Key Account Manager

KEY ACCOUNT MANAGER

Reports to	Head of Sales
Function	Growth / Commercial
Location	Home based with travel as required
Contract type	Full time permanent

Strategic customer growth, retention and value creation

Role purpose

The Key Account Manager is accountable for developing a portfolio of strategically important customers into long-term, mutually valuable partnerships. The role combines trusted-adviser relationship management, rigorous account planning and commercial ownership to protect existing revenue, improve customer value and identify sustainable growth opportunities.

Working closely with Customer Success, Operations, Technology and Procurement colleagues, you will translate customer priorities into coordinated account plans, ensure CCL delivers on its commitments and provide clear visibility of account health, risk, pipeline and performance.

Expected outcomes

• Revenue is retained, share of wallet is expanded within agreed margins, customer insight is converted into commercially sound opportunities and service improvement.
• Key customers have clear, current account plans aligned to their business priorities and CCL’s growth objectives.
• Forecasts, opportunities, contact records, risks and next actions are accurate and current in the CRM.
• Senior decision-makers and influencers view CCL as a credible strategic partner, not solely a service provider.
• Customer issues are owned, escalated and resolved through disciplined cross-functional action.

Measures of success

Customer retention: sustainable, quantifiable account growth, revenue retained,account plans up to date

Profitable growth: qualified pipeline, conversation, expansion revenue and margin contribution within agreed targets

Customer health: regular interaction with key customers, take on board feedback and review for improvement actions

Account planning: quality and execution of account plans, actions and strategic review cadence

Forecast discipline: accuracy, evidence and timeliness of account forecasts and opportunity stages

Commercial control: CRM / Salesforce completeness and accuracy, opportunities visible

Collaboration: effective communication and relationship management across CCL functions.

Key responsibilities

Strategic Account Leadership	Own the overall commercial relationship and strategic account plan for an assigned portfolio of key customers. Map the customer organisation, decision-making structure, influencers, strategic priorities and future requirements. Establish a purposeful engagement rhythm, including executive sponsorship, operational reviews and strategic business reviews. Create clear account objectives, stakeholder plans, opportunity plans, risk controls and measurable actions. Coordinate internal account teams so that CCL presents one consistent, well-informed customer proposition.
Customer retention and experience	Build trusted relationships across operational, commercial and executive stakeholders. Monitor account health using customer feedback, service performance, relationship strength, commercial performance and emerging risks. Lead or support customer satisfaction reviews; agree improvement actions, owners and timescales, and track delivery to closure. Act as the senior point of commercial coordination for material concerns, ensuring prompt escalation without displacing operational ownership. Identify renewal risks early and lead structured retention and renewal planning.
Growth and value creation	Develop a qualified pipeline within existing accounts through insight-led discovery, value propositions and robust business cases. Identify opportunities to expand the use of CCL technology, products and services where these address a genuine customer need. Lead commercial discussions, proposals and negotiations within delegated authority, involving relevant specialists at the right stage. Balance customer value, revenue growth, margin, delivery capability, contractual obligations and risk. Support selected new-business opportunities beyond the assigned portfolio where experience and capacity add value.
Commercial governance and performance	Own portfolio forecasting and provide concise reporting on revenue, margin, retention, pipeline, customer health, risks and actions. Maintain accurate CRM records, including contacts, opportunities, activity, probability, value, expected close date and next steps. Understand contractual commitments, pricing arrangements, renewal dates and commercial dependencies for each assigned account. Work with Finance to resolve significant invoicing disputes and overdue receivables while preserving constructive customer relationships. Ensure commitments made to customers are documented, appropriately approved and operationally deliverable.
Cross-functional	Partner with Customer Success and operational teams to connect strategic account objectives with day-to-day service delivery. Engage Technology and Product colleagues to deepen customer adoption and turn evidence-based feedback into prioritised insight. Mobilise virtual account teams, define responsibilities and maintain momentum against agreed actions. Share account intelligence responsibly and challenge constructively where customer, commercial or delivery outcomes are at risk. Contribute to continuous improvement of CCL’s key account management approach, tools and standards.
Market and professional knowledge	Maintain a strong understanding of the logistics and supply-chain technology market, customer sectors, competitor activity and relevant trends. Develop sufficient knowledge of CCL’s technology, services and processes to hold credible value-based conversations and involve specialists appropriately. Represent CCL professionally at customer meetings, industry events and networking opportunities. Follow CCL policies, delegated authorities, information-security requirements and standards of business conduct.

Person specification

• Demonstrable success managing and growing complex business-to-business key accounts in logistics, supply chain, technology-enabled services or a comparable environment.
• Experience of building senior multi-level customer relationships and influencing decision-makers without relying on formal authority.
• Strong commercial experience, including account planning, opportunity qualification, forecasting, proposals, negotiation and renewals.
• Evidence of retaining revenue and creating customer value while protecting margin and managing commercial risk.
• Experience of leading cross-functional or virtual teams to resolve issues and deliver customer outcomes.
• Confident use of CRM systems and performance data to manage activity, pipeline and account health.
• Working knowledge of service operations, contracts, invoicing and the commercial dependencies within strategic accounts.

Desirable

• Experience in a 3PL, 4PL, managed logistics, supply-chain technology or SaaS-enabled service environment.
• Experience supporting technology adoption, continuous improvement or transformation within customer accounts.
• Formal training in strategic selling, key account management, commercial negotiation or a relevant professional qualification.
• Understanding of procurement processes, solution design and complex stakeholder governance.

Behaviours

• Customer value first: seeks to understand what matters to the customer and creates value that is sustainable for both parties.
• Own the outcome: takes accountability, communicates early and follows through on commitments.
• One CCL: shares insight, brings the right people together and avoids siloed decision-making.
• Commercial integrity: is transparent, evidence-led and prepared to protect CCL from poorly balanced commitments.
• Improve and innovate: looks for better ways to solve problems, increase adoption and strengthen the partnership.