software-as-a-service, data, and services. Through four lines of business – vehicle claims, vehicle repairs, vehicle solutions and fleet solutions – Solera is home to many leading brands in the vehicle lifecycle ecosystem, including Identifix, Audatex, DealerSocket, Omnitracs, eDriving/Mentor, Explore, CAP HPI, Autodata, and others. Solera empowers its customers to succeed in the digital age by providing them with a “one-stop shop” solution that streamlines operations, offers data-driven analytics, and enhances customer engagement, which Solera believes helps customers drive sales, promote customer retention, and improve profit margins. Solera serves over 300,000 global customers and partners in 100+ countries. For more information, visit www.solera.com.
