Key Account Manager in Amersham on the Hill

Location: UK & IRELAND

PLEASE NOTE: This is a UK and Ireland focused role requiring regular travel to customers, strategic accounts, project stakeholders, internal meetings and industry related engagements. The successful candidate should ideally be based within reasonable access of a major airport and be comfortable travelling nationally and into Ireland as required. However, given the concentration of Data Centre and Life Sciences activity, being based in the South East would be preferred.

Are you a commercially driven Key Account Manager, Strategic Account Manager, Business Development Manager or technically credible sales professional with experience developing relationships across complex, specification led, technical or project-based markets? We are partnered with a major player, a globally recognised manufacturer of high-quality commercial flooring solutions, who are now looking to recruit a Key Account Manager, Industry, to support the development of a strategically important growth area within the UK and Ireland business.

This is a newly created role focused on developing my client’s already strong position across targeted Industrial segments, with a particular emphasis on Data Centres and Life Sciences. The role will be centred around their market leading specialist technical flooring solutions for controlled, high performance environments, while also promoting the wider product portfolio across associated flooring requirements, including office spaces, washrooms, entrance matting and wider commercial environments.

This is not a passive account management role. It is a strategic market development, key account acquisition and specification influence position focused on identifying, developing and converting opportunities across technically demanding customer and project environments. The successful candidate will engage with end users, OEMs, designers, clean room contractors, main contractors, specialist flooring partners, ESD dealers and wider project stakeholders, positioning my client as a trusted partner for technically robust, commercially viable and high-performance flooring solutions.

This is an excellent opportunity for someone who enjoys building something with purpose. The role offers genuine visibility within the business, strong internal support and the opportunity to shape my client’s approach within sectors that carry long term project value, technical specification demand and strong growth potential.

The Key Account Manager - Industry, will be responsible for developing and growing my client’s presence across targeted Industrial segments throughout the UK and Ireland. The initial focus will be Data Centres and Life Sciences, where technically suitable flooring solutions, robust specification management, stakeholder influence and project confidence are essential.

You will develop and deliver a clear regional segment strategy, identify target accounts, build relationships with key decision makers and manage opportunities from early engagement through to specification, tender, contract negotiation and project delivery. The role will form part of the strategic and focused UK Key Account Management team and will report to the National Sales Manager UK. While there are no direct reports, the position will require strong cross functional collaboration across UK sales, marketing, technical, customer service, product management, International Key Account Management and wider business stakeholders.

You will work closely with the local and regional area business managers across the sales organisation, central business functions and International Key Account Management teams to support sustainable, profitable growth within the Industrial segment. This is a role for someone who can operate with autonomy, structure and commercial discipline. The successful candidate will be expected to build a plan, execute against it, report progress clearly and maintain regular checkpoints with the business.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain a clear UK and Ireland Industrial segment strategy, aligned with the wider business objectives.
• Identify, target and develop key accounts within Data Centres, Life Sciences and other relevant Industrial segments.
• Establish my client as a relevant, trusted and valued flooring partner across technically demanding project environments.
• Promote my client’s specialist technical flooring solutions, alongside the wider product portfolio where relevant to customer and project requirements.
• Build relationships with end users, OEMs, designers, clean room contractors, main contractors, specialist flooring contractors and dealers, installers and wider decision makers and stakeholders.
• Manage complex customer and project opportunities from early engagement through to specification, tender, negotiation, agreement and delivery.
• Develop mutually agreed account plans to support new account acquisition, customer retention and account expansion.
• Support or lead tender processes, coordinating agreements and commercial frameworks between customers and the relevant internal commercial teams.
• Support, train and influence specialist flooring partners and dealers operating within technically demanding environments, helping them leverage their people, technical knowledge and networks to improve my client’s market penetration.
• Work collaboratively with regional sales teams, ensuring local representatives are informed, involved and supported where required.
• Provide customer insight, market intelligence and competitor feedback to the UK and International Key Account Management teams.
• Monitor market developments, technical requirements, customer expectations and emerging opportunities across the Industrial segment.
• Maintain accurate records of opportunities, activity, pipeline, account development and performance through CRM or agreed reporting tools.
• Report regularly on progress against agreed plans, targets, KPIs and strategic objectives.
• Represent my client professionally across all customer, internal and external stakeholder environments.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience Required

The successful candidate will ideally have experience operating within complex, technical or specification led sales environments where multiple stakeholders influence the buying and decision making process. Strong commercial end user sales experience would be highly advantageous.

