Key Accounts Director in Cannock

Location: Home-based with UK travel

Salary: Package of £100k+ (including base salary, commission, and car allowance)

Contract Type: Full Time, Permanent

What We Can Offer You: Hybrid Working, Life Assurance, Vitality Private Healthcare, Additional Holiday Purchase, Health Cash Plan, Subsidised Gym Memberships, Cycle to Work scheme, Discount Vouchers, and Access to Wellbeing Resources!

Main Purpose of the Role: In this role, you'll take ownership of a portfolio of Mercia's largest and most strategically important clients and partners. This includes leading accountancy firms, heads of groups and networks, as well as key industry partners such as software providers, training organisations and professional education bodies. You'll be responsible for maintaining and growing these relationships, taking a proactive approach to account management, spotting opportunities for expansion and ensuring long term client retention. You'll work closely with the Senior Leadership Team, alongside colleagues in sales and marketing, to support existing partnerships and develop new ones that align with Mercia's wider growth plans. Staying close to clients' businesses, you'll provide insights, anticipate needs, and remain informed about changes in the accountancy industry to understand their impact on your portfolio.

Key Tasks and Responsibilities:

• Drive the growth and retention of revenue across your portfolio.
• Develop and leverage commercial and strategic partnerships to contribute to Mercia's wider growth strategy.
• Work closely with a designated Client Success Manager to ensure world-class service for strategic clients and partners.
• Build and maintain strategic B2B partnerships; demonstrate solution-selling expertise in regulated industries (accountancy, legal services, or education).
• Manage your time and workload efficiently to meet activity targets.
• Line manage and support a small team of Key Account Managers.
• Prioritise activity across your portfolio to maximise the potential and long-term value of each account.
• Negotiate commercially with clients, partners, and procurement teams to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes, consulting legal teams as necessary.
• Build and maintain a pipeline of opportunities that grows year on year.
• Collaborate with the product division on new solutions, pricing, and go-to-market materials.
• Support the wider sales team in commercial negotiations, proposals, and client contracting.
• Accurately capture and record client and partner interactions in Salesforce and other systems.
• Convert proposals into successful deals and track performance metrics (conversion rates, pipeline growth, revenue retention/win).
• Log client feedback, requests, and insights with the Product Department.

What’s the Best Thing About This Role? You will be at the heart of Mercia's strategic growth, shaping partnerships with some of the biggest names in the accountancy profession while leading a small team and influencing the wider sales strategy.

What’s the Most Challenging Thing About This Role? Managing a high-value portfolio with multiple stakeholders and complex negotiations requires commercial agility, proactive problem-solving, and the ability to balance long-term strategy with day-to-day operational demands.

What We're Looking For: To be successful in this role, you must have proven experience selling solutions within a regulated environment, such as accountancy, professional education or training. Demonstrable experience managing a portfolio of high value key accounts - typically up to 30 clients - with a clear focus on retention, growth and long term value. Experience operating at senior leadership level, with the confidence to engage credibly with SLT, board level stakeholders and executive decision makers, both internally and externally. Previous experience in line managing and coaching a Key Accounts or senior sales team. A strong understanding of how to stay close to the commercial realities of the business, spotting opportunities for strategic partnerships and longer term growth. A positive, thoughtful and disciplined approach to sales, focused on understanding client needs and solving problems rather than transactional selling. A collaborative mindset and a willingness to share insight, best practice and experience with colleagues across the sales function. Flexibility to travel across the UK to meet clients and partners, with occasional travel further afield, and the ability to attend regular internal meetings in Leicester and London.

To be successful in this role, it would be great if you have: Previous sales experience in the accountancy industry.

We know it's not a skill, but the successful candidate must have permission to work in the role's location by the start of their employment.

About us: Mercia Group, part of Wilmington plc, a leading provider of information, education, and networking services. At Mercia, we support accountancy firms across the UK with high-quality training, content, and resources. By joining our team, you'll be part of a forward-thinking business that values curiosity, collaboration, and continuous growth.

Join us and do Work That Means Something. At Wilmington plc, we help global customers to do the right business in the right way - providing trusted data, insights, and education to navigate the Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) landscape. When you join us, you'll not only make a real difference for our customers, you'll also enjoy flexibility through hybrid working and benefit from a wide range of learning, career, and development opportunities. Whether you're just starting out, returning to work after a break, or looking to take your next step, you'll be doing work with meaning. Join us and make a real difference. Click on APPLY today!