At a Glance
- Tasks: Manage customer accounts, ensuring satisfaction and driving revenue growth.
- Company: Dynamic waste management company focused on sustainability and innovation.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, hybrid working, 25 days leave, and career development.
- Other info: Inclusive culture that values diverse perspectives and promotes innovation.
- Why this job: Take ownership of accounts and make a real impact in a fast-paced environment.
- Qualifications: Experience in account management and strong commercial awareness required.
The predicted salary is between 30000 - 40000 £ per year.
Join Our Team as a Key Account Manager! We are looking for a Key Account Manager to manage a portfolio of customer accounts, ensuring strong service delivery, high customer satisfaction, and growth in revenue and margin. This is a hands-on role working in a fast-moving service environment. The successful candidate will manage day-to-day customer relationships, support service delivery, carry out site visits and audits, and identify opportunities to improve service and grow existing accounts.
This role would suit someone with experience in account management, customer management or operations within industries such as waste management, facilities management, logistics, utilities or other service-led environments. We specialise in bespoke recycling and waste management solutions. We're dedicated to partnering with suppliers who share our values and align with our customers' needs. Our approach focuses on enhancing Corporate Social Responsibilities, maximising recycling efforts, and delivering significant cost savings.
We foster an inclusive environment where every employee feels welcomed and valued. We promote equality of opportunity, embracing a diverse range of talent and perspectives to drive innovation and excellence. We fully embrace new ideas and challenge old practices to find the very best solutions for our customers, suppliers, and people.
About the Role
Role Overview: This role owns the commercial performance of a defined portfolio of customer accounts (c.£2–3m revenue). The Key Account Manager is accountable for retaining revenue, protecting and improving margin, and driving growth within existing customers. While service delivery is a critical part of the role, this is not a coordination or support position. The successful candidate will take full ownership of account performance — balancing customer needs with commercial outcomes.
Key Accountabilities include:
- Revenue retention across portfolio
- Net revenue growth within existing accounts
- Margin performance (at renewal and in-life)
- Customer satisfaction and account stability
- Delivery of account plans and improvement initiatives
About You
Experience:
- Essential: Experience managing customer accounts in a service-led environment; Evidence of owning or influencing revenue, retention or margin; Experience dealing directly with customers and resolving complex issues; Ability to manage workload independently.
- Desirable: Waste management, facilities management, logistics, utilities or similar; Experience with pricing, renewals or commercial negotiations; Experience improving account performance (growth, efficiency or value creation).
Skills:
- Strong commercial awareness and confidence in managing pricing and margin
- Ability to balance customer relationships with business outcomes
- Structured, organised and able to manage multiple accounts
- Proactive mindset — identifies and drives improvements, not just reacts
- Comfortable operating in a fast-paced, service-led environment
- Resilient and able to handle challenging customer situations
Knowledge:
- Obtain and maintain a knowledge of the waste industry (including closed-loop-solutions, circular economy, sustainability, and resource management) and waste management regulation, laws and best practice.
Qualifications:
- GCSE Maths & English (or equivalent)
- Full UK driving licence
- Willing to travel to customer sites
Other:
- Be willing to travel and work away from home location on a weekly basis.
Requirements
- The role holder will also be required to identify opportunities for cross selling and upselling waste/resource management solutions.
- Maintain an understanding of the current law and best practice relating to waste/resource management.
- Provide accurate and timely information as required by the business.
- Contribute to the timely preparation of financial forecasts and budgets.
- Assist with the preparation of tenders to potential new customers and existing customers and providing support to submit tenders timeously in accordance with agreed tender process.
- Represent the Company at external events, conferences, and meetings. Anticipate that meetings with customers and site waste audits will be conducted on a weekly basis.
- Any other reasonable duties as required by the Company in connection with the effective and efficient management of accounts to ensure exceptional service levels, retention and growth of the accounts.
This role suits someone who:
- Takes ownership of outcomes, not just activity
- Is comfortable being accountable for revenue and margin
- Can manage relationships while making commercially sound decisions
Benefits
Why Join Us?
