Head of Key Accounts

KONE; Woking; On-site; GBP 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

KONE is seeking an experienced Head of Key Accounts to lead our National Accounts function across Great Britain. This senior role drives customer retention, profitable growth, and strategic development of key national account relationships while leading and developing a high-performing team.

You will build senior-level relationships with strategic customers, lead commercial negotiations, and expand the portfolio across KONE’s solutions.

Qualifications

• Proven success in senior National/Key/Strategic Accounts leadership.
• Experience leading and developing customer-facing teams.
• Strong commercial acumen with negotiation skills.
• Record of driving growth and customer retention.

Responsibilities

• Lead a team of 10 Key Account Managers and support staff.
• Develop senior-level relationships with strategic national accounts and oversee contracts.
• Drive profitable growth through retention and new business opportunities.
• Identify expansion opportunities across KONE’s portfolio.
• Travel across Great Britain averaging one day per week.

Skills

Leadership

Commercial acumen

Negotiation

Stakeholder management

Business growth

Customer retention

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

At KONE, our purpose is to shape the future of cities. As a global leader in the elevator and escalator industry, we move two billion people every day, making their journeys safe, convenient, and reliable with smart and sustainable People Flow®. In 2025, KONE had annual sales of EUR 11.2 billion, and at the end of the year over 60,000 employees in close to 70 countries. KONE class B shares are listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki Ltd. in Finland.