Strategic Accounts Leader - Global, Multi-Site Growth

Job Description

The Senior Sales Manager of Strategic Accounts is responsible for deploying and leading a team of Strategic Account Managers (SAMs) across the EMEAI region. The position combines hands‑on strategic account leadership with team management, serving as the primary link between the Strategic Account Director and the SAMs. The role supports profitable growth of assigned strategic accounts through account planning, value‑based selling, opportunity pipeline governance, and cross‑functional alignment, while also coaching and enabling the SAMs and establishing consistent ways of working with the geographic sales organization.

Responsibilities

• Lead and/or co‑lead the commercial relationship for selected strategic customers across multiple EMEAI locations, ensuring coordinated execution, clear ownership by site, and alignment with regional sales teams.
• Develop and execute formal account plans and growth strategies (share growth, specification/approvals, and multi‑site expansion), including value propositions and disciplined opportunity management.
• Drive value‑based selling and support pricing/negotiation strategies to maximize value, margin and profitability in coordination with leadership.
• Partner with segment/product management, regional sales teams, technical service and technical teams to drive specification, approvals, and integrated customer‑centric solutions across technologies.
• Establish and reinforce execution governance for strategic accounts (pipeline discipline, KPIs, business reviews, opportunity conversion), enabling transparency and consistent decision‑making across the matrix.
• Implement practical working relationships and clear communication with regional sales leadership and plant/technical stakeholders to ensure “one voice to customer” while leveraging local coverage and relationships.
• Drive adoption of core sales processes, CRM usage, and data‑driven decision‑making practices across the Strategic Accounts team to improve execution quality and forecasting reliability.
• Ensure collaboration with SAM and GAM teams in other global regions to ensure execution of a consistent and aligned account strategy globally.
• Provide day‑to‑day functional leadership and coaching to SAMs, reinforcing standards on account planning, value selling, pipeline governance, internal alignment, and customer coverage models across multiple sites.
• Support development of capability‑building plans (value selling, cross‑technology knowledge, executive communication, internal influence in matrix), accelerating team effectiveness and consistency of execution.
• Ensure strong cross‑functional alignment with Marketing, Technical, Finance, R&D, Supply Chain and Operations, integrating the “voice of the key accounts” into planning and execution.
• Support proposals, presentations, and commercial programs with Sales/Marketing/Technical teams and represent the organization in customer executive meetings and selected industry forums when appropriate.

Qualifications

• Formal education: Bachelor in a business/technical/scientist area.
• Minimum of 10 years of prior sales experience within the General Industrial Coatings division.
• Solid experience in implementing new sales operating models within complex organizations, working in an international environment.
• At least 10 years of experience managing complex, multi‑site strategic accounts operating across multiple countries.
• Minimum of 10 years of experience leading sales teams organized by geography and key account parameters, with proven ability to operate effectively in a matrix organization.
• Strong experience in industrial B2B environments, ideally specialty chemicals/coatings, with proven success in strategic/key account development and multi‑site customer management.
• Demonstrated ability to drive growth strategies, lead complex opportunities, and operate effectively in a matrix organization with cross‑functional stakeholders.
• Proven capability in value‑based/solutions selling, including value proposition development and executive‑level customer communication.
• Strong coaching and influence skills, high execution discipline, and comfort driving governance/KPIs/business reviews.
• Excellent communication and negotiation skills; comfortable presenting to multiple audiences and engaging senior customer stakeholders.
• Fluency in English required; additional European languages strongly preferred.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office; CRM (Salesforce.com preferred).
• A genuine people leader with strong focus on development and coaching to help the team reach their full potential.

Travel Requirements

More than 50% of the time.

Equal Opportunity Employment

An equal opportunity employer, all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against based on race, colour, religion or belief, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, ethnic or national origin, disability, age pregnancy or maternity, marital or civil partner status, or any other protected characteristic prohibited by law.