Global Key Account Manager (GKAM)

Job Description

Job DescriptionSalary: $175-185k plus bonus

Imagine working at the forefront of innovation in fluid-flow technology, with over 1400 colleagues across the globe, and contributing to a legacy of excellence that spans eight manufacturing facilities on four continents. Armstrong Fluid Technology is more than just a leader in our industry; we are a community of the brightest and most creative minds, driven by a shared mission to engineer the future and safeguard our planet.

As a member of our team, you'll dive into an environment that encourages learning and boundary-pushing every day. You'll be part of an agile and dynamic workplace where today's solutions are built for tomorrow's challenges.

As a Global Key Account Manager, you are a senior, strategic leader responsible for managing our largest, most complex international accounts by engaging with senior leadership in the client hierarchy and key internal stakeholders to drive strong sales performance and full swing technological adoption.

Key Accountabilities:

Strategic Account Mapping & Planning ("LAMP")

• Develop a detailed Large Accounts Management Plan (LAMP) that maps the entire organization within each global account (including engineering, product, and sales functions).
• Identify and engage with key decision-makers and influencers to drive technology adoption and integration of our product and service offerings.
• Craft and update a strategic account plan for each global account that outlines short-term and long-term objectives, growth opportunities, competitive positioning, and key action items.
• Establish specific objectives for technology adoption, integrated product/service offerings, and revenue growth targets.

Integrated Solution & Value Proposition Development

• Lead cross-departmental initiatives by collaborating closely with internal engineering, product management, operations, supply chain, and legal teams.
• Work jointly with customer counterparts (e.g., engineering and product teams) to create tailored, integrated solutions (e.g., combining pumps with chillers or other system components) that meet the unique needs of each account.
• Drive the evolution of the value proposition from a single-product sale (e.g., pumps) to a comprehensive solution that includes digital optimization, modular design, and service packages.
• Advocate internally for the development of new product features or modularized designs based on the Voice of the Customer (VOC) and market feedback.
• Collaborate with the MPS (Modular Products and Solutions) product team to develop or adapt solutions for the unique needs of customers.

Forecasting, Inventory & Supply Chain Alignment

• Establish processes to secure advanced, reliable forecasts from customers, detailing anticipated volumes, timelines, and product mix.
• Work with internal supply chain and production teams to ensure the availability of dedicated inventory (e.g., setting up regional hubs) and alignment of production schedules.
• Negotiate and manage agreements that may require dedicated inventory, ensuring clarity on cost responsibilities and inventory risk sharing.
• Proactively manage supply chain constraints by coordinating with internal stakeholders and leveraging alternative channels if necessary.

Contracting, Negotiation & Legal Compliance

• Lead the development and negotiation of master service agreements and account-specific contractual addendums.
• Collaborate with internal legal, sourcing, and finance teams to ensure contract terms and conditions are compliant, mutually beneficial, and reflective of the strategic account plan.
• Act as the final point of recommendation for contractual terms, pricing, and deal structure, with final approvals routed through senior leadership as needed.

Customer Relationship & Executive Engagement

• Develop and nurture C-level relationships with global accounts, ensuring engagement with key executives such as CEOs, COOs, and other senior leaders from procurement, supply-chain, engineering, sales, and product design.
• Regularly participate in high-stakes negotiations, strategic meetings, and industry forums to position our company as a trusted partner.
• Actively gather and document customer feedback on product performance, market needs, and evolving challenges.
• Translate VOC insights into actionable recommendations for product development, service enhancements, and strategic adjustments.

Internal Leadership & Cross-Functional Coordination

• Serve as the internal program manager for each global account, ensuring seamless coordination from forecasting and order placement to delivery, payment, and post-sale support.
• Organize regular cross-functional meetings to address challenges, update progress, and plan customer visits or strategic initiatives.
• Establish and maintain rigorous CRM documentation and reporting practices to capture every interaction, forecast update, and action item.
• Mentor regional account managers (RKAMs) by providing account-specific training and guidance on global strategies.
• Identify and grow the strategic leads generated or anchored by RKAMs with a potential for global engagement.

Reporting & Strategic Advocacy

• Provide periodic, detailed reports to senior leadership covering account performance, forecast accuracy, challenges, and opportunities.
• Highlight recommendations for internal process improvements, resource allocation, and any required changes to support account growth.
• Advocate for the global accounts needs and strategic importance within the company, ensuring cross-departmental alignment and support for innovative solutions.

