6 free templates by type. Download as DOCX or copy-paste.
Hiring an account manager is the moment a business stops depending on the owner for every client relationship. It is also a hire where the job description carries unusual weight, because the title covers several different jobs: a quota-carrying seller, a strategic partner for a handful of big accounts, a product-fluent SaaS role, or a friendly first hire taking client check-ins off the owner's plate. Post the wrong version and you interview the wrong people for weeks.
At FirstHR, we build for small businesses that hire without an HR department, where the owner writes the posting and then personally hands over the client relationships. The six templates below cover the real versions of this role: standard, key account, sales, technical, senior, and the entry-level first hire that no job board offers. Each is ready to use. Fill in the bracketed fields, settle the quota question, and post. For the general principles behind any posting, the guide to writing a job description covers the fundamentals.
TL;DR
Six free, ready-to-use account manager job description templates: Standard, Key Account, Sales, Technical / SaaS, Senior, and Entry-Level / First Hire for small businesses. Download as DOCX, customize the bracketed fields, and post in minutes. Before posting, settle the two questions that define the role: does it carry a quota, and what exactly is the portfolio.
What Is an Account Manager?
An account manager owns relationships with existing clients: they are the main point of contact, they keep clients successful and renewed, and they grow each account through upsells and cross-sells. Where salespeople bring clients in, account managers make sure they stay and expand, which makes the role the revenue engine that most small businesses run on without naming it.
The job description is where that broad title gets pinned to your specific opening. The SHRM job description tools describe a job description as a plain-language summary of a position's tasks, duties, and responsibilities, and for account management the plain language has a second payoff: clarity about expectations. Gallup's research on engagement finds that fewer than half of U.S. employees strongly agree they know what is expected of them at work, and for a role measured on retention numbers and relationship quality, the job description is the first and cheapest place to fix that. The O*NET profile for the closest federal classification shows how broad the underlying skill set runs; your posting should name the slice your business needs.
Account Manager Responsibilities and Duties
Account manager responsibilities fall into four areas: relationship management as the main point of contact, retention and renewals, growth through upsells and cross-sells, and reporting with clean CRM discipline. The weight between them defines which version of the role you are hiring. These are the duties grouped the way the templates use them.
Relationship management
Serve as the main point of contact
Run regular check-ins and reviews
Resolve issues and manage escalations
Retention & renewals
Own renewal conversations
Monitor account health and churn signals
Step in early on at-risk accounts
Growth & expansion
Identify upsell and cross-sell opportunities
Prepare proposals for expansion
Grow revenue from existing clients
Reporting & operations
Keep CRM records and notes current
Forecast renewals and revenue
Report portfolio health to leadership
A good posting picks 6 to 10 concrete duties from these areas and attaches real numbers where they exist: the account count, the retention expectation, the revenue target if there is one. For a structured way to scope the role before writing, the guide to defining job responsibilities walks through the process.
Account Manager vs Account Executive
These two titles get confused constantly, including by candidates, and posting the wrong one fills your inbox with mismatched applications. The distinction is simple: account executives acquire, account managers retain and grow.
Factor
Account Manager
Account Executive
Core mandate
Retain and grow existing clients
Acquire new clients and close deals
Pipeline
Renewals, upsells, cross-sells
New leads and opportunities
Primary metrics
Retention, churn, net revenue retention
New bookings, win rate, quota
Relationship span
Long-term, post-sale
Short-term, through the close
Typical comp structure
Base plus retention or growth variable
Base plus new-business commission
At a small business the lines blur: the owner often closes new deals while the account manager keeps clients happy afterward, or one person does both. If your opening leans toward acquiring new business, the business development templates fit better, and if it involves managing a selling team, see the sales manager templates. The templates on this page cover the retain-and-grow side.
Which Template Should You Use?
Pick the template that matches the mandate and the level. The core structure is the same across all six, but each version carries different metrics, compensation language, and scope. Use this guide to choose.
Standard
Most small businesses
The universal baseline: portfolio ownership, retention, upsell, CRM hygiene, and reporting. Start here if your role does not fit a specific type.
Key Account
Strategic, high-value clients
A small portfolio of accounts that carry real revenue weight: account plans, quarterly business reviews, and net revenue retention ownership.
