Key Account Manager

Major Duties

The Key Account Manager is responsible for driving strategic growth by promoting ATS automation and manufacturing solutions with differentiated value proposition. This role focuses on both landing new accounts in priority markets and expanding relationships within existing key accounts across the US and Canada. The Key Account Manager (KAM) will position ATS as the premier automation and integration partner by identifying new opportunities, aligning solutions with customer needs, and ensuring successful execution. As the primary commercial point of contact, the KAM will contribute to achieving strong market recognition and delivering on quarterly and annual bookings and margin targets through proactive business development, account management, and cross-functional collaboration.

Specific Responsibilities

· Develop and execute account and customer strategies considering specific needs and objectives that drive growth opportunities revenue in line with long-lasting sustainable growth expectations.

· Manage large, high-profile customer accounts / key accounts, while establishing strong relationships building with decision makers across the entire organization positioning ATS Industrial Automation as strategic partner to drive profitable sales with a focus on repeat business and ensuring project/program success.

· Develop and execute a strategy to penetrate new markets

· Ensure sustainable bookings and margin growth, landing new customers and expanding existing customers

· Run regular market assessments and employs trend analytics to develop robust strategies in a fast, transformative environment (market trends, new business models & opportunities).

· Assist other account owners as needed.

· Establish successful and collaborative relationships with internal stakeholders and team members to develop the best solution for a customer. Employs functional and leadership skills to effectively coordinate cross-functional teams to ensure successful account execution.

· Establish and pro-actively engages strategic partnership networks within industry to learn latest market trends and competitor strategies.

· Visit customers’ sites as required to support the growth of the business and opportunities.

· Enable Sales and Service teams to exceed bookings targets and other performance metrics (KPI’s) such as Proposal On-Time Delivery and Gross Margins through their application focused activities.

· Manage the pipeline daily using CRM.

· Support the CAPEX sales and CAPEX application team with service proposal content that concisely captures the value proposition of purchasing our services with new CAPEX.

· Leverage Regional Service Resources and their geographic proximity to customers in the development of opportunities when it adds value.

· Accurately forecast bookings on a monthly and quarterly basis.

· Keep records of customer interactions and file documents using CRM, ERP, and other available technologies.

· Attend meetings, applications events, and training to keep abreast of the latest customer service product developments.

· Ensure that all business activities are performed with the highest ethical standards and in compliance with the ATS Code of Business Conduct.

· Adhere to all health and safety rules and procedures.

· Adhere to all International Standardization Organization (ISO) Procedures/Forms/ Work Instructions as well as department procedures.

Strategic Account Development & Expansion

· Manage and grow a portfolio of high-value, strategic accounts across the US and Canada.

· Serve as the primary commercial lead, building strong executive relationships and driving alignment with customer objectives.

· Expand existing accounts by identifying upselling, cross-selling, and solution enhancement opportunities.

· Lead structured account planning activities using designated tools to define strategy, stakeholder mapping, growth levers, and execution roadmaps for each account.

· Support the development of top-to-top executive relationships between ATS leadership and customer decision-makers to deepen trust and unlock long-term strategic collaboration.

New Business Acquisition

· Identify, pursue, and close new business opportunities in target industries and underpenetrated markets.

· Develop and execute market entry strategies to land new accounts and open doors in strategic verticals.

· Collaborate with marketing and technical teams to position ATS’s value in emerging market opportunities.

Commercial Execution & Forecasting

· Lead the end-to-end sales process: discovery, value articulation, proposal development, negotiation, and closing.

· Apply value selling principles to align technical offerings with customers’ business outcomes and ROI.

· Deliver accurate monthly and quarterly forecasts; maintain a disciplined and up-to-date pipeline in CRM (e.g., Salesforce).

· Support application engineering and proposal teams in crafting compelling value-based solutions for both new and existing customers.

Internal Collaboration & Customer Success

· Establish successful and collaborative relationships with internal stakeholders and team members to develop the best solution for a customer.

· Employs functional and leadership skills to effectively coordinate cross-functional teams to ensure successful account execution.

· Leverage regional resources to support account engagement and responsiveness.

· Champion customer voice internally to influence product and service improvements.

Market & Industry Engagement

· Stay current on automation industry trends, customer investment strategies, and competitor movements.

· Represent ATS at key industry events, customer meetings, and technical discussions to strengthen market presence.

Compliance & Standards

· Ensure all activities adhere to ATS’s ethical standards, ISO procedures, and health & safety policies.

Qualifications

Education

· An associate degree in a technical field and 3+ years application/sales experience in a field service and/or a design engineer environment within the automation industry.

· Experience with business applications such as CRM and pipeline management.

· Goal-oriented with experience exceeding quotas and driving for results in a target-driven environment

Experience:

· 5+ years of progressive experience in B2B sales, strategic account management, or business development within the industrial automation, capital equipment, or advanced manufacturing sectors.

· Demonstrated success in managing multi-site or global key accounts, delivering consistent revenue growth and strong customer retention.

· Proven ability to navigate complex sales cycles involving cross-functional teams, technical evaluations, and executive-level engagement.

· Experience landing net-new business in underpenetrated markets and expanding wallet share within strategic accounts.

· Exposure to working with enterprise tools and CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce) in a structured pipeline and account planning environment.

· Familiarity with global or multi-regional customer engagements, preferably across the US and Canada.

Required Skills:

· Proven success in managing and expanding strategic customer accounts, especially in complex industrial environments.

· Strong understanding and hands-on application of value-based selling methodologies—ability to link technical solutions to customer ROI, risk mitigation, and operational KPIs.

· Experience using account planning tools to define and execute customer engagement strategies.

· Familiarity with sales methodologies such as Miller Heiman, MEDDICC, or Challenger is a plus.

· Comfortable using modern sales enablement and productivity technologies.

· Experience with Microsoft Co-Pilot, Salesforce, and proposal generation tools is an advantage.

· Excellent verbal and written communication skills; strong executive presence and presentation ability.

· Highly collaborative, customer-oriented, and self-driven to deliver outcomes in a fast-paced, cross-functional environment.