Key Account Manager

Metsä Tissue

Metsä Group is a successful forest industry group with roots in the Finnish forest - Our parent company is a cooperative of over 90,000 forest owners. Metsä Group’s Tissue and Greaseproof Papers business, Metsä Tissue, produces hygiene products for households and professionals, and greaseproof papers for cooking and food packaging. Our high-quality locally produced brands – Lambi, Serla, Mola, Tento, Katrin and SAGA – make daily life cleaner. 

We welcome people from diverse backgrounds and different stages of life. Metsä has space and opportunities for many kinds of talent, regardless of age, gender, ethnic background, sexual orientation, disability or other characteristics – Metsä is for all. Read more: metsagroup.com/metsaforall.

This recruitment is carried out anonymously.

We are looking for an ambitious, commercially minded and customer-focused Key Account Manager to join our UK sales team during an exciting period of business transformation and growth, located in the South. 

You will be joining a business focussed on an ambitious growth strategy centred around delivering a market-leading customer experience, strengthening strategic partnerships and expanding our presence across key customer sectors. This role will play a critical part in achieving that vision within the professional sector.

What will you get to do?

As a Key Account Manager, you will be responsible for managing and developing a portfolio of existing customers whilst identifying and securing new business opportunities across the South of the UK. Your customer base will include organisations operating within:

• Facilities Management
• Healthcare
• Cleaning & Hygiene
• Catering and Hospitality
• Industrial and Manufacturing sectors
• Distribution and Wholesale partners

Success in this role requires more than traditional sales management. We are seeking someone who can build deep customer relationships, understand strategic business drivers, identify growth opportunities and create value for customers through a consultative and collaborative approach.

You will work closely with internal colleagues across Sales, Customer Service, Supply Chain, Marketing and Commercial Excellence to ensure the customer's needs remain at the centre of decision-making and service delivery.

Key Responsibilities

Customer Relationship Management

• Build, develop and maintain strong relationships with key customers, decision makers and influencers across assigned accounts.
• Become a trusted business partner by understanding customer priorities, challenges and long-term objectives.
• Deliver outstanding customer experiences through proactive communication and responsive account management.
• Conduct regular account reviews and strategic business meetings with customers.
• Develop and implement customer engagement plans designed to strengthen partnerships and increase market share.

Business Growth & Account Development

• Create and execute robust account plans that support both customer objectives and company growth targets.
• Identify opportunities to increase sales volumes, profitability and product penetration within existing accounts.
• Develop targeted strategies to win new customers and expand the customer base across the region.
• Build and maintain a healthy pipeline of opportunities through effective prospecting and market engagement.
• Lead commercial negotiations within agreed pricing and profitability frameworks.

Strategic Sales Planning

• Translate company sales objectives into effective regional and account-level action plans.
• Analyse customer data, market trends and commercial performance to identify growth opportunities.
• Monitor account performance against key performance indicators and proactively take action to maximise results.
• Deliver accurate forecasting and business planning information to support organisational decision making.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work collaboratively with internal stakeholders to ensure seamless customer support and service delivery.
• Act as the voice of the customer within the organisation, providing insight into customer needs, expectations and market developments.
• Partner with internal stakeholders to support customer-focused initiatives and campaigns.
• Coordinate resources across functions to support major account opportunities and customer projects.

Market Intelligence & Innovation

• Analyse market trends, customer behaviours and competitor activity to identify emerging opportunities and risks.
• Develop a strong understanding of the professional hygiene and workplace solutions market.
• Introduce and successfully launch new products, services and innovations within customer accounts.
• Share market insights and customer feedback to influence future business strategy and product development.

Commercial & Operational Excellence

• Manage pricing and commercial agreements within agreed authority limits.
• Maintain accurate customer records, opportunities, forecasts and activity within CRM systems.
• Ensure timely execution of customer orders and commercial commitments.
• Support effective resolution of customer complaints and service issues, working closely with internal teams to deliver positive outcomes.
• Maintain compliance with company policies, processes and governance requirements.

What do we expect from you?

• Experience

• Minimum of three years' successful experience in a business development, account management or sales role.
• Proven track record of delivering sustainable sales growth and developing long-term customer relationships.
• Experience managing customers within professional channels such as facilities management, healthcare, catering, cleaning and hygiene, industrial sectors or B2B distribution environments would be highly advantageous.
• Demonstrable experience securing new business opportunities whilst growing existing accounts.

Skills & Capabilities

• Strong commercial acumen with the ability to identify opportunities, analyse performance and translate insight into action.
• Strategic thinking capability combined with a hands-on, results-oriented approach.
• Excellent relationship-building and stakeholder management skills.
• Highly effective communication, presentation and negotiation skills.
• Ability to influence and collaborate across multiple functions and organisational levels.
• Strong planning, prioritisation and organisational skills.
• Resilient, self-motivated and comfortable operating in a dynamic, fast-changing environment.
• Customer-centric mindset with a passion for delivering value and service excellence.

Technical Skills

• Experience using CRM systems to manage customer relationships, sales pipelines and account plans.
• Good working knowledge of Microsoft Office applications, particularly Excel and PowerPoint.
• Ability to analyse data and use insights to support customer and commercial decision-making.

Personal Attributes

The successful candidate will be:

• Growth-oriented and commercially driven.
• Naturally curious and customer focused.
• Collaborative and team-oriented.
• Strategic in outlook and execution.
• Proactive and comfortable taking ownership.
• Adaptable and resilient in a changing environment.
• Passionate about building long-term partnerships and delivering results.

Career in the new era at Metsä Group

An international growth business – build a successful career in renewable products. The forest industry is a prime example of the bioeconomy and circular economy, and shows the way to the future. Megatrends such as urbanisation and rising living standards are driving Metsä Group’s business and the shift to renewable fossil free raw materials and products. With us, you’ll have a front seat view of the market – developing the business with a long-term perspective with our international partners and customers. 

Metsä Group has a responsible corporate culture that creates a safe working environment for all of us. We value good leadership and support for personal career development. We encourage you to display your competence and will provide you with opportunities to use it.

Why Apply?

This is an opportunity to play a key role in an ambitious growth journey where customer centricity, innovation and collaboration sit at the heart of our strategy. You will have the autonomy to shape customer plans, build strategic partnerships and make a meaningful contribution to the future success of the business across the UK and Ireland.

If you are a commercially driven Key Account Manager who thrives on building relationships, delivering growth and creating exceptional customer experiences, we would love to hear from you.

Anonymous recruitment - this is how it works

This is an anonymous recruitment process. The gender and date of birth of the applicant are not asked for on the application form. Personal details such as name, mother tongue, time of studies, name of educational institution and contact details are hidden until the interview stage. Attachments (such as CVs) are also hidden.

Recruiters have access to the contact details of those invited for interview once the applicant has been selected for interview.

Our system will guide you through the application process. The questions on the application form will help you present your skills and experience anonymously. Answer all questions carefully. If you’re invited for interview, your CV will be displayed to the recruiters to support the interview.

Read more and watch the video on anonymous recruitment.

How to Apply

Click on the link above to apply. Note that attachments won’t be visible in anonymous recruitment until the interview stage, so it’s important to fill in the application form carefully. Please send your application as soon as possible, as we’ll already start processing applications during the application period. Please include your cv and salary request. You’ll receive a confirmation message the next morning after your application has been received. 

We wish you the best of luck!