Sales Account Manager
Quota-carrying
Revenue-first: a quarterly target from existing accounts, pipeline discipline, commission structure, and forecast accountability.
Technical / SaaS
Software and tech services
Product fluency plus relationship work: onboarding to first value, usage monitoring, churn signals, and net revenue retention.
Senior
Complex accounts, mentorship
The most complex relationships plus informal leadership: mentoring juniors, building the playbook, and rescuing at-risk accounts.
Entry-Level / First Hire
Small business, we train you
Written for the owner handing off client relationships for the first time: trainable scope, warmth over credentials, and a growth path. The version no job board offers.
Match the Template to the Mandate
Two questions sort it quickly. First, the money: quota-carrying revenue growth means Sales; retention and satisfaction means Standard or Entry-Level. Second, the portfolio: a few strategic clients that carry your revenue means Key Account; a software product with onboarding and churn metrics means Technical / SaaS; complex accounts plus mentoring the team means Senior; and the owner handing off client relationships for the first time means Entry-Level / First Hire.
6 Free Account Manager Job Description Templates
Download all six as a single Word document or copy individual templates. Each one follows the same structure: company overview, job summary, key responsibilities, qualifications, compensation, and how to apply, with the portfolio and metrics fields built in. Fill in the brackets before you post.
Download All 6 Job Description Templates
Standard, key account, sales, technical, senior, and entry-level first hire. All in one DOCX.
Template 1: Standard Account Manager
The universal baseline: portfolio ownership, retention, upsell, CRM hygiene, and reporting, with fill-in fields for the account count and retention target.
Standard Account Manager Job Description
ACCOUNT MANAGER JOB DESCRIPTION
Company: __
Location: __ ([ ] On-site [ ] Hybrid [ ] Remote)
Reports to: __
Employment type: [ ] Full-time
Compensation: $_____ base + $_____ variable (OTE: $_)
ABOUT [COMPANY NAME]
[One or two sentences about your business, your customers, and why keeping
them happy matters to how you grow.]
JOB SUMMARY
[Company Name] is hiring an Account Manager to own relationships with our
existing clients. You will be the main point of contact for a portfolio of
accounts, keep clients successful and renewed, spot opportunities to grow
each relationship, and bring client feedback back to the team. This role
suits a relationship builder who is organized enough to manage many accounts
and commercial enough to grow them.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
•Own a portfolio of ____ client accounts as their main point of contact
•Build strong relationships through regular check-ins and reviews
•Drive renewals and keep client retention at or above ____%
•Identify and close upsell and cross-sell opportunities
•Resolve client issues quickly, pulling in the right teammates
•Keep account records, notes, and pipeline current in our CRM: ___________
•Report on account health, revenue, and risks to leadership
•Share client feedback with [product / operations / leadership]
REQUIRED SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS
•____ + years of account management, sales, or client-facing experience
•Strong written and verbal communication
•Organization to manage many accounts without dropping threads
•Comfort discussing renewals, pricing, and growth with clients
•CRM proficiency
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
•Experience in [your industry]
•Track record of retention or growth numbers you can show
COMPENSATION AND HOW TO APPLY
Base salary: $_____ + variable: $_____ (OTE: $_____)
Benefits: __
To apply, email __ with your resume and one example of
a client relationship you grew, by _.
[Company Name] is an equal opportunity employer.
Template 2: Key Account Manager
For a small portfolio of strategic, high-value clients: written account plans, quarterly business reviews, multi-level relationships, and net revenue retention ownership.
