Key Accounts Director

Overview:
Americold is a global provider of temperature-controlled infrastructure. We partner with farmers and food producers to ensure their perishable and frozen product reaches food suppliers, restaurants, and your local grocery store without spoilage. Our customers, which include some of the most respected brands in the food industry, rely on our expertise and commitment to safety in order to delivery on their commitments.

Qualifications:
**Responsibilities**:
**Goal**
The primary goal of the Key Accounts Director - Europe is to lead and drive significant revenue growth by cultivating and deepening relationships with strategic key accounts across Europe. This role is integral to ensuring the long-term success and profitability of these accounts, enhancing customer satisfaction, optimizing service delivery, and contributing to Americold's industry leadership.

**Key responsibilities**
- Manage and strengthen relationships with key accounts to maximize customer satisfaction and drive sustained revenue growth.
- Act as the senior point of contact for key accounts, ensuring seamless communication and fostering long-term partnerships with key decision-makers.
- Drive cross-selling opportunities with accounts in Europe and across the global Americold organisation, ensuring overall business growth.
- Oversee all aspects of account management, including service delivery, financial management, cost control, and quality assurance to ensure smooth operations.
- Understand and anticipate key account requirements, translating them into effective Service Level Agreements (SLAs) to ensure clear expectations and deliverables.
- Stay informed on Logistics and Transport industry trends, particularly within the food sector, and leverage this knowledge to provide value-added insights to clients.
- Lead pricing negotiations and rate reviews to balance customer needs with Americold’s commercial objectives.
- Monitor and challenge operational practices that may impact profitability, service quality, or customer satisfaction.
- Oversee and manage contract renewals and ensure that new business opportunities with key accounts are maximized.
- Analyse and interpret business performance data to identify potential issues and implement solutions that enhance customer satisfaction and profitability.
- Maintain a thorough understanding of all commercial agreements and customer charges, working closely with finance teams to ensure accurate billing and processing.
- Safeguard the company from potential claims by proactively assessing liabilities and addressing any internal operational issues that may arise.
- Drive continuous improvement initiatives and ensure adherence to internal processes that align with key account expectations.

**Required experience**:

- Minimum of 8-10 years of experience managing key accounts, with a focus on revenue growth and customer relationship management.
- BA, BS, or MS degree is preferred.
- Extensive knowledge of the Warehouse, Distribution, Transport, Food, and Supply Chain sectors.
- Proven experience managing complex B2B relationships and delivering value through long-term partnerships.
- Previous experience in account management or sales, with a demonstrated track record of success.

**Preferred qualifications**
- Strong communication, interpersonal, and organizational skills with the ability to build trust and rapport with key stakeholders.
- Ability to synthesize and communicate financial and market performance data, using it to develop and adjust account strategies.
- Proven ability to coach, influence, and lead cross-functional teams to deliver on account goals.
- A problem-solving mindset with a responsive, action-oriented approach to resolving customer issues.
- Commercially focused, customer service-driven, and results-oriented.
- Comfortable operating at both strategic and operational levels within key accounts.
- Strong understanding of financial statements and the ability to interpret financial reports.
- Proficiency in reading, understanding, and interpreting legal contracts.