Head of Key Accounts

KONE; Bradford; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company pension scheme

Private medical insurance

Bonus

EV car

Dental insurance

Gymflex membership

Life/Partner Assurance

Critical Illness Issurance

Kone discounts

Cycle to Work Scheme

Long Service Awards

24/7 GP Support & Wellbeing Access

Job summary

KONE UK is seeking an experienced Head of Key Accounts to lead our National Accounts function across Great Britain. You will drive customer retention, profitable growth and the strategic development of key relationships while building and coaching a high-performing team.

The role requires managing senior level relationships, leading commercial negotiations and expanding engagement across KONE’s Modernisation portfolio. Travel across GB is expected.

Qualifications

• Proven senior leadership in National/Key/Strategic Accounts.
• Experience managing customer-facing teams and complex negotiations.
• Strong commercial acumen with focus on growth and retention.

Responsibilities

• Lead, motivate and develop a team of Key Account Managers and operations.
• Develop senior relationships with strategic national accounts and negotiate contracts.
• Drive profitable growth and expand engagement across portfolio.
• Collaborate with regional teams to ensure service excellence.
• Identify opportunities for Modernisation and new business.

Skills

Senior leadership

National Accounts

Negotiation

Stakeholder management

Business growth

Team development

Job description

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced and commercially minded Head of Key Accounts to lead our National Accounts function across Great Britain. This senior leadership role is responsible for driving customer retention, profitable growth, and the strategic development of key national account relationships while leading and developing a high-performing team.

Key Responsibilities

Leadership & Team Management

• Lead, motivate and develop a team of 10 colleagues, including Key Account Managers and operational support professionals.
• Drive a high-performance, customer-focused culture across the team.
• Build capability, coach team members and support succession planning.
• Manage performance, recruitment and organisational development activities as required.
• Lead a geographically dispersed team, ensuring strong communication, engagement and collaboration.

Customer & Commercial Management

• Develop and maintain senior-level relationships with strategic national account customers.
• Lead commercial negotiations and support the development of customer contracts and agreements.
• Act as an escalation point for significant customer issues and ensure timely resolution.
• Protect and grow existing customer relationships through proactive account management and customer engagement.
• Drive profitable growth through both customer retention and new business acquisition.
• Collaborate with regional and operational teams to ensure effective customer delivery and service excellence.
• Identify opportunities to expand customer engagement across KONE’s wider solutions portfolio, including Modernisation opportunities.

Growth & Business Development

• Develop and execute strategies to increase the contribution and growth of the National Accounts portfolio.
• Identify and secure new commercial opportunities.
• Expand existing strategic relationships and win new customers.
• Build and utilise an external professional network to create business opportunities.
• Support the long-term growth and profitability of the National Accounts business.

Candidate Profile

• Proven success in a senior National Accounts, Key Accounts or Strategic Accounts leadership role.
• Experience leading and developing customer-facing teams.
• Strong commercial acumen with excellent negotiation and influencing skills.
• Demonstrable experience driving business growth and customer retention.
• Strong stakeholder management and relationship-building capabilities.
• Experience identifying and converting new business opportunities.
• Excellent problem-solving skills with the ability to manage complex customer situations.
• Industry experience is advantageous but not essential.

Success in the role will be measured through:

• Customer retention and account growth.
• Portfolio profitability.
• Growth of the National Accounts business.
• Modernisation referrals and opportunities generated.
• Team capability, engagement and performance.

This role requires travel across Great Britain, averaging approximately one day per week.

What KONE can offer:

We offer a competitive salary, 25 days + Bank Holidays +1 paid Volunteering Day, Company Pension Scheme, Private Medical Insurance, Bonus, EV Car, PDI, Dental Insurance, Gymflex Membership, Life/Partner Assurance & Critical Illness Issurance, Kone Discounts, Cycle to Work Scheme, Long Service Awards, 24/7 GP Support & Wellbeing Access, Employee Assistance Programme, Hybrid Working and Career Development Opportunities to support and help you achieve your goals.

At KONE, we are focused on creating an innovative and collaborative working culture where we value the contribution of each individual. Employee engagement is a key focus area for us and we encourage participation and the sharing of information and ideas. Sustainability is an integral part of our culture and the daily practice. We follow ethical business practices and we seek to develop a culture of working together where co-workers trust and respect each other and good performance is recognized. In being a great place to work, we are proud to offer a range of experiences and opportunities that will help you to achieve your career and personal goals and enable you to live a healthy and balanced life.

Read more on https://kone.com/global/en/careers.html