Key Account Manager

Posted Yesterday
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Houston, TX, USA
In-Office
Senior level
Aerospace • Security • Energy • Defense
Pioneers of progress: Engineering a better future.
The Role
The Key Account Manager manages strategic customer relationships, serves as the primary account contact, and executes global account strategies. Responsibilities include identifying upselling and cross-selling opportunities, leading technical and commercial discussions, negotiating agreements, developing account plans, and achieving sales, order intake, and margin targets. The role requires extensive global travel and collaboration with account teams, engineering, customer service, and project teams.
Summary Generated by Built In
Company Description

John Crane, a business of Smiths Group, is a global leader in mission-critical flow control solutions for energy and process industries that enable efficient and sustainable operations. Our products include mechanical seals and systems, couplings, bearings, filtration systems, and predictive digital monitoring technologies. 
We have a global network of more than 200 sites in over 50 countries and employ more than 6,000 people worldwide. We partner with our customers to help them keep their operations safe, reduce downtime, improve efficiency, and meet the latest environmental standards. 
John Crane is part of Smiths Group. For over 170 years, Smiths has been pioneering progress by engineering for a better future. We serve millions of people every year, helping to create a safer, more efficient, productive, and better-connected world across four global markets: energy, security & defence, space & aerospace, and general industrial. Listed on the London Stock Exchange, Smiths employs approximately 16,000 colleagues in over 50 countries. 

Job Description

The Key Account Manager (KAM) is responsible for developing, managing, and strengthening relationships with assigned customers at the local level. This role focuses on building trusted partnerships with senior management stakeholders and creating mutual value through strategic collaboration.

As a sales-focused position, the KAM drives revenue growth by identifying, developing, and securing new business opportunities within existing customer accounts. The role requires a strong understanding of customer needs, the ability to align solutions with business objectives, and a proactive approach to expanding account potential while ensuring high levels of customer satisfaction and long-term retention.

Responsibilities include but not limited to the following:

  • Build and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders and senior leaders within assigned customer accounts, serving as the primary point of contact for all account-related matters.
  • Deploy and execute the global account strategy in alignment with direction provided by the Global Account Manager (GAM).
  • Develop a deep understanding of customers’ business objectives, challenges, R&D priorities, and strategic requirements to effectively align company solutions.
  • Identify and capitalize on opportunities to grow revenue through upselling, cross-selling, and expanding the scope of services within existing accounts.
  • Lead technical discussions and support customer decision-making while ensuring compliance with internal engineering standards and policies.
  • Develop and execute account plans to achieve order intake, sales, and margin targets in collaboration with local and global account teams.

Qualifications

  • Bachelors degree in Engineering, Marketing, Business Management, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience is preferred.  High school diploma or equivalent required.
  • Substantial experience in Sales and Account Management, with a proven track record negotiating frame agreements, contract terms and conditions, and related legal/commercial matters.
  • Outstanding networking, relationship-building, and communication skills, with the ability to influence customers and stakeholders at multiple organizational levels.
  • Recognized industry expertise in Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) for rotating equipment and a strong understanding of associated end-user markets.
  • Ability and willingness to travel extensively (more than 50% globally), including possession of all required travel documentation and the physical ability to meet travel demands.
  • Facilitate effective communication and information sharing between the GAM, KAM network, regional sales teams, customer service, and global project teams. 
  • Experience working within a global, culturally diverse organization is preferred

Job grade and compensation will be determined based on qualifications and relevant experience.

Additional Information

With colleagues stretching across the globe, we are proud of our diversity. To foster inclusivity, we run employee resource groups (ERGs) to provide a safe space for employees to connect and support each other. Our cross-business ERGs include Veterans, Pride Network, Black Employee Network, Women@Work Network, and Neurodiversity. 

Across our company, we recognize excellence, culminating in the Smiths Excellence Awards, our annual celebration of the most extraordinary activities, people, and projects that best showcase our strengths and help drive our business forward. We announce these on our annual Smiths Day, a global celebration of Smiths around our network. 

Join us for a great career with competitive compensation and benefits, while helping engineer a better future. 

We believe that different perspectives and backgrounds are what make a company flourish. All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment regardless of race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, economic status, disability, age, or any other legally protected characteristics. We are proud to be an inclusive company with values grounded in equality and ethics, where we celebrate, support, and embrace diversity.

At no time during the hiring process will Smiths Group, nor any of our recruitment partners ever request payment to enable participation – including, but not limited to, interviews or testing. Avoid fraudulent requests by applying jobs directly through our career’s website (Careers - Smiths Group plc)

We believe that different perspectives and backgrounds are what make a company flourish. All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment regardless of color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, economic status, disability, age, or any other legally protected characteristics. We are proud to be an inclusive company with values grounded in equality and ethics, where we celebrate, support, and embrace diversity.

At no time during the hiring process will Smiths Group, nor any of our recruitment partners ever request payment to enable participation – including, but not limited to, interviews or testing. Avoid fraudulent requests by applying jobs directly through our career’s website (Careers - Smiths Group plc)

Skills Required

  • High school diploma or equivalent
  • Substantial experience in sales and account management
  • Proven experience negotiating frame agreements, contract terms and conditions, and related legal or commercial matters
  • Strong networking, relationship-building, communication, and stakeholder-influence skills
  • Recognized industry expertise with original equipment manufacturers for rotating equipment and understanding of associated end-user markets
  • Ability and willingness to travel extensively, more than 50% globally
  • Possession of required travel documentation and physical ability to meet travel demands
  • Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Marketing, Business Management, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience
  • Experience working within a global, culturally diverse organization
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The Company
HQ: London
9,512 Employees
Year Founded: 1851

What We Do

For over 170 years, Smiths Group has been pioneering progress by engineering a better future. We serve millions of people every year, to help make the world safer, more energy efficient and productive, and better connected, across four global markets: Energy, General Industrial, Safety & Security, and Aerospace & Defence. Listed on the London Stock Exchange, Smiths employs more than 15,000 colleagues in over 50 countries. For more information visit www.smiths.com. We're looking for people with curious minds. Who want responsibility and relish a challenge. Whether you're an experienced professional or just starting out, our global scale and focus on growth means we have some great career opportunities for you. There's never been a better time to join Smiths.

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