Key Account Manager - Life Sciences

Complete Talent Services Ltd; Huddersfield; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading manufacturing firm in Huddersfield is seeking a skilled Key Account Manager to oversee client relationships within the Life Science sector. The ideal candidate will possess a strong commercial understanding and experience in managing customer relationships, ideally in an engineering environment. This role involves developing account plans, managing project scopes, and ensuring quality compliance. Strong communication skills are essential for success in this position.

Qualifications

• Demonstrable background in a client-facing/account management role within an engineering environment.
• Strong commercial understanding essential.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills required.

Responsibilities

• Develop account plans based on customer needs and business understanding.
• Research customer market and identify trends affecting business.
• Manage change regarding contracts and specifications.
• Define and manage project scopes and costs for accounts.
• Report quality escapes and ensure compliance with procedures.
• Act as the central point of contact for the customer.

Skills

Client relationship management

Commercial understanding

Communication skills

Job description

Due to continued growth, we are looking to recruit a Key Account Manager for a leading manufacturing client based in Huddersfield. The successful candidate will be required to manage high profile clients across Life Science companies to ensure all relationships are managed to the highest level. To be considered for this role, you will have a strong background in managing customer relationships with a strong commercial understanding and experience of working in a customer facing environment. A background working within an engineering environment is highly advantageous.

Key Account Management

• Develop an account plan for each customer, based on a thorough understanding of the customer's business in the short, medium and long term, their needs and the related opportunities and threats.
• Research and understand the customer and their market/industry, identifying trends, business strategy and drivers, procurement approach, financial situation and other influencing factors which may affect current and new business.
• Mao and build relationships at all levels of the customer's organisation to understand the company's strategy from different perspectives e.g. technical, supply chain, project and corporate.
• Manage change, including to contract, specification, delivery, quantities, payment terms etc and assessing the business impact e.g. revenue timing and profitability.
• Maintain accurate information about the account in the CRM system making effective use of the dashboard, company detail, contacts, enquiries, order and forecasts, etc.

Project Management

• Define and manage projects, including scope, cost and delivery of new packages of work for accounts of responsibility, in co‑ordination with Project Management staff and business processes.

Quality & Compliance

• Reporting quality escapes and customer complaints, monitoring progress and feeding updates back to the customer. Adhere to all applicable sales department quality procedures.
• To identify / support improvement opportunities for internal business performance against nominated accounts (margin improvement, quality improvement, sales process improvement and CI initiatives).
• Ensure legislative compliance is reviewed and factored into negotiations e.g. export licencing, ITAR, etc.

Teamwork

• Act as the central point of contact for all aspects of the customer's business, developing an effective, integrated account team across all functions.
• Provide regular internal communications to ensure that members of the wider, cross‑functional Account Team are aware of key issues and activities in the account. This includes verbal team communications and via the monthly pack, visit notices and reports.

Sales & Commercial

• Manage pricing and margins in line with market conditions and agreed company targets, involving the Leadership Team as appropriate. This includes, where applicable, quotations and bid approval review incorporating Cost and Pricing data (CPD).
• Negotiate pricing (in line with company profit requirements and market positioning), terms & conditions and payment terms (in line with company guidelines, with support from the Leadership Team where required).

Qualifications / Skills

• Demonstrable background working within a client facing/ account management type role within an engineering environment.
• Strong commercial understanding.
• Strong communication skills – Written and Verbal.