Key Account Manager Defense

Henkel; California; On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health Insurance

401k matching

Paid time off

Parental leave

Career growth programs

Job summary

Henkel is seeking a Key Account Manager to develop business relationships with high-opportunity defense and aerospace accounts. This remote position requires a Bachelor's degree and at least 5 years of experience in the Aerospace Defense market. You will leverage technical knowledge and strategic insight to drive customer engagement and success.

Henkel offers a salary range of $120,000 to $160,000 along with a comprehensive benefits package including health insurance, financial benefits, and career growth opportunities. Join Henkel for a chance to make a significant impact in a dynamic industry.

Qualifications

• 5+ years experience in Aerospace Defense market working with a major defense contractor.
• Experience in Business Development or Account Management with a focus on value-add selling.
• Familiarity with government funded programs in development and production phase.

Responsibilities

• Build and grow business relationships with emerging defense and aerospace accounts.
• Implement new customer acquisition plans and develop customer-specific success metrics.
• Communicate technical knowledge of aerospace-grade materials and specifications.

Skills

B2B sales experience

Technical knowledge of aerospace-grade materials

Strong relationship skills

Project management skills

Proficient in SAP, Salesforce

Deep understanding of supply chain dynamics

Education

Bachelor's degree in science, engineering, business, or related discipline

Tools

SAP

Salesforce

Excel

Job description

About this Position

At Henkel, you’ll be part of an organization that’s shaping the future through innovation, sustainability and collaboration. With our trusted brands like Persil®, ‘all®, Loctite®, Snuggle®, and Schwarzkopf® and our cutting-edge technologies, you’ll have countless opportunities to explore new paths and grow. This position is with our Adhesive Technologies business unit – where we empower our people to transform industries and provide our customers with a competitive advantage through adhesives, sealants and functional coatings. Dare to learn new skills, advance in your career and make an impact at Henkel.

What you’ll do

• The Key Account Manager, a remote position, is responsible for building and growing business relationships with high opportunity emerging defense and aerospace accounts
• Implement new customer acquisition plans & develop customer-specific success metrics beyond revenue (e.g., innovation impact)
• Demonstrate and communicate technical knowledge of aerospace-grade materials, their specifications and application, an understanding of quality and compliance requirements, and forecast management
• Leverage understanding of emerging defense technologies (CCAs, UAS, autonomous systems, counter-UAS, hypersonics, advanced materials) to identify new customer materials opportunities
• Serve as the primary point of contact between Henkel and Customer across departments (procurement, engineering, quality, supply chain, etc.)
• Develop and build long-term strategic plan tailored to Customer’s business goals and production plan e.g. Defense platforms
• Identifies opportunities to expand the relationship through new product offerings, innovations, or process improvements
• Internal champion of Customer needs within the Henkel cross-functional organization, ensuring alignment and responsiveness
• Builds strong relationships with Customer stakeholders in supply chain, program, and engineering
• Translates customer’s strategy and priorities into a joint innovation roadmap
• Facilitate executive-level meetings and Business Reviews to maintain alignment
• Effectively manages escalations, delivery issues, or quality concerns with professionalism and urgency
• On-Time Delivery & Quality Performance management through KPI tracking and ensuring performance meets Customer’s needs
• Oversees pricing agreements, long-term contracts (LTAs), and terms & condition negotiations
• Uses analytics and forecasting tools to anticipate customer needs and add strategic value

What makes you a good fit

• Bachelor's degree in science, engineering, business, or related discipline required
• Experience in a B2B sales Business Development or Account Management role, with a focus on value-add and solution selling required
• Strong passion for defense technology innovation and ability to translate evolving mission needs into strategic customer engagement and growth opportunities
• 5+ years\' experience in Aerospace Defense market working directly with a major defense contractor or defense materials supplier
• Requires technical knowledge of aerospace-grade materials, their specifications and application, an understanding of quality and compliance requirements, and forecast management
• Familiar with government funded programs, including both development and production phase
• Experience with structural adhesives, composite materials, electronics adhesives, thermal management, EMI shielding materials, and sealants required
• Strong relationship skills, project management, presentation, and communication skills
• Deep understanding of aerospace manufacturing and supply chain dynamics
• Ability to balance customer needs with internal resources
• Proficient in tools like SAP, Salesforce, Excel, etc.
• Travel will be on average 30-50%, depending on the location of the candidate.
• Preference will be given to candidates that reside in the Mountain West region – Texas, Colorada, California, Utah, Arizona. Candidate must be located in proximity to a major airport.

Some benefits of joining Henkel

• Health Insurance: affordable plans for medical, dental, vision and wellbeing starting on day 1
• Work-Life Balance: Paid time off including sick, vacation, holiday and volunteer time, flexible & hybrid work policies (depending on role), and vacation buy / sell program
• Financial: 401k matching, employee share plan with voluntary investment and Henkel matching shares, annual performance bonus, service awards and student loan reimbursement
• Family Support: 12-week gender neutral parental leave (up to 20 weeks for parents giving birth), fertility support, adoption & surrogacy reimbursement, discounted child and elderly care, and scholarships
• Career Growth: diverse national and international growth opportunities, access to thousands of skills development courses, and tuition reimbursement

The salary range for this role is $120,000.00 and $160,000.00. This range represents the good‑faith minimum and maximum wages the Company reasonably expects to offer for this role at the time of posting. In addition to base salary, this position may be eligible for incentive pay or other forms of compensation, as applicable. The Company also offers a comprehensive benefits package as described above. Actual compensation will be based on factors such as the candidate’s skills, experience, education, training, and work location. This posting is intended to comply with all applicable state and local pay transparency laws.

Henkel does not accept unsolicited resumes from search firms or employment agencies. Unsolicited referrals and resumes are considered Henkel property and therefore, Henkel will not pay a fee for any placement resulting from the receipt of an unsolicited referral.

At Henkel, we come from a broad range of backgrounds, perspectives, and life experiences. We believe the uniqueness of all our employees is the power in us. Henkel is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, veteran status, genetic information, and other legally protected categories.