Associate Director - Key Accounts

Overview

The Associate Director of Key Accounts will lead and expand the company's pivotal partnerships with major national and regional key accounts. This role supervises a portfolio of important accounts and the team responsible for them, transforming commercial strategies into actionable account plans that drive sustainable and profitable growth. The incumbent will elevate client relationships to senior decision-makers such as category directors and buying VPs, while fostering team skills and enforcing disciplined commercial practices across all accounts.

Key Responsibilities

• Steer the overarching relationship management approach for a portfolio of top-tier accounts, including major national retailers and modern trade groups, functioning as the senior escalation contact and key executive liaison.
• Develop and implement an account prioritization framework to allocate resources and investments toward the highest-impact growth opportunities.
• Represent the organization during executive business reviews, top-level meetings, and strategic contract negotiations with client leadership.
• Lead and mentor a team of Key Account Managers, establishing clear performance metrics and accountability for each account's results.
• Manage performance evaluation, talent growth, and succession planning for the account management team.
• Enhance team competencies in commercial acumen and negotiation through coaching, structured evaluations, and sharing best practices.
• Standardize account planning, forecasting, and reporting procedures across all assigned accounts.
• Own the annual joint business planning cycle for all accounts, ensuring plans are ambitious, data-driven, and aligned with the broader commercial and category strategies.
• Define and authorize the portfolio-wide trade investment approach, managing promotional and rebate budgets according to return on investment and strategic priorities.
• Take responsibility for the accuracy of sales forecasts, collaborating with Demand Planning and Supply Chain teams to align expectations.
• Collaborate with Marketing, Category Management, and Supply Chain departments to integrate customer strategies into company-wide commercial plans.
• Monitor portfolio P&L indicators including sales, trade spending efficiency, market share, and EBIT contribution; deliver performance reports to the Director of Key Accounts and senior executives.
• Analyze market execution trends, identify systemic issues beyond single stores or accounts, and implement strategic corrective actions.
• Address and resolve significant commercial and operational challenges outside the authority of Key Account Managers.
• Champion ongoing improvements in account management processes, tools, and workflows.
• Lead or oversee critical contract negotiations, including commercial terms and annual agreements with major clients.
• Maintain longstanding senior-level relationships with customer decision-makers to nurture mutually beneficial, enduring partnerships.
• Anticipate industry and customer landscape shifts such as channel consolidation or growth in private label products, adjusting account strategies accordingly.
• Govern trade spend, rebates, and customer investment budgets ensuring strict adherence to company policies and approved financial limits.
• Work with Finance to plan budgets, audit claims, and preserve financial controls across all accounts.
• Provide portfolio-wide insights on trade investment return on investment, guiding leadership on strategic fund reallocations.
• Oversee high-value contract frameworks, tracking financial commitments and ensuring compliance.
• Ensure that the Customer Deductions Standard Operating Procedure is followed meticulously by the team, including documentation requirements, approval timelines, and thresholds.
• Authorize deduction and dispute resolutions exceeding Key Account Manager authority in line with approval protocols.
• Monitor deduction patterns and aging, identifying recurring or non-compliant trends for escalation.
• Serve as the escalation contact for unresolved deduction disputes before involving the Director.
• Partner with Finance to address process gaps between agreements and actual deductions.

Requirements

• Possess a bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Sales, or a related discipline; an MBA is preferred.
• Have 8 to 12 years of steadily progressive experience in Sales or Key Account Management within FMCG or a related industry, including a minimum of 2 to 3 years in a leadership or managerial role.
• Demonstrate a successful history managing large, complex national accounts and overseeing multi-million-value trade budgets.
• Exhibit advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office suite, especially Excel, along with familiarity using Business Intelligence and reporting tools.
• Fluent in both English and Arabic languages.

Core Competencies

• Strategic mindset supported by strong commercial and financial understanding, including full P&L accountability.
• Exceptional negotiation skills at the senior management level paired with executive relationship proficiency.
• Leadership skills encompassing coaching, performance oversight, and development of account management teams.
• Robust analytical capabilities to translate portfolio metrics into actionable strategic plans.
• Influence across functional areas especially Finance, Supply Chain, Marketing, and amongst senior leaders.
• Well-developed executive presence and communication skills appropriate for presenting to senior internal and external stakeholders.
• Capability to manage change effectively and resilience in complex, high-stakes account environments.