Key Account Manager

Aerospace & Defence

Circa £55,000 + bonus + benefits

Our client, part of a highly successful and acquisitive international parent is at the forefront of design, manufacturing and technology for an innovative range of products to worldwide customers within the demanding Aerospace and Defence sectors.

Reporting to the Business Unit Manager, they are seeking to appoint an ambitious Key Account Manager who will be responsible for the active management, performance and development of the company’s relationship with highly prestigious and strategically important assigned customers.

Working within a matrix structure and in conjunction with the Business Management Team (BMT) to achieve profitability and growth for these key accounts, you will maintain and build strong business relationships with assigned customers, ensuring an exceptional level of customer satisfaction, whilst generating bookings and sales in line with company targets.

The role combines skills in relationship building, sales ability and excellent customer service with a highly commercial approach towards value creation & pricing, data trends, adherence to contractual requirements, deliverables and transactions. It’s also one which offers exceptional career development prospects. The business is committed to the training and development of talent and the appointee can expect personal coaching & mentoring as well as a clearly defined path for promotion and significant long term prospects.

The Role

·Actively manage, develop and grow the company’s relationship with assigned customers at multiple levels within their organisation

·Support bookings and sales within existing assigned accounts, with a firm grip on maintaining a high level of customer satisfaction

·Adopt a commercial approach to identifying new potential opportunities for current/future capability requirements, equipment replacement etc

·Manage these assigned key accounts and ensure demanding KPIs are met

·Monitor contractual requirements, deliverables and transactions for each account

·Adopt a commercial approach for value creation and pricing, utilise analytical skills to identify historical and future data trends, create and maintain associated price lists

·Champion International Trade Compliance (ITC) and sales procedures for the sales team

·Develop strong working relationships, especially with colleagues in business development and sales operations; pro-actively engage with all parts of the internal team that are responsible for delivering exceptional quality, on-time delivery and accuracy

·Provide wide ranging support to the Business Unit Manager around issues within the marketplace including tactics, competitor behaviour etc in order to support decision making

The Candidate

·Degree or equivalent in a business, marketing or engineering discipline

·Success as an Account / Sales Manager or Executive and be ready for the next challenge.

·Alternatively, a technically minded Sales Engineer or commercially focused Project Engineer who would like to formally develop their career within a sales & marketing environment

·Experience of working within an Aerospace & Defence environment would be advantageous but is not an essential requirement

·Some experience of operating within a project orientated advanced manufacturing business, especially one that specialises in low volume, highly complex products with long lead times could be beneficial

·Irrespective of current sector experience, we will actively consider you if you strongly feel that you can evidence the drive, personal qualities and commercial acumen to succeed in a close knit, agile, highly responsive team based environment

·Able to communicate effectively with and develop strong working relationships with clients

·Demonstrate the tenacity and sensitivity required to communicate effectively and build strong working relationships with colleagues in a matrix organisation

·Business acumen with the ability to quickly grasp an understanding of our organisation, strategy, products/capabilities and branding

·Financial and commercial skills:- understand bookings, value creation, pricing and forecasts

·A strong ethos towards the provision of exceptional customer service:- able to deal effectively with any customer complaints and achieve dual party resolutions

·Key personal skills include, drive, determination, team work, creativity, good communication skills, attention to detail and a winning mentality

·Possess strong presentation, influencing and negotiation skills:- demonstrate integrity and be responsive to the needs of assigned customers

·Excellent time management and problem solving skills combined with the ability to prioritise tasks and operate with a high degree of autonomy

·IT proficient including MS Office :- data interrogation and analytical skills

·Full UK Driving Licence - willingness and ability to travel within the UK/ occasionally overseas

·Hold or be able to hold UK Security Clearance