Key Accounts Director

North builds stronger networks and creates smarter places. Our intelligent technology solutions and robust network infrastructures transform the way people, places, and organisations work. And we focus our expertise on working in four specialist sectors: public service, enterprise, financial services, and defence & justice.

Our people are industrious and inventive. We collaborate closely with our clients to understand their unique needs and challenges and take pride in delivering impactful solutions that make their environments better connected, simpler to manage, safer to be in, and more efficient to run.

The work we do at North is pioneering and fun. We build meaningfully, we think bigger and we always advance. Our diverse range of customers and services make every day different. We always look at things from the customer’s point of view. Our values are know your craft, know your colleagues, know your customers and know how to connect.  At North, we know and value the power of connecting people, skills and technologies in new and exciting ways.

This is a brand-new role within North designed to assure high levels of customer engagement as well as drive new opportunities across our largest accounts.

As Key Accounts Director, you will develop trusted relationships with strategic customers, and foster loyal, long-lasting relationships with senior stakeholders, including the C suite in each of your key accounts. Driving pipeline growth and margin enhancing opportunities through effective account/sales strategies and relationship management.

You will be responsible for developing a new account management framework for our business as well as providing leadership to your accounts team consisting of customer account managers and service delivery managers.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Customer Satisfaction

• Ensure high and improving levels of customer engagement c-NPS).

Developing and implementing Account Plans

• Accountable for the development and implementation of an account plan detailing growth strategies, ensuring the profitability, retention and activities that align with North’s customer targets, goals and objectives.
• Lead commercial negotiations, pitches, or dispute resolution processes.
• Own the account review governance and ensure that a robust plan of reviews, meetings, and engagement events are delivered.
• Oversee and project-manage the renewal process for defined key accounts, ensuring all internal and external stakeholders are involved and aware of requirements.

Building and maintaining client relationships

• Responsible for building and maintaining strong relationships with customers, understanding their needs, ensuring their satisfaction with the services provided and resolving issues to maintain and strengthen customer trust.
• Know the financials for your customers and take proactive action if there are changes in revenues, margins, support tickets, or overall client satisfaction.
• Manage contractual relationship.

Leading the Key Accounts team

• Responsible for the performance of the Key Accounts team you will lead, manage, develop and coach the team to ensure sales targets and all KPI’s are achieved.
• Conduct all performance reviews and ensure team members have a development plan.
• Ensure high levels of employee engagement

Identify new business opportunities

• Responsible for identifying new business opportunities within accounts and expanding the portfolio of Key Accounts within Public Sector, in collaboration with Sales, Product, Technical & Delivery Teams.
• Ensure new business opportunities are identified and appropriate interventions put in place to develop prospects into pipeline.
• Understand our product offering and how it can complement your customers’ needs.

Stay up-to-date with industry trends

• You will be familiar with our sectors and stay up-to-date with the latest industry trends and technologies to ensure that North’s sales strategies are effective.

Financials and reporting

• You will produce monthly financial information and be accountable for the overall ‘profit and loss’ of key accounts.
• You will lead the budgeting and forecasting process for your accounts. Work with the finance teams to ensure that invoicing processes and payments are delivered on time by all parties.

Marketing

• Support and contribute to marketing initiatives.
• Understand the markets, changes, requirements and trends.
• Ensure market awareness including competitor activities, utilising ideas where appropriate.
• Work with Marketing to build new and exciting campaigns, targeted communication materials and thought leadership events for your customers.

• Extensive experience working in a similar role, leading an Accounts team and setting successful sales strategies within the Public Sector, including local government.
• Experience of working in a Technology Services and solutions environment.
• Proven experience meeting Account targets both as a team and individually. Results-oriented mindset with a focus on surpassing revenue targets
• An entrepreneurial spirit to your activity in generating new business, growing your customer relationships and exceeding revenue targets.
• Proven experience of growth within existing accounts and acquiring new logos within Public Services.
• Strong leadership and communication skills, influencing customers and driving success within an Accounts team.
• Excellent relationship building skills and ability to leverage network to drive new business.
• Ability to understand distinct and unique needs of each account and how North can support them.
• Capable of hands on problem-solving, with ability to generate ideas and solutions.
• Strong commercial and business awareness, ability to produce Account plans and generate reporting metrics.
• Keeps up to date with trends, legal and social changes and competitor activity that impact Public Services.
• Deep knowledge of Public Services contracts, Procurement processes & Frameworks.
• Ability to analyse data and derive actionable insights.
• Willing to travel across the UK to our Key Account locations.

What we offer

North rewards employees with a competitive market salary and an excellent benefits package and offers fantastic opportunities for progression throughout the company. Further details of package on offer will be discussed at application stage. North is an equals opportunity employer; we celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.