Key Account Manager Job Description
KEY ACCOUNT MANAGER JOB DESCRIPTION
Company: __
Location: __
Reports to: [Head of Sales / CEO]
Employment type: [ ] Full-time
Compensation: $_____ base + $_____ variable (OTE: $_)
JOB SUMMARY
[Company Name] is hiring a Key Account Manager to own our most strategic
client relationships. You will manage a small portfolio of high-value
accounts that represent a large share of our revenue, build multi-level
relationships inside each one, lead strategic account plans, and protect and
grow net revenue retention. This role suits an experienced account manager
who treats each account like a business of its own.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
ACCOUNT PORTFOLIO
•Own ____ strategic accounts representing $____________ in annual revenue
•Build relationships across stakeholders, from users to decision makers
•Run quarterly business reviews with each key account
STRATEGIC PLANNING
•Build and maintain a written account plan for every key account
•Forecast renewals, expansion, and risk for your portfolio
•Lead renewal negotiations and multi-year agreements
GROWTH AND RETENTION
•Protect and grow net revenue retention across the portfolio
•Identify expansion opportunities and coordinate the team to win them
•Escalate and resolve account risks before they become churn
REQUIRED SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS
•____ + years managing large or strategic client accounts
•Proven retention and expansion results you can demonstrate
•Strong negotiation and executive communication skills
•Experience running structured account plans and business reviews
•CRM and forecasting discipline
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
•Experience in [your industry]
•Experience with accounts of comparable size and complexity
COMPENSATION AND HOW TO APPLY
Base salary: $_____ + variable: $_____ (OTE: $_____)
To apply, email __ with your resume and a summary of
the largest account relationship you have owned, by _.
[Company Name] is an equal opportunity employer.
Still Using Spreadsheets for Onboarding?
Automate documents, training assignments, task management, and track onboarding progress in real time.
The quota-carrying version: a quarterly revenue target from existing accounts, pipeline discipline, commission structure fields, and forecast accountability.
Sales Account Manager Job Description
SALES ACCOUNT MANAGER JOB DESCRIPTION
Company: __
Location: __
Reports to: [Sales Manager / Owner]
Employment type: [ ] Full-time
Compensation: $_____ base + commission (OTE: $_____)
JOB SUMMARY
[Company Name] is hiring a Sales Account Manager to grow revenue from our
existing client base. This is a quota-carrying role: you will own renewals,
upsells, and cross-sells across your accounts, manage your pipeline in the
CRM, and hit a number every quarter. This role suits an account manager who
likes the relationship side and the scoreboard side equally.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
•Own and hit a quarterly revenue target of $____________ from existing
accounts
•Drive renewals, upsells, and cross-sells across your portfolio
•Build and manage your pipeline in our CRM: _______________________
•Run pricing and renewal conversations with confidence
•Prepare proposals and quotes for expansion opportunities
•Forecast your number accurately to leadership each [week / month]
•Keep client relationships strong enough that the quota takes care of
itself
•Coordinate with [delivery / support] to keep accounts healthy
REQUIRED SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS
•____ + years in quota-carrying sales or account management
•Track record of hitting revenue targets you can show
•Strong CRM and pipeline discipline
•Confident, honest communication about pricing and value
•Organization to manage many active conversations
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
•Experience selling [your product or service category]
•Experience with renewals-based or recurring revenue models
COMPENSATION AND HOW TO APPLY
Base salary: $_____ + commission (OTE: $_____)
Commission structure: __
To apply, email __ with your resume and your last
quota attainment, by _.
[Company Name] is an equal opportunity employer.
Template 4: Technical / SaaS Account Manager
For software and technical services: product onboarding to first value, usage and adoption monitoring, churn signals, and net revenue retention on top of the relationship work.
Technical / SaaS Account Manager Job Description
TECHNICAL / SAAS ACCOUNT MANAGER JOB DESCRIPTION
Company: __
Location: __ ([ ] Hybrid [ ] Remote)
Reports to: [Head of Customer Success / CEO]
Employment type: [ ] Full-time
Compensation: $_____ base + $_____ variable (OTE: $_)
JOB SUMMARY
[Company Name] is hiring a Technical Account Manager for our [SaaS product /
technical service]. You will own a portfolio of customer accounts through
onboarding, adoption, renewal, and expansion, speak the product fluently
enough to answer real questions, and own the numbers that matter: churn,
retention, and net revenue retention. This role suits an account manager who
is comfortable in both a renewal call and a product demo.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
PRODUCT AND ONBOARDING
•Guide new customers through product onboarding to first value
•Answer product questions and run demos of new features
•Translate customer needs into clear requests for the product team
ACCOUNT HEALTH
•Monitor usage and adoption; act on early churn signals
•Own renewal conversations and reduce churn below ____%
•Grow net revenue retention through upsells and seat expansion
OPERATIONS
•Keep account data, health scores, and notes current in [CRM / CS tool]
•Run regular business reviews tied to the customer's goals
•Coordinate with support and engineering on escalations
REQUIRED SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS
•____ + years in account management or customer success, ideally SaaS
•Comfort learning a technical product deeply
•Experience owning renewal and retention numbers
•Clear written communication for async customer work
•CRM or customer success platform proficiency
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
•Experience with [your stack or product category]
•Basic technical skills: APIs, integrations, or admin configuration
COMPENSATION AND HOW TO APPLY
Base salary: $_____ + variable: $_____ (OTE: $_____)
To apply, email __ with your resume and the retention
number you are proudest of, by _.
