Global Key Account Manager (Pharma)

ALS; Lyon; On-site; EUR 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

ALS is seeking a Global Key Account Manager (GKAM) – Pharma to lead a portfolio of strategic pharmaceutical accounts. You will own the global commercial strategy, engage senior decision-makers, and coordinate local teams to drive revenue growth across geographies and service lines.

The role requires a proactive business developer with an established pharmaceutical network, fluency in English, and the ability to travel up to 35% of the time within Europe and beyond.

Qualifications

• Minimum five years of directly relevant business development or strategic account management experience.
• Senior business development or key account management professional from the TIC, CRO, CMO, CDMO or pharmaceutical-services sector.
• Full professional fluency in English; additional European languages are advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Lead global account strategy and planning for assigned strategic pharmaceutical accounts.
• Build and maintain a consolidated global account pipeline across countries, laboratories and service lines.
• Drive revenue growth, account retention and cross-selling with local sales teams and business units.
• Coordinate cross-functional teams of laboratories, technical experts and operations to ensure high-value customer experience.
• Support strategic agreements, MSAs, and multi-country commercial arrangements with Legal, Finance and Quality teams.
• Share customer insights and outsourcing trends to support ALS’s strategic priorities.

Skills

Strategic account management

Pharma sales network

English fluency

CRM software

Cross-functional leadership

Tools

CRM software

Job description

For more than 40 years, ALS has provided comprehensive testing solutions to clients in a wide range of industries all over the world. Our adoption of state-of-the-art technology and innovative methodologies – coupled with the strength of our international teams – ensure that we deliver the highest quality services using local expertise and personalized solutions.

Location: Europe-based, with convenient access to international transport links.

Line Manager: Head of Strategic BD, ALS Pharmaceutical

Role Purpose

The Global Key Account Manager (GKAM) – Pharma is a senior, commercially driven role responsible for developing, retaining and growing a portfolio of strategic pharmaceutical accounts. The position holder will own the global commercial strategy and senior-level relationship for assigned key accounts and will be accountable for driving consolidated account revenue growth, pipeline development, cross-selling and diversification across services, geographies and customer stakeholders, and strategic account retention. Commercial opportunities will be developed and executed in close collaboration with local sales teams, business units and operational stakeholders. This role is not limited to relationship management or partnership governance. It requires a proactive business developer with a strong existing network in the pharmaceutical industry, the ability to access senior decision-makers, and a demonstrated track record of winning and expanding complex, multi-country business. The Global Key Account Manager will act as the central commercial lead for their assigned accounts, coordinating local sales teams, technical experts, laboratories and operational stakeholders to ensure a consistent and high-value customer experience.

Key Responsabilities

1. Global Account Strategy and Planning
2. Lead the global account strategy for assigned strategic pharmaceutical accounts. Develop and execute structured global account plans, including stakeholder mapping, growth priorities, commercial action plans and cross-selling opportunities across ALS services.
3. Build and maintain a consolidated global account pipeline, ensuring visibility of opportunities across countries, laboratories and service lines.
4. Commercial Growth and Opportunity Development Be accountable for driving revenue growth, account retention and cross-selling opportunities across assigned accounts, in close collaboration with local sales teams and business units. Identify and open strategic opportunities through senior-level customer engagement, then coordinate with local commercial teams on opportunity qualification, proposal development and commercial execution. Support local teams in complex negotiations, pricing strategy and multi-country opportunities.
5. Customer Relationship Management Build trusted, long-term relationships with senior decision-makers and influencers across Quality, R&D, Technical Operations, Procurement, Regulatory Affairs, Manufacturing and Supply Chain. Monitor customer satisfaction and anticipate account risks, including competitive threats, operational issues, dissatisfaction and pricing pressure. Coordinate appropriate mitigation actions with internal teams to protect and strengthen the customer relationship.
6. Internal Coordination and Leadership Act as the central commercial lead for assigned accounts, aligning local sales teams, laboratories, technical experts, quality teams and business-unit stakeholders around shared account objectives. Promote effective collaboration between global, regional and local teams to avoid duplication, internal competition and customer confusion.
7. Strategic Agreements and Account Retention Support the implementation, renewal, expansion and optimisation of MSAs, preferred-supplier agreements and multi-country commercial arrangements in partnership with Legal, Finance, Quality, operational teams and authorised contract signatories.. Help protect account profitability while identifying opportunities for sustainable account expansion.
8. Market Intelligence and Business Strategy Share customer insights, competitor intelligence and pharmaceutical outsourcing trends to support ALS’s broader Strategic Business Development priorities.

Organisational Relationships

• Global Pharmaceutical General Managers
• Regional and local Heads of Sales/Business Development
• Local Account Managers and sales teams
• Site Managers and Heads of Department
• Technical and scientific subject-matter experts
• Quality and Regulatory teams
• Legal and Finance
• Marketing and Communications

Background

• Minimum five years of directly relevant business development or strategic account management experience, with demonstrated responsibility for complex pharmaceutical customers.
• Senior business development or key account management professional from the TIC, CRO, CMO, CDMO or pharmaceutical-services sector.
• A technical or scientific expert may also be considered, provided they demonstrate substantial customer-facing commercial experience, strong relationship-building skills and a proven ability to generate and convert business opportunities.
• Full professional fluency in written and spoken English. Additional European languages, particularly German or French, would be advantageous.
• A thorough understanding of and adoption the company’s major HSE policies and safety requirements, helping guide improvement as warranted.

Position Requirements

• Comprehensive knowledge of the pharmaceutical industry, drug-development lifecycle and relevant outsourcing models.
• Demonstrated ability to build effective relationships with operational leaders and translate operational capabilities, opportunities and constraints into credible customer solutions.
• Thorough understanding and exemplifying of the core values and requirements outlined in the Company Code of Conduct, especially acting with integrity at all times.
• Ability to formulate account strategies and translate them into measurable commercial action plans. Strong planning and project management capability.
• The ability to develop and maintain strong strategic customer relationships.
• Exceptional relationship-building, influencing, listening and stakeholder-management skills, with the credibility to engage both senior customer executives and internal operational teams.
• The ability to work autonomously as well as part of a team.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills. Strong working knowledge of relevant GxP environments, particularly GMP and GLP, and the quality and regulatory expectations applicable to outsourced pharmaceutical services.
• Experience using CRM and commercial reporting tools to manage opportunities, maintain consolidated account pipelines, produce reliable forecasts and track account-plan execution. Strong commercial and financial acumen, including experience with pricing, margins, business cases, contract negotiations and account profitability.
• Demonstrated ability to lead through influence and coordinate cross-functional, multi-country teams without direct authority.

Other Requirements

• Ability and willingness to travel up to approximately 35% of working time, primarily within Europe, with periodic travel to Americas, Asia-Pacific and other regions as required by assigned global accounts.
• An established and relevant network within pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, with demonstrated access to senior decision-makers and influencers across functions such as Quality, R&D, Technical Operations, Procurement, Manufacturing and Supply Chain.
• A demonstrated track record of developing strategic accounts, generating qualified pipelines, winning complex opportunities and delivering measurable revenue growth in a multi-country or matrix environment.