The Key Account Manager is responsible for managing and growing strategic relationships within the Industrial and Institutional market to achieve revenue and margin targets. They will lead cross-functional efforts to develop account strategies, manage pipelines, and ensure customer satisfaction through effective communication and market analysis.
KEY ACCOUNT MANAGER - I&I (INDUSTRIAL AND INSTITUTIONAL)
Role Summary
The Key Account Manager is responsible for managing and growing strategic key customer relationships in the Industrial and Institutional (I&I) market. This position owns the account strategy for assigned key accounts, including profitable growth, contract and pricing execution, opportunity pipeline development, forecasting, and customer satisfaction. Targeted growth will be achieved through strong relationships with Procurement, R&D, Senior Management, Product Management, Marketing, Operations, Supply Chain, Customer Service, Quality, Regulatory, and other key customers and internal stakeholders. The candidate will serve as a market-facing commercial leader for I&I strategic accounts while representing account priorities, customer needs, and market insights to management and leadership. This role is expected to demonstrate leadership capability through cross-functional influence, customer strategy ownership, sound commercial judgment, and the ability to translate customer priorities into aligned commercial and cross-functional action.
Key Responsibilities
Responsible for profitable sales growth, account retention, and strategic relationship development within assigned North American I&I key accounts.
Build and maintain strong, long-lasting relationships with key accounts.
Develop and execute strategic account plans to achieve revenue, volume, margin, and pipeline growth targets.
Identify and pursue new business opportunities, product conversions, specification approvals, and share-gain opportunities within existing strategic accounts.
Develop account-specific sales strategies and account plans while providing regular industry updates, customer insights, competitive intelligence, pricing feedback, service updates, and volume forecasts for defined strategic accounts.
Work closely with cross-functional teams to develop and implement account-specific strategies, including commercial, technical, supply chain, quality, regulatory, and customer service action plans.
Coordinate new product development opportunities via the UPP process to support growth.
Ability to call on and develop networks at all levels within an account, including senior leadership, procurement, technical, marketing, manufacturing, quality, regulatory, and supply chain stakeholders. Demonstrates advanced network development skills by identifying and engaging champions, users, influencers, and decision-makers, and by bringing in other Pilot functions to support selling efforts.
Analyze I&I market trends, customer formulation needs, competitive activity, supply dynamics, and pricing movements to identify opportunities, risks, and threats.
Meets administrative requirements including:
Meeting call reports are timely and contain a balance of commercial, technical and operations inputs (market feedback on customers, industry trends, pricing, and competitors).
Ensure significant business is supported by appropriate contracts, letters of agreement, pricing documentation, or other commercial commitments when in the best interest of Pilot Chemical.
Forecasting and budgeting of individual accounts and support of overall budgeting for segment.
Manages travel budget.
Prepare periodic account reviews and sales reports showing sales volume, revenue, margin, opportunity pipeline, forecast accuracy, risks, and areas of proposed account expansion.
Required Competencies
BS/BA degree required. Minimum of 10 years of commercial experience in specialty chemicals or related markets, preferably with experience serving Industrial and Institutional customers. Prior key account management experience preferred.
Knowledge of surfactants, antimicrobial actives, specialty chemistries, and their applications in I&I cleaning, sanitation, laundry, ware wash, hard surface cleaning, industrial cleaning, and janitorial/sanitation markets preferred.
A ‘market-facing’ mentality / orientation.
Growth mindset with a proven record of new business acquisition, account penetration, and expansion of existing customer relationships.
Ability to understand operational and commercial elements of the business and use that understanding to manage outcomes, improve customer service levels, support profitable growth, and align internal resources with account priorities.
Strong personal computer skills including Microsoft Office suite: Excel, Word, and PowerPoint. Proficient in the use of Salesforce.
Excellent and succinct verbal, written, listening, and communication skills.
Team player with strong interpersonal relationship skills.
Demonstrated leadership qualities, including the ability to influence without direct authority, lead cross-functional initiatives, and model strong commercial judgment and ownership.
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