[Company Name] is an equal opportunity employer.
Template 5: Senior Account Manager
For an experienced account manager who owns the most complex relationships, mentors juniors, and helps build the playbook, without leaving client work behind.
Senior Account Manager Job Description
SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER JOB DESCRIPTION
Company: __
Location: __
Reports to: [Head of Accounts / CEO]
Employment type: [ ] Full-time
Compensation: $_____ base + $_____ variable (OTE: $_)
JOB SUMMARY
[Company Name] is hiring a Senior Account Manager to own our most complex
client relationships and raise the bar for how we manage accounts. You will
carry a portfolio of [larger / multi-stakeholder] accounts, mentor junior
account managers, and help build the playbook the whole team runs on. This
role suits an experienced account manager ready for informal leadership
without leaving client work behind.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
ACCOUNT OWNERSHIP
•Own a portfolio of our largest and most complex accounts
•Lead renewal and expansion negotiations on high-stakes relationships
•Step into at-risk accounts and turn them around
TEAM LEADERSHIP
•Mentor junior account managers on calls, plans, and negotiations
•Review account plans and coach the team on portfolio health
•Help define the account management playbook and templates
BUSINESS IMPACT
•Own retention and growth targets for your portfolio
•Report portfolio performance and risks to leadership
•Represent the client voice in company decisions
REQUIRED SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS
•____ + years of account management with demonstrated results
•Experience with complex, multi-stakeholder relationships
•Mentoring or informal leadership experience
•Strong negotiation skills on renewals and expansions
•Calm judgment with difficult accounts
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
•Experience in [your industry]
•Experience building account management processes from scratch
COMPENSATION AND HOW TO APPLY
Base salary: $_____ + variable: $_____ (OTE: $_____)
Benefits: __
To apply, email __ with your resume and one account
Written for the small business owner handing off client relationships for the first time: trainable scope, warmth and follow-through over credentials, a growth path, and a no-resume-required application. The version no job board offers.
Account management requirements should center on demonstrated relationship results rather than credentials, and the responsibilities should carry real numbers. What separates a posting that attracts the right candidates from one that attracts everyone is specificity.
Weak bullet
Strong bullet
Manage client accounts
Own a portfolio of 25 mid-market accounts as their main point of contact
Handle renewals
Drive renewals and keep retention at or above 90 percent across the portfolio
Grow revenue
Identify and close upsell opportunities worth $100K in expansion revenue per year
Use the CRM
Keep account records, notes, and renewal pipeline current in our CRM weekly
Good communication skills
Run monthly check-ins and quarterly reviews; write clear follow-ups the same day
Keep the must-have list short: client-facing experience, communication, organization, and comfort with commercial conversations. Industry background and specific CRM experience belong in preferred qualifications. And keep the language neutral and job-related, since the EEOC prohibits job advertisements that show a preference based on protected characteristics.
How to Write an Account Manager Job Description
A strong account manager job description takes about 20 minutes once the quota and portfolio questions are settled. Here is the process the templates are built around. If this is one of your first hires, the small business hiring guide covers the steps around the posting itself.
1
Choose the right template
Standard, key account, sales, technical, senior, or entry-level first hire. The template already carries the right metrics, scope, and compensation structure.
2
Decide whether the role carries a quota
A revenue target changes the job, the candidates, and the pay structure. Decide before posting and state it plainly; bolting a number on after the hire loses good people.
3
Define the portfolio scope
How many accounts, roughly what size, and what the retention or growth expectation is. Real numbers attract candidates calibrated to your actual job.