- Competitive salary and benefits package
- Hybrid working options
- 25 days annual leave per year, plus bank holidays
- Comprehensive career development and training programs
- Subsidised canteen and gym memberships
- Employee Assistance Programme
- Company Pension scheme and Life Assurance scheme
- On-site parking
Key Account Manager (Commercial) - Newark employer: Firstmile
Join a dynamic team as a Key Account Manager in Newark, where we prioritise employee growth and satisfaction in a fast-paced service environment. Our inclusive work culture fosters innovation and collaboration, offering competitive salaries, hybrid working options, and comprehensive career development opportunities. With a focus on sustainability and corporate social responsibility, you'll play a vital role in enhancing customer relationships while driving revenue growth in the waste management sector.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Key Account Manager (Commercial) - Newark
✨Get to Know the Company Culture
Before jumping into applications, it’s super helpful to understand the vibe at Firstmile. Check out their social media, read reviews on sites like Glassdoor, and see how they engage with customers. It'll give you clues on their values and help tailor your conversation during interviews.
✨Join Customer Support Communities
Dive into online communities like those on Reddit or LinkedIn where customer support pros hang out. Participating in discussions or asking questions can make you more visible to potential recruiters and help you learn about job openings at companies like Firstmile before they even post them.
✨Attend Job Fairs or Networking Events
Look out for local job fairs or events specifically for customer support roles. This is your chance to meet hiring managers face-to-face, and you might even get the opportunity to interview on the spot!
✨Show Off Your Skills with Customer Interactions
In the customer support world, showcasing your communication skills is key. Consider creating a short video introducing yourself or even doing a mock call to showcase your abilities. It's a memorable way to stand out, especially if you can share this during your interview process!
We think you need these skills to ace Key Account Manager (Commercial) - Newark
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Off Your Communication Skills:In customer support, clear communication is key. Make sure your CV highlights any experience you've had in customer-facing roles and your ability to resolve issues. Don't shy away from including specific examples of how you've gone above and beyond to help customers – this really shows your potential in the role.
Tailor Your Cover Letter to Firstmile:Your cover letter is your chance to shine! Tell us why you want to work at Firstmile specifically. Mention any unique aspects of our company that resonate with you and how your skills can enhance our customer support. This personal touch will set your application apart from the rest!
Highlight Any Relevant Tools or Tech Skills:If you've used customer support software like Zendesk or Freshdesk or have experience with CRM systems, make sure to mention these in your application. Being familiar with industry-standard tools can be a big plus for us when we’re reviewing applications, as it shows you can hit the ground running!
Demonstrate Your Problem-Solving Skills:Customer support roles often require a knack for problem-solving. In your application, share examples of past experiences where you've tackled tough situations or resolved conflicts effectively. This will give us a good sense of how you handle challenges—an essential skill for success at Firstmile!
How to prepare for a job interview at Firstmile
✨Show Off Your People Skills
In customer support, it's all about communicating effectively. Prepare to share instances from your past experiences where you handled difficult customers or resolved conflicts. We want to hear how you empathised and found the best solutions, so think of specific examples to back up your stories!
✨Know the Tools of the Trade
Familiarise yourself with common customer support tools like Zendesk or Freshdesk, and make sure to review how you’ve used any similar systems in the past. During the interview, being able to discuss your hands-on experience with software or ticketing systems can really set you apart from the competition, so don’t skip this prep!
✨Show Genuine Enthusiasm
As this is a full-time role, employers want someone who isn’t just looking for any job, but wants to grow within customer support. Make sure to express your enthusiasm for helping customers and your desire to develop your skills. Show them why you're passionate about this field!
✨Practice Common Scenarios
Be prepared for role-playing scenarios where you might have to reassess a solution with a frustrated customer or explain a complex process in simple terms. Practising these common scenarios can help us feel more confident and demonstrate our practical skills effectively during the interview.