Relevant experience may come from flooring, interior finishes, construction products, technical building products, clean room solutions, industrial products, data centre supply chains, laboratory environments, healthcare, life sciences or other technically led commercial sectors.

Essential experience and attributes include:

• Proven Key Account Management, strategic sales, specification sales, technical sales or business development experience within a technical, industrial, construction or project led environment.
• Ability to manage complex organisations, large accounts and project led sales cycles from concept through to installation or delivery.
• Experience engaging with senior decision makers, commercial stakeholders, technical influencers and project teams.
• Strong business development mindset, with the ability to identify new opportunities and build account growth plans.
• Commercial confidence to manage tenders, agreements, frameworks, pricing discussions and strategic customer relationships.
• Strong communication, presentation and influencing skills.
• Ability to operate credibly with end users, OEMs, designers, contractors, clean room specialists, flooring partners and internal teams.
• Strong planning, organisation and time management skills.
• Good IT ability, with confidence using CRM systems, reporting tools, spreadsheets and market data.
• Analytical ability to review figures, market trends, customer activity and pipeline information.
• High levels of self motivation, accountability and professional discipline.
• Comfortable travelling across the UK and Ireland as required.
• Flooring experience would be advantageous, particularly within technical, resilient or controlled environment flooring, but is not essential.
• Experience within Data Centres or Life Sciences would be highly attractive.
• A background working within international or matrix structured businesses would also be beneficial.

The Person

This role will suit someone who enjoys strategic account development, technical selling and complex stakeholder influence. You may already be operating as a Key Account Manager, National Account Manager, Strategic Account Manager, Specification Sales Manager, Business Development Manager, Sector Specialist or Technical Sales professional within a relevant flooring, industrial, construction, interiors or project led market.

You will be commercially mature, structured and capable of working with a high level of autonomy. You will understand that success in this type of role is built through planning, persistence, credibility and the ability to influence the right people at the right stage of the project cycle.

You will be comfortable building relationships from the ground up, developing new market opportunities and working across multiple internal and external stakeholders to move projects forward. This is a role for someone who can combine strategic thinking with practical execution. You will need to be proactive, organised, analytical and able to communicate clearly across all levels of a business.

You do not need to be a flooring expert from day 1, as full product and technical training will be provided. However, you must bring the commercial intelligence, technical curiosity and relationship skills required to become credible within the Industrial segment.

The successful candidate will be someone who can help my client build true momentum in a strategically important area of the market and become a trusted point of contact for customers operating in technically demanding environments.

What’s in it for you?

• Basic salary up to £65,000, depending on experience.
• Strong bonus structure.
• Low tax company car.
• Private healthcare and salary sacrifice pension scheme.
• 26 days holiday plus bank holidays.
• Laptop, mobile and company credit card.
• Full product and technical training.
• Opportunity to join a globally recognised flooring manufacturer.
• Newly created strategic role with genuine scope to shape the Industrial segment.
• UK and Ireland remit with strong internal visibility.
• Opportunity to work across Data Centres, Life Sciences and technically demanding project sectors.
• Collaborative support from UK sales, technical, marketing and International Key Account Management teams.

This is not a standard sales territory or passive account management role. It is a strategic sector building opportunity with a globally recognised flooring manufacturer, focused on developing my client’s position across Data Centres, Life Sciences and wider technically demanding Industrial environments throughout the UK and Ireland.