Key Accounts Manager - Railway Industry - Mechanical Engineer - East Rand

SUMMARY:
Key Accounts Manager - Railway Industry

POSITION INFO:

Key Accounts Manager Railways – Mechanical Engineer – East Rand

Responsible to Sales Manager Southern Africa with dotted line reporting to Industry Lead Africa

Job purpose - Implement and drive the sales strategy in the rail industry within South Africa and Africa, including setting and delivering agreed targets.

• Maximise sales growth and optimise profits through effective go-to-market strategies.

• Establish plans and strategies to expand the customer base in the Africa, and

• Develop and secure new direct customers.

Minimum requirements:

• Mechanical Engineering Diploma / Degree
• Valid unendorsed SA Driver’s Licence
• Sales & Marketing qualification preferable

• 3 – 5 years proven industrial/engineering product sales experience in the rail industry

• Experience in receiving, completion and submissions of tenders

• Proven track record, meeting or exceeding targets | Demonstrable customer focus

• Experienced in establishing and developing strategic and new business

• Proven ability to drive the sales process from plan to close

• Excellent interpersonal and negotiation skills

• Excellent business understanding and knowledge of financial tools

• High energy levels and drive | Ability and willingness to travel

Desirable

• Value selling experience in the industrial market

• A good understanding of the rail industry in Southern Africa and Africa

• Up to date rail industry/product knowledge

Mental demands

• High paced position where continuous multitasking is required.

• High levels of concentration required where the workload will vary every day. The ability to go from one topic to another is essential.

• Required to be self-motivated and able to make decisions within delegated responsibility.

• Expected to react to unpredictable operational requirements of an ad-hoc nature.

• Routinely concentrate for long periods of time to correctly analyse data/information, review or prepare tenders

Physical demands

• Extensive, frequent travel will be required to visit and engage with customers in the region (>50%)

• Will spend some time at a desk working on a computer and attending meetings.

Health and safety/ exposure to risk

• Occasionally exposed to some risk whilst travelling or on-site at customers.

Description of duties -

Primary functional objectives of the role

• Identify and target of Key Strategic accounts within the rail industry.

• Continually identify and seek to capitalise on profitable business opportunities

• Contribute to market intelligence by maintaining a broad and up to date

knowledge on competitor activities, market drivers and external influences on the business

• Promote the complete industrial market portfolio in the rail industry.

• Develop and drive strong sales and segment growth strategies, closely aligned to Key Account structures

• Optimise the total business life cycle of the offering

• Sales funnel management

• Lead negotiations for contracts, RFQs, tenders and tender/contracts management

• Manage and develop high quality relationships with rail customers and end users

• Deploy price leadership strategy and value-based selling.

Performance management objectives of the role

• Achieve sales, profit and other agreed targets.

• Full utilisation of C4C for planning and documenting visits, activities and opportunities

• Development of profitable business

• Volume growth initiatives

• Drastically grow the number of direct rail customers and establish a clear direct sales funnel to the market

Primary leadership objectives of the role

• Act as a role model and ambassador for the company

• Drive change, innovation and challenge the status quo

Responsible for:

People

• Responsibility for the maintenance of stakeholder relationships

• Ability to work in a multi-disciplinary and/or cross-border team(s)

Assets

• Responsible for the equipment used within the work environment

Decision making • Always required to communicate and escalate where appropriate business

critical information gleaned from customers and the distribution network

• Analysis of data to make day-to-day job-related decisions and to prioritise work in line with operational requirements

• Required to make quick decisions and anticipate needs and can react to operational situations in a timely and appropriate manner

Communication

• Excellent presentation skills are essential as the job holder will be required to attend and represent the organisation in the distribution network and at customers

• Excellent communication skills are required as the person will be expected to negotiate and influence at all levels within customer and distributor organisations and the wider internal organisation (e.g. customer service, finance, services and solutions)

• Excellent negotiation, communication and influencing skills are required

• Communications extend further than routine exchanges of data and statistical information. Must understand and then deliver the key message effectively and competently to influence others

Salary offer: R800K