Collections & Financial Coordination

• Collaborate closely with the finance and collections teams to monitor and manage receivables from key accounts.
• Address and resolve any payment or collections issues that may become a bottleneck, ensuring the financial health of the account.

Leverage Sales & Channel Integration

• Engage with global client leadership to identify local supply chain partners, sales channel contacts, and key outlet leads within client organizations.
• Conduct strategic reviews of client infrastructures to uncover opportunities for integrated product placements.
• Ensure that identified leads and channel opportunities are documented and transferred to the RKAM for regional follow-up and execution.
• Provide strategic guidance on leveraging the clients sales channels and infrastructure to drive additional product sales and enhance the overall value proposition.
• Work collaboratively with internal teams to align global account strategies with channel integration plans, ensuring that all identified opportunities support the broader account and product strategy.

Technology Selling, Conversion and Adoption

• Proactively learn, meet and develop relationships within the Sales, Account Management, Product Management (Marketing) and Product Development (Engineering) functions who develop, market and sell the final system offering (like Chillers, Heat Pumps) within our Clients. Develop a map of these key stakeholders. Learn their challenges and key goals, and specifically what is important to them in their market segments (weight, efficiency, speed, machine learning, optimization, flow data, speed of manufacturing, reduced time at job install sites, lead times, etc.). Be curious about them as people and their key needs, spend time getting to know them. Perform proactive, ongoing VOC alongside AFT Offering Management and Engineering team members, including Applications Engineering team members within the MPS Value Stream to join you.
• Based on what you learn, work with the MPS Value Stream team members to Actively present new technologies of Armstrong (e.g., but not limited to, vertical pumping, parallel pumping, best efficiency staging, optimization, machine learning, services that optimize energy efficiency, uptime performance, unexpected downtime, etc.) in the right workshops and forums. Focus on our technologies that make the most sense in terms of improving their needs. Actively demonstrate how new technologies simplify the offering modularly and will lead to better OTD performance and shorter Lead Times.
• Chart out, inside the LAMP plans, where the Clients purchases are today, product by product, vs where they could be if the Client would adopt more modern technology and link such conversion to solving their key needs. And develop a sequential plan of attack, with the client and with the right thought leaders inside Armstrong, to put them onto the track of adopting and obtaining more value and more stickiness with Armstrong. Make this plan explicit in the LAMP plan each year, by month or quarter. Track progress against set goals. Work resources like Application Engr and Operations inside Armstrong to fulfill these plans.

Operations Collaborative Leadership

• Develop key stakeholders in Sourcing and Operations, learn their needs around Lead Time, OTD, and related areas.
• Make a regular monthly Operations performance scorecard with our internal Armstrong Operations team that tracks performance of OTD, Lead Time, inventory availability, inventory stock in $s, and key areas of mutual interest, Armstrong and Client.
• Use the performance scorecard to connect Armstrong and Client Operations stakeholders to do joint issue awareness, root cause discovery, and solution development and deployment.
• Stay relevant as the key contact for the Client to go from Operations performance of today to desired Operations performance of both Client and Armstrong, and stay relevant in the details of how that transformation will happen. Hold stakeholders accountable to commitments, both at Client and Armstrong. Make and keep action RAILs with specific outcomes and dates. Escalate issues not being resolved to Armstrong leadership for advice on how to lead this better.

What We're Looking For

Education and Experience

• Bachelors or Masters degree in engineering (MBA is an asset)
• Minimum 15 years of sales or account management experience, with at least 3-5 years managing large, complex global accounts.

Industry Knowledge

• Deep understanding of integrated industrial product solutions, HVAC systems, Fluid Flow systems, modular product designs, digital services, and sustainability concepts.
• Proficient in CRM systems.
• Experience with tools like Adept (or similar platforms) and forecasting/planning systems.

Soft skills and other requirements

• Exceptional strategic planning and analytical skills.
• Advanced negotiating, influencing, and relationship-building capabilities at the C-level.
• Excellent communication skillsboth written and verbalwith the ability to lead cross-functional teams and manage high-stakes conversations.
• Strong process orientation with a track record of establishing rigorous operational standards.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a fast-paced, dynamic environment with complex, multi-stakeholder challenges.

Why Armstrong Fluid Technology?

By joining us, youll become part of a global community dedicated to pushing the boundaries of fluid-flow technology. Youll have endless opportunities to learn, grow, and make a significant impact on the world. Together, we'll build tomorrows solutions today.

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