Senior Principal Account Executive

About this role

Powering the world’s payments ecosystem
ACI powers the payments ecosystem – globally, and you power ACI. You’ll innovate, collaborate, and grow – in an energetic technology culture with decades of proven success. ACIers – in all roles and levels – are truly your colleagues and many are your friends. Our size and reach allow you to see the global impact of your work. You are visible, your talents are valued, and you are empowered to shape the future of payments.
As a Senior Principal Account executive in the UK, you will join a diverse, passionate team, dedicated to powering the world’s payments ecosystem!
This purpose of this Senior Principal Account Executive is:
Own the account strategy, executive engagement model and commercial growth plan across complex, multi-business organisations. Success requires the ability to navigate Tier 1 banking structures, understand how influence and investment decisions move across business units, functions and geographies, and build durable relationships from operational stakeholders through to C-suite sponsors.
This is a pan-solution role covering licensed technology and software-as-a-service offerings. It combines the stewardship of established relationships with a strong new-business mandate: identifying whitespace, shaping relevant propositions, cross-selling into new divisions and use cases, and converting client priorities into sustainable sales and revenue growth. The role champions a 'One Team' mindset, mobilising colleagues across ACI to deliver outcomes that strengthen customer satisfaction, loyalty and long-term partnership value.
A typical day at ACI for a Senior Principal Account Executive is:

• Own the overall commercial relationship and strategic account plan for a defined portfolio of ACI's largest and most complex UK banking and payments clients, with accountability for retention, growth, customer satisfaction and loyalty.

• Build deep client intimacy by developing a first-hand understanding of each client's ambitions, pressures, culture and measures of success, and use that insight to make ACI the payments technology provider of choice with direct relevance to the client's strategic agenda.

• Develop a detailed understanding of each client's organisational structure, strategy, operating model, technology landscape, investment priorities and decision-making processes; maintain current stakeholder maps that show formal authority, informal influence and relationships across divisions, functions and geographies.

• Navigate complex Tier 1 organisations with confidence, creating access to senior decision-makers while building a broad, resilient network of executive sponsors, business leaders, technology stakeholders, procurement partners and operational teams.

• Create and execute multi-year account strategies that define client outcomes, growth priorities, competitive positioning, relationship gaps, risks, whitespace opportunities and clear actions for ACI's account team.

• Build trusted, value-based relationships by leading with the client's business challenges and desired outcomes rather than product specifications; bring relevant market insight, constructive challenge and a clear point of view to senior client conversations.

• Create the conditions for strategic customers to become proud lighthouse clients for ACI by aligning on shared outcomes, visibly demonstrating value and ensuring that the relationship showcases the best of both organisations.

• Develop and execute account-level advocacy and referenceability plans, securing appropriate client participation in case studies, peer references, executive forums, industry events and other market-facing activities.

• Recognise, evidence and celebrate joint success with clients, converting strong delivery and measurable outcomes into greater trust, broader executive sponsorship and new growth opportunities across the organisation.

• Identify, qualify and progress expansion opportunities across ACI's portfolio, connecting needs across account-to-account payments, card processing, merchant payments, fraud management and related services where relevant to the client.

• Build and maintain a high-quality, balanced pipeline; provide accurate forecasts, account updates and risk assessments, and maintain disciplined records in ACI's customer relationship management system.

• Lead the virtual account team across Solution Consulting, Product Management, Client Delivery, Customer Success, Support, Marketing, Finance, Legal and executive leadership, creating clarity of ownership and alignment around the client's priorities.

• Coordinate executive sponsorship and governance for each strategic account, ensuring that senior engagement is purposeful, well prepared and connected to agreed client and commercial outcomes.

• Represent the voice of the customer, translating client feedback, market developments and emerging requirements into actionable input for product strategy, service improvement and future growth opportunities.

• Protect the existing business by anticipating commercial, delivery and relationship risks, coordinating timely resolution, and ensuring that challenges are managed transparently without losing sight of the wider strategic partnership.

• Lead commercial negotiations for renewals, expansions and new agreements, balancing client value, long-term partnership health, revenue growth and appropriate commercial discipline.

• Represent ACI externally with credibility at client forums and relevant industry events, strengthening ACI's position as a trusted payments partner.

• Understand and adhere to all corporate policies to include but not limited to the ACI Code of Business Conduct and Ethics.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience needed to succeed in this role:

• Bachelor’s Degree in relevant studies with 12+ year relevant experience.

• Significant executive-level strategic account management or enterprise sales experience in banking, financial services technology,…