Strategic Account Manager

You will be a proven Strategic or Key Account Manager, possessing the highest skills and standards of programme management and delivery. Focused on absolute customer service, you will be highly adept at program ownership from PO confirmation, factory acceptance and through life support. You will install trust and confidence from the get-go and know how to mature existing contacts and develop adjacent revenue streams. Being self-motivated, driven, structured and possessing the highest levels of communication skills, the opportunity is here at STI as our new Strategic Account Manager. STI’s Commercial function is now focused on growth. You’ll be joining a team that’s responding to the UK's revised Defence Industrial Strategy of “Made in the UK”. Our customers are principally the UK's Prime contractors in Defence, Aerospace and Security.

What you’ll do:

• Act as the focal point for the whole business to existing strategic and valued accounts.
• Complete program ownership of delivery schedule, meeting quality standards, and financial controls through award, initial program delivery and stretching the program for new additional awards at the highest achievable margin.
• Schedule and hold a mixture of Monthly and Quarterly Business Reviews (MBR/QBR’s) (dependent on size/scale of account and opportunity).
• Keep management fully aware of all account matters.
• Maintain complete coordination with Business Development and customer service teams/operations.
• Track all issued quotations and ensure cash is received with PO and customer adopts STI T&Cs in preference to their own.
• Provide weekly status updates, milestone schedules and risk analysis summaries.
• Manage customer change requests and support proposals for schedule and cost related impacts.
• Coordinate with supply chain and operations.
• Communicate program status, ongoing financial viability and identification of key issues to senior management.
• Maintain constantly updated forecast on all accounts using dedicated forecasting and CRM software tools.
• Sustain collaborative relationships with peers within the customer, strategic partners, suppliers and across the STI business.
• Directly advising on the price and margin build up and recommending commercial contingencies.
• Alerting on any potential risks.
• Ensuring all bid opportunities are managed through the STI gate process, developed into compelling and profitable offers and approved by companies offers at varied levels of delegated authority.
• Manage all essential customer data and report all sales progress on a weekly basis / submit month report to Line Manager.

For this role you will need:

• Minimum of 10 years of proven Strategic Account Manager experience in direct or related customers and B2B markets, particularly in Defence Electronics and Communication - Cyber (expert knowledge of CEM “contract electronic manufacturing” / PCBA / RF and Test is preferred).
• Structured, highly organised, self-motivated, analytical and detailed, acting with integrity, responsibility, accountability at all times.
• Ability to engage with technical experts with credibility and understanding / experience of managing highly complex programs and customers.
• Create and maintain comprehensive project documentation.
• Drive to create change and continuously improve program performance.
• Qualification in Program Management or equivalent (PMP or CPM / other) / Qualifications to degree level in Electronics engineering / technical degree or extensive background with selling defence electronics.

We offer 23 days holiday (plus Bank Holidays & Flex Days), early finish on a Friday, Flexible working opportunities, Company Pension Scheme, Health Cash Back Scheme, a range of discounts and excellent training and development opportunities. We also pay for professional memberships on a case-by-case basis.

The ability to achieve UK security clearance may be required for some roles. All applicants should have the Right to Work in the UK, as we are unable to offer sponsorship for this role.