Key Account Manager 80–100 % (m/f/d)

About the job

Purpose and Objective of the Position

On behalf of our client, Biella Schweiz AG, we are looking for a convincing personality to manage and further develop strategically important key accounts.

Biella is a traditional Swiss brand for products and solutions related to organisation and modern work environments. At the same time, the company combines the agility of a lean Swiss organisation with the strength of an internationally established corporate group: Biella is part of the Exacompta-Clairefontaine Group, a leading European corporate group for school and office organisation. Furthermore, the group is successful in growth segments such as arts and crafts supplies as well as Horeca products.

Exacompta and Clairefontaine stand for well-known brands, a strong market presence, and a long-term oriented industrial base.

For the further development of the Swiss market, we are deliberately not looking for a classic salesperson. What is required is a personality who can build and sustainably develop customer relationships, but who also enjoys numbers, data, and commercial contexts.

Your task – much more than customer care

You will take over an existing portfolio of significant key accounts and develop these customer relationships in the long term. You will operate on equal footing with purchasing managers and other decision-makers and know how to connect your customers' needs with Biella's commercial goals.

Your main tasks include:

• independent management and further development of strategically important key accounts
• building and maintaining long-term, partnership-based customer relationships
• identifying and exploiting additional sales and market potential
• handling more complex Excel and customer files as well as structured data exchange with major customers and online retailers
• responsibility for the sales annual planning of your customers and markets
• preparation and conduct of customer meetings, annual discussions, and negotiations
• offer design as well as participation in price, assortment, and condition topics
• advising customers regarding assortment, pricing, and merchandising
• analysis and preparation of customer, sales, assortment, and market data
• close cooperation with sales, marketing, and customer service
• monitoring the market and competition and deriving appropriate measures
• participation in internal projects as well as attendance at customer events, trade fairs, and industry meetings

What you bring

For this position, we are looking for a Key Account Manager with substance. You win people over and maintain relationships with joy and professionalism. At the same time, you also feel comfortable analysing numbers, preparing extensive data, or implementing complex customer requirements in a structured manner.

Ideally, you have:

• a commercial or comparable basic education
• further training in sales, marketing, or a related field is an advantage
• several years of experience in B2B sales, ideally in managing significant customers
• a strong enthusiasm for personal customer care and building long-term business relationships
• good commercial understanding as well as a high affinity for numbers and data
• very good Excel skills and confidence in handling more extensive files and evaluations
• experience with ERP systems; SAP knowledge is an advantage
• experience with major customers, retail, e-commerce, or comparable sales structures is welcome
• industry knowledge from stationery, office supplies, consumer goods, or a related environment is a plus but not a requirement
• very good German and the ability to communicate confidently in Swiss German with customers
• French and English skills as an additional plus

Personality is important to us

You do not have to come from a specific textbook. What matters more is the right combination of your strengths.

Perhaps you know the industry very well and are particularly strong in customer care. Perhaps you come from another environment but have extensive key account experience and a pronounced data affinity.

Ideally, you combine several of these strengths: customer relationship, commercial understanding, data competence and – as an additional plus – industry knowledge.

You work independently, think in a networked and solution-oriented way, and enjoy driving things forward. A hands-on mentality, initiative, and assertiveness are just as important as team spirit and professional communication.

What Biella offers you

You will not be taking on a blank slate but an existing and significant customer portfolio. At the same time, you will have the freedom to further develop this with your ideas, experience, and personality.

You can look forward to an environment that combines the advantages of a manageable Swiss organisation with the backing of a strong European corporate group:

• a key position within a lean Swiss organisation
• the security and strength of the internationally established Exacompta-Clairefontaine Group
• an existing portfolio of significant Swiss key accounts
• a long-term oriented position with development prospects
• short decision-making paths and direct exchange with management
• a lot of personal responsibility and scope for design
• a workload of 80–100 %
• flexible working arrangements with the possibility of home office
• a thorough introduction and support during the transition phase
• regular contact with important customers and partners in the Swiss market

The role involves regular customer visits and corresponding travel activity.

Interested?

You enjoy being with customers, but pure sales is not enough for you? You want to understand what lies behind sales, assortment, and customer data? And you want to not just manage important customers but recognise and develop business opportunities with them in the long term?

Then we should get to know each other.

Persag AG exclusively supports Biella Schweiz AG in filling this key position. We look forward to your application or an initial non-binding and, of course, confidential exchange.

I have been a personnel recruiter for over 25 years. I look forward to finding out together with you whether we have a perfect match here!

Mathias Müller 

032 323 22 73