Senior Key Account Director – Beverage
Role purpose
The Senior Key Account Director – Beverage acts as the Beverage Segment Lead and is accountable for the commercial performance, strategic direction, and future positioning of DW Reusables' European beverage segment. The role combines:
direct ownership of DW's largest beverage key accounts, and
segment leadership for beverage, including setting direction, driving account strategy, and raising commercial effectiveness across the segment.
The role holds commercial leadership responsibility for the beverage segment and for all Sales Managers engaged in beverage accounts, setting direction, driving account strategy, and raising commercial effectiveness. The role requires a hands-on builder who personally puts required structures and approaches in place and then embeds them through the organization.
Key accountabilities
1. Own and develop DW's largest beverage key accounts
Act as senior commercial lead for DW's major beverage customers
Build and maintain senior-level relationships across procurement, supply chain, operations, and sustainability
Lead strategic negotiations, tenders, escalations, and long-term agreements
Balance long-term partnerships with clear commercial boundaries
2. Define and drive beverage segment strategy
Develop and own a clear beverage segment strategy, looking 3–5 years ahead
Analize market trends, customer strategies, replacement cycles, and competitive dynamics to define clear segment priorities
Translate these external drivers into a clear direction for DW's offering, including:
Future product requirements to be developed
How existing solutions need to evolve to remain relevant
Provide structured input to product strategy, portfolio decisions, pricing logic, and capex prioritisation
3. Implement and drive Customer Value Roadmaps
Translate the beverage segment strategy into concrete Customer Value Roadmaps for key beverage customers
Ensure structured account planning is consistently applied across the beverage segment
Translate customer strategies into:
clear value propositions
multi-year account objectives
actionable account plans
Enforce disciplined execution, follow-up and review of account plans and value roadmaps
4. Lead beverage sales execution
Commercial leadership responsibility for Sales Managers engaged in beverage accounts, with clear expectations on priorities, execution quality, and results
Challenge the quality of account strategies, customer interactions, and follow-up discipline
Act as escalation point and role model in complex customer situations
Leadership is exercised through commercial authority, content expertise and role modelling in customer situations.
5. Raise commercial discipline
Drive pricing discipline, margin awareness, and complexity management
Support the shift from transactional selling to structured account development
Ensure consistency in how DW positions itself across beverage customers
6. Interface with the Commercial Director and broader organisation
Act as the primary beverage counterpart to the Commercial Director
Ensure alignment between beverage segment strategy and overall commercial priorities
Feed structured customer and market insight into product development, operations and sustainability initiatives
Profile & experience
Required
Senior experience in Key Account Management in complex B2B environments, preferably in beverage, packaging, or industrial sectors
Proven ability to manage large, multinational customers with multiple stakeholders
Demonstrated capability to think beyond individual accounts and actively shape segment-level direction and priorities
Experience leading sales professionals
Strong commercial judgement on pricing, complexity, and trade-offs
Ability to lead and influence beyond formal reporting lines
Languages
Fluent in English and German
Dutch and/or French are a strong advantage
Strongly preferred
Deep understanding of beverage supply chains, refillable systems, and customer operating models
Experience working with global or regional procurement organisations
Track record in personally building and implementing structured account planning and value-based selling approaches
Profound understanding in sustainability strategies and initiatives, driven by our customers and upcoming legislation
Personal characteristics
Strategically minded, but pragmatic and execution-focused
Strong backbone: able to challenge customers and internal stakeholders constructively
High credibility through experience, preparation, and judgement
Structured thinker who simplifies complexity
Takes end-to-end responsibility and follows through until results are delivered
Leads through content, clarity, and consistency