As a Senior Key Account Manager (Rotterdam based), reporting the Deputy General Manager (Shanghai based), you will lead a small key account management team based in Shanghai remotely to deliver exceptional client partnership for strategic accounts. Responsible for both individual key accounts and team leadership, you will drive customer-centric strategies while mentoring your team to achieve collective and individual targets. Your role combines hands-on account ownership with team development – coordinating cross-functional resources, optimizing processes, and fostering a culture of commercial excellence within the team. 

The following tasks will be part of your job:

Team Leadership & Development

• Lead, coach, and motivate a team of a few account managers to deliver on portfolio targets;
• conduct regular performance reviews and skill gap analysis to drive team growth;
• develop standardized account management playbooks and best practices for team adoption.

 
Customer relationship

• “Be a driver – not a passenger”: Be responsible, accountable, and informed for the client and its activities, coordinating all the moving parts of the key account by taking full ownership;
• be the customer’s main point of contact for topics of strategic and tactical relevance, especially for commercial, but also for important operational matters;
• work with Operations team to deliver the KPIs, track performance and jump in when customer satisfaction is at risk; escalate decisively if and when required;
• develop a strategic perspective and prioritize the long-term relationship over short-term transactions;
• act as a customer advocate within the company during discussions and decision-making;
• collaborate with internal teams to resolve customer concerns effectively;
• collect and share customer feedback with relevant teams;
• develop an in-depth knowledge of the customers business model/strategy/budget/goals.

 
Communication

• build and maintain a close relationship with key decision-makers in customer’s organization and manage the day-to-day client communication as well as customer visits;
• lead related commercial negotiations (e.g., rate increase) based on internally aligned positions;
• proactively communicate with the relevant internal departments (Operations, Shipping Agency, Business Development, IT, Finance) to ensure the customer’s needs and expectations are properly met.

 
Value-based selling 

• develop customized logistics solutions tailored to the customer’s specific needs;
• provide quotations and bids in line with the agreed rate cards;
• anticipate future business needs of the customer by keeping the account engaged and thinking outside of the invoice when looking for ways to strengthen the relationship.

 
Project Management

• Ensure collection of accounts receivable by Finance team, assist if necessary and review the process in case of issues;
• ensure the usage of suitable tools for activity tracking, reporting and internal collaboration;
• maintain and implement the SOP (Standard Operational Procedure) according to the client’s demands or internal changes;
• establish a weekly/monthly reporting structure to monitor the performance of the customer and ensure data-driven decision-making regarding upsell possibilities and problem-solving;
• coordinate meetings and initiatives with both customer and relevant internal departments. 

Do you have:

• Bachelor degree or above;
• excellent communication skills in German and English).
• at least 10 years working experience in the role of KAM in logistics industry, especially with at least 3 years KAM team management experience;
• good market and industry knowledge for handling procedures of ocean freight, 4PL, air freight, rail, trucking, warehousing;
• passionate for exploring progressive solutions for key accounts with creative thinking and problem-solving aptitude;
• strongly customer-oriented mindset with excellent service quality, a positive can-do attitude, comfortable to work in cross-functional settings and a fast-pace environment;
• strong negotiation and presentation skills, comfortable to regularly present to high-level managers/representatives of the client;
• previous experience working in and with multicultural and global teams;
• ability to work independently and manage personal time, keeping deliverables and deadlines top of mind;
• strong analytical skills and able to develop data-driven solutions;
• team player with the ability to effectively communicate with internal teams to ensure the customer satisfaction;
• a good command of MS Office, especially Excel and PowerPoint is crucial.

What do we offer:

Besides working in a young, informal and motivated team you will get:

• A competitive salary;
• annual bonus of 1 month base salary, which is variable and depends on the companies plan;
• 8% holiday allowance;
• 7% pension allowance;
• 25 holidays a year;
• mentorship and the possibility to develop yourself.