Key Account Director

SMS; Glasgow; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading energy solutions provider in the UK seeks a Key Account Director responsible for strategic and operational leadership in account management. The role involves driving sales across the business, identifying growth areas, and enhancing customer relationships. The ideal candidate will have excellent negotiation and relationship management skills with a proven track record of exceeding targets in a quality-driven environment. This position offers a hybrid working model with competitive benefits.

Benefits

25 personal holidays plus 8 public holidays

Hybrid working options

Enhanced maternity and paternity leave

Employee participation plan

24/7 employee assistance service

Life insurance

Pension matching scheme

Qualifications

• Experience working with senior management to align strategies.
• Proven track record in generating leads and increasing revenue.
• Advanced Excel skills for forecasting and modeling.

Responsibilities

• Lead the account management function to enhance performance.
• Identify opportunities to grow the business footprint.
• Deliver customer excellence in a B2B/B2C environment.

Skills

Negotiation skills

Relationship management

Customer Insight analysis

Strategic planning

Forecasting and modeling

Job description

Apply now

Why choose us?

Choosing to work for SMS means choosing to make a difference. We are changing how businesses and consumers use energy for the better, helping achieve a greener, sustainable, and more affordable energy system for everyone. Through our range of innovative energy solutions, we are delivering the future of smart energy – working closely with private and public sector partners we are playing a critical role in transforming and decarbonising the UK economy by 2050.

What’s in it for you?

• 25 personal holiday days per year (with additional 8 public holidays) increasing to 30 personal days after 5 years of service (includes options to buy and sell).
• Hybrid working options (for some positions).
• Enhanced Maternity leave. Paternity and Adoption leave.
• Automatic enrolment into our Employee Participation Plan.
• 24/7 free and confidential employee assistance service.
• Simply Health plan offers a wide variety of benefits from cashback on everyday healthcare treatments like optical, dental and physio treatments. Discounted gym memberships and free 24/7 online GP.
• Life Insurance (4 × annual salary).
• Pension matching scheme (up to 5 % of salary).

What’s the role?

A key strategic and operational leadership role, the Key Account Director will lead the Account Management function, creating account strategies to drive sales across the business. The individual will identify areas where the business can increase its footprint – leading the Sales team to identify potential partnerships and opportunities – and will develop the current team to enhance performance by setting clear accountable performance measures.

The Key Account Director will set the tone of the cultural experience that each customer has when dealing with SMS. The role holder will ensure first‑class customer excellence, working with our customers to understand key needs and supply solutions to meet those needs. This role involves building and developing relationships with key stakeholders both internally and externally including at Director level.

Based within the Commercial function at SMS Energy Services and reporting to the Customer & Client Services Director, the role takes ownership of some of the business’s most strategic contracts, while supporting other suppliers through the leading of their Key Account Managers and Account Coordinators. Working with the relevant operational delivery teams across the business the role is responsible for the customer’s end‑to‑end journey, holding regular meetings with customers and key stakeholders within the business and may involve travel across the UK when appropriate.

The role requires a broad understanding of the SMS Energy Services business and its complete service offering, an ability to spot new opportunities and drive innovation and product development to strategic customers, working alongside key stakeholders within SMS. Robust commercial acumen, strategic planning, influence and collaboration with key stakeholders are essential.

This role is offered on a hybrid working basis, and the working hours are 40 hours per week, Monday to Friday.

Key Responsibilities

• Identify areas where the business can increase its footprint – lead the Sales team to identify potential partnerships, opportunities and enhance sales.
• Lead the account management function to enhance performance by setting clear accountable performance measures and driving organic growth.
• Lead Account Managers to optimise existing client profitability through business planning and collaboration, delivering increased revenue streams.
• Balance strategic direction with active relationship management to expand market share and revenue, building relationships to help the organisation grow profitably.
• Drive delivery and improvements and work at the forefront of innovation within a commercially focused environment.
• Deliver customer excellence, account and campaign management, developing process and technology to deliver key service outcomes for customers in a B2B/B2C environment.
• Drive client performance and effectiveness by influencing the multi‑channel contact centre and campaign team.
• Ensure that the use of technology within the business is effective, continuously monitoring innovation and adopting new initiatives.
• Use Customer Insight and Root Cause Analytics to identify company‑wide improvements and present these to senior stakeholders/peers.
• Redefine and deliver the strategic Customer Service vision over the customer operation.
• Overhaul the complaints function, analysing root causes and using data to create valuable insight to reduce overall complaints.
• Identify the needs for change within the current customer proposition and create more innovative and efficient solutions for customers.

To be considered for this role, we would love you to have/be:

• Experience in working with senior management to align growth strategies and solutions.
• Excellent negotiation skills, proven track record of successfully pitching for new business.
• Proven track record of increasing opportunities and revenue through generation of leads.
• Commercially savvy – understand cost implications of decision making.
• Forecasting and modelling – advanced Excel skills.
• Strategic planning – to develop and enact long‑term growth strategies.
• Proven relationship management experience at a senior, strategic level.
• Established track record of exceeding targets, KPIs, SLAs in a quality‑led, legislative‑compliant environment.
• Able to interpret MI/BI and make recommendations.
• Demonstrate ability to motivate and communicate with others at all levels.
• Influential relationship skills at all levels. Able to use these relationships to deliver service improvements.
• Excellent communication and negotiation skills.

#LI-Hybrid