Key Account Manager

M-Works Search; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 100,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

M-Growth is at the core of M-Works Search as we seek a driven Key Account Manager to own and expand our strategic OEM relationships in the Greater Chicagoland area. This hybrid role blends leadership with hands-on account development across engineering, procurement, and operations teams.

You will cultivate long-term partnerships, drive revenue growth, and shape the future of key accounts while collaborating with internal leaders and a technical sales organization.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of B2B account management or sales experience, including strategic or key account responsibility.
• Demonstrated success growing major customer relationships and identifying additional revenue opportunities within established accounts.
• Experience selling technical or engineered products to OEM customers. Demonstrated success negotiating pricing, contracts, and complex supply agreements while balancing customer relationships, revenue growth, and profitability.
• Technical aptitude and curiosity, with the ability to understand engineered products and communicate effectively with customer engineering, procurement, and business teams.
• Strong commercial and financial acumen, with the ability to understand pricing, margins, forecasts, and the overall business performance of strategic accounts.
• Confidence and executive presence with the communication skills to build relationships throughout a customer organization.
• A proactive, growth-oriented approach - equally comfortable developing existing accounts and pursuing new business.
• Experience working with CRM systems; HubSpot experience is a plus but not required.
• Bachelor's degree in business, engineering, or a related field preferred; an engineering background is a plus but not required.
• Ability to travel approximately 20%, including occasional international travel.

Responsibilities

• Own and grow a portfolio of strategic OEM accounts, with responsibility for revenue, profitability, retention, and long-term growth.
• Develop strategic account plans and identify opportunities to expand into additional products, applications, platforms, and programs.
• Build relationships across customer organizations, including engineering, procurement, operations, and executive leadership.
• Serve as a trusted business partner and primary point of contact for key customers.
• Lead pricing, contract, and complex supply-agreement negotiations while balancing customer relationships, revenue growth, and profitability.
• Conduct regular business reviews and maintain accurate forecasts, account plans, and opportunity pipelines.
• Partner with internal engineering, operations, customer service, and leadership teams to address customer needs and support growth initiatives.
• Bring customer and market insight back into the organization to help influence product and business priorities.
• Identify and develop new OEM relationships that can become future strategic accounts.
• Use CRM tools to manage account activity, opportunities, forecasts, and customer information.

Skills

Strategic accounts

Contract negotiation

CRM experience

Technical sales

Customer relationships

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

HubSpot

Job description

Key Account Manager - OEM / Technical Sales

Greater Chicagoland Area | Hybrid

Step into an established book of strategic OEM business - and take it to the next level.

My client is a long-established, privately held U.S. manufacturer serving leading OEM customers across scientific, medical, analytical, laboratory, and industrial markets. As part of a planned succession, they are seeking a Key Account Manager to inherit several major, long-standing OEM relationships while building upon a significant base of existing business.

This isn't simply an account-maintenance role. You'll own the relationships, revenue, profitability, and growth strategy for key OEM customers - working across engineering, procurement, operations, and executive leadership to identify new applications and expand business. At the same time, you'll be expected to develop new OEM relationships and create the next generation of strategic accounts.

You'll have the advantage of taking over an established portfolio rather than starting from scratch, along with access to senior leadership, a strong technical organization, and products already embedded within sophisticated OEM applications. The role combines strategic account management, technical sales, and new business development with the opportunity to make a visible impact on the company's continued growth.

Why You Should Apply

• $100,000-$125,000 base salary, depending on experience
• Monthly commission tied to account performance
• Annual Pay-for-Performance Bonus Program
• Hybrid schedule - typically 2-3 days per week onsite when not traveling
• Inherit an established portfolio of major OEM accounts with significant existing business
• Opportunity to grow existing strategic accounts and develop new OEM business
• High-visibility role with access to company leadership
• Comprehensive Blue Cross Blue Shield medical insurance, plus dental and vision insurance
• 401(k) with company match
• 10 paid company holidays annually, plus paid vacation, personal and sick days
• Employer-paid term life and accidental death insurance; short- and long-term disability coverage
• Paid parental leave

What You'll Do

• Own and grow a portfolio of strategic OEM accounts, with responsibility for revenue, profitability, retention, and long-term growth.
• Develop strategic account plans and identify opportunities to expand into additional products, applications, platforms, and programs.
• Build relationships across customer organizations, including engineering, procurement, operations, and executive leadership.
• Serve as a trusted business partner and primary point of contact for key customers.
• Lead pricing, contract, and complex supply-agreement negotiations while balancing customer relationships, revenue growth, and profitability.
• Conduct regular business reviews and maintain accurate forecasts, account plans, and opportunity pipelines.
• Partner with internal engineering, operations, customer service, and leadership teams to address customer needs and support growth initiatives.
• Bring customer and market insight back into the organization to help influence product and business priorities.
• Identify and develop new OEM relationships that can become future strategic accounts.
• Use CRM tools to manage account activity, opportunities, forecasts, and customer information.

What You'll Bring

• 7+ years of B2B account management or sales experience preferred, including strategic or key account responsibility. Candidates with 3-5+ years of highly relevant experience selling to OEM customers in scientific, medical, analytical, laboratory, or industrial equipment markets will also be considered.
• Demonstrated success growing major customer relationships and identifying additional revenue opportunities within established accounts.
• Experience selling technical or engineered products to OEM customers.Demonstrated success negotiating pricing, contracts, and complex supply agreements while balancing customer relationships, revenue growth, and profitability.
• Technical aptitude and curiosity, with the ability to understand engineered products and communicate effectively with customer engineering, procurement, and business teams.
• Strong commercial and financial acumen, with the ability to understand pricing, margins, forecasts, and the overall business performance of strategic accounts.
• Confidence and executive presence with the communication skills to build relationships throughout a customer organization.
• A proactive, growth-oriented approach - equally comfortable developing existing accounts and pursuing new business.
• Experience working with CRM systems; HubSpot experience is a plus but not required.
• Bachelor's degree in business, engineering, or a related field preferred; an engineering background is a plus but not required.
• Ability to travel approximately 20%, including occasional international travel.

Work Environment

This is a Greater Chicagoland Area hybrid position, typically requiring 2-3 days per week onsite when not traveling. The position includes approximately 20% travel, including occasional international travel.

The environment should appeal to someone who enjoys the resources and customer base of an established manufacturer while also valuing visibility, access to leadership, and the ability to directly influence account growth.

Why This Opportunity Stands Out

Few Key Account Manager opportunities give you both sides of the equation: an established book of significant OEM business on day one and the opportunity to build what comes next.

You won't be starting with an empty territory, nor will you simply be maintaining someone else's accounts. You'll inherit long-standing customer relationships, become their next trusted commercial partner, and be expected to uncover new applications, expand existing business, and develop new strategic OEM customers.

For an experienced technical salesperson who enjoys building relationships, understanding engineered products, negotiating meaningful business agreements, and finding new ways to grow an account, this is an opportunity to take real ownership of a strategically important part of the business.