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- Tasks: Nurture key customer partnerships and drive growth opportunities.
- Company: Join a leading organisation with a focus on innovation and collaboration.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, generous holiday, health perks, and a supportive work environment.
- Other info: Enjoy a hybrid work model and excellent career development opportunities.
- Why this job: Make a real impact by managing strategic accounts and building lasting relationships.
- Qualifications: Experience in account management and strong relationship-building skills required.
The predicted salary is between 45000 - 58500 ÂŁ per year.
We’re looking for an experienced Key Account Manager to join our Commercial team and play a pivotal role in nurturing and growing long‑term customer partnerships. In this role, you’ll work closely with some of our most strategic customers, deeply understanding their needs and ensuring they gain maximum value from working with Thatcham Research. You’ll act as a trusted partner, balancing strong relationship management with commercial ownership, and collaborating closely with internal teams to deliver meaningful outcomes for our customers and the business.
As the Key Account Manager, you'll:
- Build and maintain strong, trusted relationships with key customer stakeholders, including senior decision‑makers
- Develop and deliver strategic account plans aligned to customer objectives and organisational goals
- Identify and drive growth opportunities within existing accounts, including renewals, upsell and cross‑sell
- Act as the primary point of contact for your accounts, managing escalations and ensuring excellent customer experience
- Lead commercial conversations including forecasting, pricing discussions, contract negotiations and renewals
- Own opportunities end‑to‑end, working closely with delivery, operations, product, finance and marketing teams
- Track and report on account performance, pipeline, KPIs and customer health metrics
- Capture all customer interactions, opportunities and account details accurately within the CRM
- Share customer insight and feedback internally to support continuous improvement and product development
Skills & experience that will set you up for success in this role:
- Proven experience in key account management, client relationship management or a similar commercial role
- Strong commercial acumen, with confidence managing complex accounts, contracts and financial metrics
- Excellent negotiation and influencing skills, able to balance customer value with commercial outcomes
- Experience in account planning, forecasting and strategic growth planning
- Ability to build credibility and rapport with senior stakeholders, including C‑suite level
- Confident communicator with strong stakeholder management and relationship‑building skills
- Analytical and data‑driven, with the ability to translate insight into action
- Comfortable working autonomously while collaborating with cross‑functional teams
- High attention to detail and a structured approach to managing opportunities and accounts
- Experience using CRM systems such as Salesforce or Microsoft Dynamics
- Willingness and ability to travel domestically and internationally as needed (desirable)
- Industry experience within automotive or repair sectors is beneficial but not essential
- Ability to speak Chinese is an advantage but not required
Perks & Benefits:
- Salary - Circa £45k base salary plus up to 30% performance‑based OTE dependent on skills & experience.
- 10% non-contributory pension
- 29 days holiday (inclusive of Christmas shutdown) + public holidays
- Group Life Assurance (equal to 4Ă— basic salary)
- Group Income Protection (after 6 months’ service)
- Salary Sacrifice schemes (cycle to work, home & tech scheme)
- Enhanced and competitive parental leave for all parents, regardless of gender or family structure
- Moneyhealth’s Financial Coaching & Wellbeing Platform
- Health Cash Plan (cash back on eligible medical treatments)
- Benenden Health Care (opt‑in benefit)
- Reward & Recognition Programme
- Discounted gym membership
- Sports & Social club
- Payroll charitable giving
- Subsidised on‑site restaurant
- Free on‑site parking
All applicants must have Right to Work in the UK.
Key Account Manager employer: Thatcham Research
Contact Detail:
Thatcham Research Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Key Account Manager
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Get out there and connect with people in the industry. Attend events, join online forums, or even reach out to current Key Account Managers on LinkedIn. Building relationships can open doors that a CV just can't.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for those interviews by knowing your stuff! Research the company, understand their key accounts, and think about how you can add value. Be ready to discuss your past experiences and how they relate to the role.
✨Tip Number 3
Showcase your negotiation skills during the interview. Think of examples where you've successfully managed complex accounts or turned around a tough situation. This is your chance to shine and demonstrate your commercial acumen!
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets noticed. Plus, we love seeing candidates who are proactive and engaged with our brand.
We think you need these skills to ace Key Account Manager
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV is tailored to the Key Account Manager role. Highlight your experience in managing key accounts and building relationships with senior stakeholders. We want to see how your skills align with what we're looking for!
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: Your cover letter is your chance to shine! Use it to tell us why you're passionate about this role and how you can contribute to our team. Be sure to mention any relevant achievements that demonstrate your commercial acumen.
Showcase Your Achievements: When detailing your experience, focus on specific achievements that showcase your ability to drive growth and manage complex accounts. Numbers speak volumes, so include metrics where possible to illustrate your success!
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to apply through our website for a smoother application process. It’s the best way for us to receive your application and ensures you don’t miss out on any important updates from our team!
How to prepare for a job interview at Thatcham Research
✨Know Your Accounts Inside Out
Before the interview, dive deep into the accounts you’ll be managing. Understand their business models, challenges, and how they measure success. This will help you demonstrate your ability to build strong relationships and show that you’re genuinely interested in their needs.
✨Showcase Your Negotiation Skills
Prepare examples of past negotiations where you successfully balanced customer value with commercial outcomes. Be ready to discuss your approach to pricing discussions and contract renewals, as this role requires strong negotiation skills.
✨Demonstrate Your Analytical Mindset
Be prepared to talk about how you’ve used data to drive account growth in previous roles. Bring specific examples of how you tracked performance metrics and translated insights into actionable strategies for your accounts.
✨Build Rapport with Senior Stakeholders
Practice how you would engage with C-suite level stakeholders. Think of ways to establish credibility and rapport quickly, as this is crucial for a Key Account Manager. Role-play potential scenarios with a friend or mentor to boost your confidence.