Key Account Manager (KAM) - Defence & Security Integrators and Platformists

Location: Firenze, Italy

In fast changing markets, customers worldwide rely on Thales. Thales is a business where brilliant people from all over the world come together to share ideas and inspire each other. In aerospace, transportation, defence, security and space, our architects design innovative solutions that make our tomorrow's possible.

Sesto Fiorentino is the Headquarter of Thales Italia. It hosts two Domains: Ground Transportation Systems (GTS) and Security (SIX). The activity of GTS domain: Security systems, telecommunications, supervision, control & management information and signalling solutions for trains, trams and metros. Regarding railway solutions, Thales is the homologated supplier of Rete Ferroviaria Italiana for Axel Counters, Tunnel Security, Energy Saving, SCADA systems and Asset Management. Italy is Thales Group’s competence centre for tramway signalling solutions. The activity of SIX domain: mission critical solutions and applications for assets and citizens security (supervision, control and information management systems) as well as cybersecurity. Thales offers solutions to protect the information systems and critical data of its civilian and military customers and helps its customers to detect and prevent cyberattacks by devising secure architectures from the design stage, overseeing these architectures and ensuring that they are kept in secure working order. Italy is Thales Group’s competence centre for Airport security and operations management solutions.

JOB OBJECTIVE

The owner of the role is responsible for shaping and growing profitable opportunities for Thales business in the given accounts and turning those opportunities into leads/contracts.

In particular she/he will be focused on:

• Understanding end customers’ (Ministry of Defence and Interior, Public Administrations, Large Enterprises) market evolutions and relevant needs and requirements
• Understanding assigned Accounts strategy, business evolution and needs and defining Thales strategies for capturing relevant business opportunities as per assigned targets as well as partnering opportunities
• Promoting Thales’ Defence & Security products, systems and solutions within the accounts
• Maintaining an excellent customer relationship at all levels in the accounts organization and facilitating the cooperation between relevant Thales entities and the specific accounts organizations
• Fostering long-term trusted partnerships role with the accounts

MISSIONS & RESPONSIBILITIES

The KAM is responsible for developing profitable business opportunities and transforming innovation into leads/contracts for the given accounts. He/she interacts with the Sales Teams and GBU/BL relevant functions.

In particular, she/he needs to:

• Identify business opportunities and Thales value proposition in line with Accounts needs and requirements
• Promote Thales portfolio for potential opportunities
• Contribute to orders development, through actions ranging from pre-sales in cooperation with the KAMs and GBUs/BLs teams, up to the end stages of sales finalization;
• Summarize and monitor accounts forecasts;
• Definition of the account development strategy in relation to identified opportunities, working in conjunction with the Country, KAMs and GBUs/BLs;
• Ensure customer satisfaction, through appropriate initiatives, addressing problems and complaints on a case-by-case basis;
• Capture information on aspects such as risks & opportunities, marketing and sales to share within the Unit and GBUs/BLs (incl. with Bid/project teams), developing awareness of customer environment
• Manage the Account team including the ability to anticipate forecast

SKILLS, EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS

Skills

• Have a thorough understanding of the Defence & Security market in Italy, including but not limited to, a clear understanding of the customers’ operational needs and their technical and commercial procurement processes
• Can interact with the community of End Customers’ and Defence & Security Industry players in a proactive, analytical and coherent manner in order to identify opportunities that Thales businesses can address. Aiming to become a trusted partner for each account, in order to create an order intake pipeline
• Act as the Capture Lead for complex or high value business opportunities. Have an ability to manage, influence and motivate internal stakeholders from Technical, Operational, Commercial and Legal disciplines as well as an ability to structure the capture from a route-to-market perspective
• Can run the account process within the given perimeter, using Thales’ best practices throughout the win cycle
• Can actively promote the Group’s capabilities and advise the Thales entities on how they can maximize their return of investment
• Be able to develop customer loyalty through actions designed to foster long-term relations, including ensuring customer satisfaction by dealing with possible non-compliance and complaints
• Can track market dynamics and foster close customer working relationships in order to anticipate future requirements
• Can ethically obtain and share marketing and commercial information for customers and competitors and provide advice to the Thales entities based on locally obtained knowledge
• Can provide necessary reports, plans and data and update the Customer Relationships Management tool in timely manner together with the Sales & Marketing Team in Thales Italy

Professional Experience

• Significant international commercial experience from a comparable position in similar business
• Typically requires multi year experience of working within Defence & Security end customers or Industrial players
• A well established relationship network with the Defence & Security Italian industry and stakeholders
• A background in Bids and/or Program Management can also be considered

Personal behaviours

• Must have a positive attitude i.e. high level of social skills, with an ability to quickly create strong relationships, at all levels, both internally and externally
• Be solution-oriented with a broad understanding of military operational and technical areas and in running a business in general
• Must have political awareness and the ability to act autonomously but with a clear team focus
• Must understand how to operate in an environment where Customers, Competitors, Partners and Suppliers are interchangeable
• Be a trusted advisor/partner and have confidence in their own capability
• Thorough knowledge of methods and best practices for Key Account Management
• Excellent communication skills and an ability to present at exhibitions and conferences
• Must be fluent in Italian and English in writing and oral

Travel:

• This position demands an ability to travel, largely in Italy but also frequently in Europe.

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