Key Account Manager

Our client is a European technology company whose components are designed into some of the most demanding equipment in the world: systems used by armed forces, first responders, and professional users where reliability, performance and size all matter at once. They are an established leader in their niche, they export globally, and their customer list includes major European and international defence primes and system integrators.

The business is growing and is now looking for a Key Account Manager to take ownership of a portfolio of strategic accounts across the defence and professional markets.

The role

This is a technical account management role, not a pure hunting role. Your customers are engineering-led organisations who integrate your product into their own systems, so the job is as much about being a credible technical counterpart as it is about commercial management.

You will:

• Own and grow a portfolio of key accounts, mainly defence primes and integrators, in France and across Europe.
• Act as the single point of contact between the customer and the company's product, engineering and operations teams.
• Manage design-in cycles from early specification through to qualification and series production.
• Negotiate contracts, pricing and supply terms, and manage long-cycle programme commitments.
• Identify new opportunities within existing accounts and open doors to new ones through your network.
• Track and report on account performance, forecasts and sales targets.

What we are looking for

• A technical background (engineering degree or equivalent) with hands-on experience integrating sensor or optronic components into a product – you have sat on the engineering side of a design-in at some point in your career.
• Proven experience selling to, or working with, defence customers: primes, system integrators, procurement agencies, or MoDs. You understand programme timescales, qualification, export control and how these organisations buy.
• Several years in a Key Account Manager, Sales Engineer, Business Development or Product Line Manager role in electronics, sensors, photonics or a related hardware field.
• Strong negotiation and relationship skills, with the confidence to hold your own with both engineers and purchasing.
• Fluent French and professional English; other European languages are a plus.
• French or EU nationality – required for the defence programmes you will be working on.

Why this role

• You will be the commercial face of a product that ends up inside equipment most people will never see but many depend on.
• Small enough that your work is visible; established enough to have a real customer base and export footprint.
• Long-term relationships and multi-year programmes rather than transactional selling.