Key Account Manager
Specialty Polymers & Coatings
Full-cycle account management in specialty chemical manufacturing.
A leading global chemical manufacturer specializing in specialty polymers and additives is hiring a Key Account Manager to manage existing accounts and drive new business development selling into textile mills, fiber manufacturers, and other industrial production facilities across the Eastern United States.
This is a remote role with 50 percent field travel to customer manufacturing facilities. You will manage existing chemical supply relationships, quote pricing and contract terms, and identify adjacent market opportunities with new manufacturing accounts. Base salary is $170,000 to $180,000 with a 20 percent uncapped commission structure. Year 1 on-target earnings: $250,000+.
A global chemical manufacturer with category leadership in specialty polymers.
Our client is a leading global specialty chemicals and polymers manufacturer with operations across Europe, North America, and Asia, producing high-performance specialty polymers and additives for coatings, construction, adhesives, and other industrial applications. A U.S. innovation and technical center focuses on application development and custom synthesis for customer manufacturing processes.
The chemical manufacturing side is organized into divisions by market segment. You will report to the VP of Consumer Materials for the Americas, based at the U.S. technical hub. The division has a strong market position selling specialty polymers and coatings additives into textile mills and fiber manufacturers across the Southeast and Carolinas, maintains an established customer base of manufacturing accounts, and has a strategic lead list of new industrial customers that have not yet been engaged by the company.
"More agile in the marketplace than the largest category players. Close relationships with manufacturing customers and the ability to deliver custom chemical solutions are competitive edges."
Specialty chemical polymers and additives into manufacturing operations.
Your primary customer base is textile mills and fiber manufacturers who purchase specialty polymers and coatings additives for their manufacturing processes: fiber sizing, treatment, finishing, and processing applications. Secondary markets include tire and rubber manufacturing facilities, carpet and flooring manufacturers, and other industrial production operations using specialty chemical inputs.
You will manage supply contracts, pricing agreements, rebate structures, payment terms, and volume commitments with existing manufacturing accounts. You will also develop new business through consultative selling: understanding customer manufacturing chemistry and process requirements, running trials and testing with their equipment, and positioning chemical solutions against competitor offerings.
Sales cycles are complex and multi-month. Technical teams (chemists, process engineers), manufacturing operations managers, and procurement stakeholders are all involved in buying decisions. The role requires both relationship management and technical chemistry fluency to work credibly with manufacturing decision-makers across multiple functional areas.
Account management and new business development in manufacturing accounts.
This is not a pure farming role. You will balance account management of existing textile mills and manufacturing customers with new business hunting in your Eastern US territory.
Manage chemical supply contracts, pricing, rebates, and terms. Run pipeline reviews with manufacturing customers. Develop cross-sell and upsell opportunities in adjacent applications within existing textile mills and manufacturing facilities.
Work through the company's lead list to identify and contact new manufacturing accounts and textile mills. Run discovery calls with plant operations and procurement. Qualify opportunities that fit the specialty polymer and coatings product portfolio.
Manage accounts receivable against targets and manufacturing payment terms. Monitor working capital and volume commitments. Track pipeline, conversion, and manufacturing customer metrics in Salesforce and internal systems.
Uncapped commission tied directly to territory growth.
Compensation is structured to reward performance. Commission is uncapped and paid quarterly. The company has publicly stated that they are comfortable with high performers earning significantly above the planned range.
A full-cycle account manager with specialty chemical sales experience.
The strongest candidates bring a track record of full-cycle selling in specialty chemicals or polymers, with direct experience in the textiles, wovens, or fiber industry. You understand how to manage complex, multi-stakeholder sales and can run both account management and new business development activities simultaneously.
- Minimum 5 years of sales in specialty chemicals, polymers, or closely related technical products
- Proven experience selling into or working within textiles, wovens, or fiber industry
- Full-cycle account management capability AND new business development track record
- Strong relationship management skills with technical and commercial buyers
- Valid driver's license; able to travel 50 percent
- Works Eastern time zone and accessible to Southeast customer base
- 10+ years of specialty chemical or polymer sales
- Direct sales experience in textiles, wovens, carpet, or fiber industry
- Tire and rubber industry experience (Goodyear, Firestone, similar)
- Existing customer relationships in Carolinas, Ohio Valley, or Southeast
- Experience negotiating pricing, rebates, terms, and supply agreements
- Salesforce or comparable CRM proficiency
A real growth opportunity with infrastructure to back you up.
- Incumbent territory with inherited customer base and a defined new-business lead list
- Multi-month transition overlap with predecessor for knowledge transfer and customer introductions
- Global supply chain with inventory depth and regional flexibility that backs up field claims
- U.S. innovation center means you can bring customers on-site for application development and testing
- Global parent company with resources, but an agile Americas team that moves faster than larger category competitors
- Uncapped commission with public commitment to high-performer earnings
Ready to manage a territory with real growth potential?
Submit your resume and a member of our recruiting team will reach out for a 15-minute conversation. We screen rigorously, move quickly, and only present candidates we believe in. This search is managed by Precision Sales Recruiting on behalf of our client.
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