4
List 6 to 10 concrete responsibilities
Group them by relationships, retention, growth, and reporting. Write own renewals across 30 accounts and keep retention above 90 percent, not the vague manage client accounts.
5
Set compensation and ask for evidence
State base and on-target earnings separately and publish both. Ask applicants for one example of a client relationship they saved or grew; it reveals more than the resume.
Account Manager Salary
Account manager pay needs a careful benchmark, because there is no dedicated federal wage category for the title and the nearest one overstates it. The closest BLS classification covers sales managers, a management-level group, so treat it as a ceiling rather than a midpoint.
The Nearest Federal Benchmark (BLS, May 2024)
Sales managers, the closest BLS classification to account management roles, earn a median of about $138,060 per year, with the lowest 10 percent under $66,910 and the highest 10 percent over $239,200. Employment is projected to grow 5 percent, faster than average, with about 49,000 openings each year (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). Typical account manager pay, especially for entry and mid-level roles, sits well below this management-level median.
In practice, set your range from local postings for comparable portfolio sizes, and structure it honestly: a retention-focused role suits a salary with a modest bonus, while a quota-carrying role needs a base plus commission with on-target earnings stated as the real number. Publish both figures. Pay transparency is required in a growing list of states, and for a role where the candidate will negotiate renewals for a living, hiding your own number is a poor opening move.
The First Account Manager at a Small Business
Almost every account manager template online assumes a sales organization: tiered accounts, a customer success stack, a handoff process from the closing team. An owner-led business hiring its first account manager has a different and more delicate task: handing over relationships the owner built personally. Here is how to write the posting for that reality.
Your account manager is taking over relationships the owner built
At a small business, the first account manager inherits relationships the owner has carried personally for years, and clients will notice the handoff. The posting should acknowledge it: this role exists to give clients a dedicated contact, not to distance them. Hire for warmth and reliability over credentials, plan a gradual introduction to each account, and keep the owner visible during the transition.
Decide whether the role carries a number
An account manager with a quota behaves differently from one measured on retention and satisfaction, and the wrong expectation poisons both sides. Decide before posting: if revenue growth from existing clients is the mandate, use the sales account manager template and state the target and commission structure plainly. If keeping clients happy and renewed is the job, say that, and do not bolt a quota on after the hire.
Generic corporate templates filter out your best candidates
Big-company AM postings assume a CRM stack, a customer success team, and tiered account segments. Your reality is simpler: a spreadsheet or basic CRM, direct access to the owner, and clients who expect a human. Say so. Candidates who want enterprise structure will pass, and the organized, personable people who thrive in small companies will recognize the job as theirs.
From Hiring to Onboarding
The job description is step one. Once a candidate accepts, the same document becomes the foundation for the offer letter and the onboarding plan, and for an account manager the plan includes a step most onboarding misses: client handoffs. Each account needs a warm introduction, ideally with the owner on the first call, plus a written summary of the relationship history, preferences, and open items, because the new hire's credibility with clients is built or lost in those first conversations.
Around the handoffs, run the standard structure: tools and CRM access in week one, product or service training, and a written onboarding plan for the new hire with retention goals rather than vague targets. Once you have your offer ready, the offer letter template handles the next step, and the employee onboarding template gives the first weeks a clear structure. FirstHR connects the offer, e-signature, paperwork, and onboarding workflow in one place, so a small business can move an account manager from accepted offer to trusted client contact without a dedicated HR department.
Key Takeaways
Account manager is several jobs under one title: settle the quota question and the portfolio scope before you write a word, and pick the matching template.
Use the version that fits: standard, key account, sales, technical, senior, or the entry-level first hire written for owners handing off client relationships.
Write responsibilities with real numbers: own renewals across 30 accounts and keep retention above 90 percent beats the vague manage client accounts.
Benchmark pay carefully: the nearest BLS category (sales managers, median about $138,060) is a management-level ceiling, and typical account manager pay sits well below it.
Account executives acquire, account managers retain and grow; post the right title or fill your inbox with mismatched applications.
Plan the client handoffs before day one: warm introductions with the owner present decide whether clients accept their new point of contact.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does an account manager do?
