Account Manager

HVAC Recruitment Limited; England; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 70,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Car allowance / travel allowance

25 days annual leave + bank holidays

20% annual bonus

Job summary

HVAC Recruitment Limited is seeking an experienced Account Manager/Contract Manager to own and drive a major engineering contract on the Isle of Wight. You will lead a technical team, manage client relationships and ensure top-tier service delivery from the Isle of Wight with flexibility to be based in Southampton or Portsmouth. Travel across the UK will be required as the contract expands.

Qualifications

• Engineering or technical background required.
• Experience leading a large engineering or technical team.
• Experience managing a significant client contract.
• Strong commercial and financial awareness.
• Experience managing KPIs, SLAs and client expectations.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder-management skills.
• Proven ability to recruit, develop and motivate technical teams.
• Solutions-focused approach to operational challenges.
• Ability to understand technical issues and make sound commercial decisions.

Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day delivery of the £3m contract.
• Manage and develop a growing technical team.
• Act as the key client contact for contract success.
• Maintain strong client relationships and service delivery.
• Oversee performance, KPIs, SLAs and contractual requirements.
• Drive operational standards, safety and compliance.
• Plan resources and support engineering team expansion.
• Monitor budgets, costs and commercial performance.
• Identify opportunities to improve the service and add value.
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders and senior management.
• Support the wider UK operation as needed.
• Travel to other hubs and sites across the UK.

Skills

Engineering background

Team leadership

Contract management

Client relationship

KPI & SLAs

Stakeholder management

Recruitment & development

Commercial awareness

Problem solving

Job description

Account Manager

Isle of Wight | £70,000 + 20% Bonus | Car / Travel Allowance

The Opportunity

This is not your typical Account Manager position.

We are looking for an experienced Account Manager / Contract Manager with a strong technical background and proven experience managing large engineering, facilities, manufacturing or technical service teams to take ownership of a major, high-profile contract on the Isle of Wight.

You will have genuine ownership of the operation, with the opportunity to shape the team, develop the service and play a major role in the next stage of the contract.

The Role

As Account Manager, you will take overall responsibility for the successful delivery of the contract, working closely with the client and leading a growing technical team.

This is a hands‑on leadership position for someone who understands the technical environment they are managing. You don't need to be the person carrying out the engineering work yourself, but you must have a strong technical background and be comfortable managing technical engineers, understanding operational requirements and challenging issues when required.

You will be responsible for:

• Managing the day-to-day delivery of a £3m technical contract
• Leading and developing a team
• Acting as the key point of contact for the client
• Maintaining strong client relationships and ensuring excellent service delivery
• Managing performance, KPIs, SLAs and contractual requirements
• Driving operational standards, safety and compliance
• Managing resource planning and supporting the expansion of the engineering team
• Monitoring budgets, costs and commercial performance
• Identifying opportunities to improve the service and add value
• Working closely with internal stakeholders and senior management
• Supporting the wider UK operation when required
• Travelling to other hubs and sites across the UK when necessary

About You

We're looking for someone who has already operated at Account Manager, Contract Manager, Operations Manager or similar level within a technical environment.

You’ll ideally have:

• A strong engineering / technical background
• Proven experience managing a large engineering or technical team
• Experience managing a significant client contract
• Strong commercial and financial awareness
• Experience managing KPIs, SLAs and client expectations
• Excellent communication and stakeholder-management skills
• The confidence to deal with senior client contacts
• A proven ability to recruit, develop and motivate technical teams
• A practical, solutions-focused approach to operational challenges
• The ability to understand technical issues and make sound commercial decisions

Most importantly, we're looking for someone who can lead from the front.

Someone who understands engineers, understands clients and can bring the two together to deliver a high-performing contract.

Why This Role?

This is the exciting part.

You're joining at a genuine point of expansion.

That gives you the opportunity to take ownership of a major account while having a direct impact on how the operation develops.

You'll have the responsibility, resources and scope to build a strong team, improve the operation and develop the client relationship — rather than simply managing a contract that is already established and static.

You'll also be part of a wider UK operation, giving you exposure beyond one site and the opportunity to work across different hubs when required.

Location

The role is based around the Isle of Wight, with flexibility for the successful candidate to be based in either Southampton or Portsmouth.

There will be some travel across the UK to different hubs, so the ability and willingness to travel is important.

Package

• Up to £70,000 basic salary
• 20% annual bonus
• Car allowance / travel allowance
• 25 days annual leave + bank holidays
• Growing technical team
• Opportunity to shape and develop the operation
• UK-wide exposure and progression opportunities

The Person We're Looking For

This role will suit an experienced technical Account Manager, Contract Manager, Operations Manager or Engineering Manager who is ready to take ownership of a major and expanding operation.

If you've got the technical credibility, leadership experience and commercial understanding to manage a growing team and a high-value client relationship, this is an opportunity worth having a conversation about.