What are the responsibilities and job description for the Customer Service Specialist (Commercial Leadership Training Program) position at Strong Hold?
Description
Who Are We?
We build products and relationships that last a lifetime! No really, that’s what we do. We are a successful family business with a long-term record of steady growth, and we are determined to accelerate our trajectory. Our diverse team members who speak 22 languages are passionate about their company and their co-workers.
Check out our website at www.strong-hold.com.
We Are Not
The Commercial Training Program is a structured, rotational development pathway designed to build future commercial leaders. Participants gain hands-on experience across Customer Service, Inside Sales, Pricing, and Product Management within a mature commercial organization. This program develops high-potential talent with a strong customer mindset, commercial acumen, and leadership capability to drive growth, innovation, and organizational change. Graduates of the program are expected to progress into commercial leadership roles across sales, product, pricing, or general management.
Program Structure (4-Year Rotational Path)
Years 1–2: Customer Service Rotation
Successful program participants will be positioned for advancement into roles such as:
Who Are We?
We build products and relationships that last a lifetime! No really, that’s what we do. We are a successful family business with a long-term record of steady growth, and we are determined to accelerate our trajectory. Our diverse team members who speak 22 languages are passionate about their company and their co-workers.
Check out our website at www.strong-hold.com.
We Are Not
- Fancy – as manufacturers we believe practical, clean facilities are required to make quality products and retain the best team.
- Transactional - we have long-term relationships with our team members and most valuable customers.
- Satisfied - we celebrate achievement, then set our sights on new goals.
The Commercial Training Program is a structured, rotational development pathway designed to build future commercial leaders. Participants gain hands-on experience across Customer Service, Inside Sales, Pricing, and Product Management within a mature commercial organization. This program develops high-potential talent with a strong customer mindset, commercial acumen, and leadership capability to drive growth, innovation, and organizational change. Graduates of the program are expected to progress into commercial leadership roles across sales, product, pricing, or general management.
Program Structure (4-Year Rotational Path)
Years 1–2: Customer Service Rotation
- Serve as the front line for customer interaction, order management, and issue resolution
- Build deep understanding of customer needs, buying behavior, and service expectations
- Collect and synthesize Voice of Customer (VoC) insights
- Identify upsell and cross-sell opportunities through customer interactions
- Partner with Inside Sales and Commercial teams to improve customer experience and retention
- Manage a defined customer portfolio and support revenue growt initiatives
- Develop quoting, pricing, and margin management skills
- Identify opportunities to expand wallet share through solution-based selling
- Collaborate with Pricing and Sales leadership on deal structure and commercial strategy
- Translate customer needs into actionable commercial opportunities
- Partner with Product Management to support new product development (NPI) and lifecycle management
- Communicate customer needs, pain points, and market opportunities to drive innovation
- Support product positioning, pricing strategy, and go-to-market execution
- Analyze product performance, customer adoption, and competitive dynamics
- Help bridge Sales, Operations, and Engineering to deliver customer-driven solutions
- Own personal development and progression through the commercial pathway
- Actively identify opportunities to improve customer experience, revenue, and profitability
- Drive cross-functional collaboration between Sales, Customer Service, Product, and Operations
- Champion customer-centric thinking and continuous improvement
- Communicate insights and recommendations clearly to leadership
- Demonstrate leadership behaviors with the intent to progress into management roles
- High-potential early-career professional seeking a long-term leadership pathway
- Customer-focused with a strong desire to understand how products, pricing, and service drive value
- Comfortable working cross-functionally and influencing without authority
- Motivated by growth, accountability, and measurable business impact
Successful program participants will be positioned for advancement into roles such as:
- Inside Sales Manager
- Product Manager
- Pricing Manager
- Commercial Manager
- General Management / Business Unit Leadership
- Bachelor’s degree required (Business, Marketing, Engineering, Supply Chain, or related field preferred)
- Strong interest in commercial leadership, sales, product, or general management
- Analytical mindset with strong problem-solving skills
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
- Demonstrated initiative, ownership, and ability to drive change
- Willingness to rotate across functions and embrace continuous learning
- We value our team members and believe in providing competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits, including:
- Competitive wage with annual increases and a performance-based annual bonus.
- 401(k) retirement plan
- Health, dental, & vision, insurance coverage
- Company paid life, short- & long-term disability insurance coverage
- Paid time off for vacation, holidays, and personal days