An account manager owns relationships with existing clients: they serve as the main point of contact, keep clients successful and renewed, resolve issues, identify opportunities to grow each account through upsells and cross-sells, and report on account health to leadership. The day-to-day mix is regular check-ins and reviews, renewal conversations, CRM upkeep, and coordination with delivery or support teams. The emphasis varies by version of the role: a sales account manager carries a revenue quota, a key account manager runs strategic plans for a few high-value clients, and a technical account manager adds product onboarding and adoption work on top of the relationship.
What is the difference between an account manager and an account executive?
An account executive acquires new clients: they work leads, run the sales process, and close deals. An account manager takes over after the close: they retain and grow the relationship, own renewals, and expand revenue from the existing account. The shorthand is that AEs hunt and AMs farm. At larger companies the handoff between them is a formal step in the sales process; at a small business, one person often does both, or the owner closes deals and the account manager keeps clients happy afterward. Decide which model you run before posting, because the skills, metrics, and compensation structures differ.
What should an account manager job description include?
A strong account manager job description includes a job summary naming the portfolio scope, 6 to 10 specific responsibilities across relationships, retention, growth, and reporting, required and preferred qualifications, the CRM or tools used, the compensation structure including any variable component, and how to apply. Two decisions deserve explicit language. First, whether the role carries a quota: a revenue target changes the job, the candidate pool, and the pay structure. Second, the portfolio scope: how many accounts, what size, and what the retention or growth expectations are. Vague postings attract candidates optimized for a different version of the role.
What skills should an account manager have?
The core skills are relationship building, clear written and verbal communication, organization across many simultaneous accounts, comfort with commercial conversations about renewals and pricing, problem solving under client pressure, and CRM discipline. For technical or SaaS roles, add product fluency and the ability to run onboarding and demos; for key account roles, add negotiation and strategic planning. For a small business first hire, the honest priority is warmth and follow-through over credentials, since the mechanics of your business can be trained but reliability with clients cannot. Ask candidates for one example of a client relationship they saved or grew; the answer reveals more than the skills list.
How much does an account manager earn?
There is no dedicated federal wage category for account managers, so benchmarks require care. The closest BLS classification, sales managers, shows a median annual wage of about $138,060 as of May 2024, but that figure reflects management-level roles and overstates typical account manager pay, especially for entry and mid-level positions, which commonly land well below it. Account manager compensation also usually splits into base plus variable tied to retention or growth, with on-target earnings as the real number. Set your range from local market postings for comparable portfolio sizes, state the base and OTE separately, and publish both.
Should my account manager have a sales quota?
Only if revenue growth from existing clients is genuinely the mandate, and you should decide before posting rather than after hiring. A quota-carrying account manager prioritizes expansion conversations, needs a commission structure, and attracts commercially driven candidates; a retention-focused account manager prioritizes client health and satisfaction, suits a salary with a modest bonus, and attracts service-oriented candidates. Both models work, but mixing them, hiring a relationship builder and then imposing a number, is a common small business mistake that loses the hire. The sales account manager template here is built for the quota version; the standard and entry-level templates for the retention version.
How do I write an account manager job description for a small business?
Describe your reality rather than a corporate org chart. State that the role takes over relationships the owner has managed personally, name the actual tools (even if that is a spreadsheet), give the real account count, and decide up front whether the role carries a number. Keep requirements minimal: for a first account manager hire, warmth, organization, and follow-through outweigh years of titled experience, and customer service or hospitality backgrounds often convert well. Give a real compensation figure and a growth path. The entry-level first-hire template here is written for exactly this situation and takes about ten minutes to customize.
What happens after I hire an account manager?
Once a candidate accepts, the job description becomes the basis for the offer letter and the onboarding plan, and for this role the onboarding includes a step most plans miss: client handoffs. Plan warm introductions to each account, with the owner present on the first call, and a written summary of each relationship's history, preferences, and open items. Add the standard first-week structure: tools access, product or service training, and a 30-60-90 plan with retention goals rather than vague targets. FirstHR handles the offer letter, document collection, and onboarding workflow in one place, so a small business can move an account manager from accepted offer to trusted client contact without an HR department.
