Key Account Management roles are becoming increasingly numerous within pharmaceutical sales, in response to changes in the NHS environment.  As companies strive for the most effective means of working with customers, there is a good deal of difference between key accounts roles depending on the company and the product portfolio. 

In its most developed form, a Key Account Management role gives full accountability to one individual on a territory.  This person will have a sales target and be entirely responsible for business planning, customer interaction and resource allocation.

Most commonly, a Key Account Manager will have some degree of direction and advice on the approach to be taken, but will be responsible for identifying the individuals and networks within their potential customer group who will enable them to achieve their objectives. 

Key Account Management roles may well involve working across Primary and Secondary care, particularly with influential customers in hospitals, large GP practices, GP consortia, commissioning groups, PCTs, SHAs and members of other less formal networks.  Rather than a straightforward series of sales interactions, key account management is about developing partnerships with customers and their organisations in order to deliver mutually beneficial outcomes.

Key Account Managers require in-depth knowledge of the NHS, both nationally and on their territories, and will ideally have existing relationships with key customers through previous experience in primary care or hospital selling roles, or possibly through having previously worked within the NHS.  Product and therapy area knowledge, planning and organisational skills, commercial acumen, networking and relationship-building abilities are all critical in these roles.

Through our partnerships with over 80 pharmaceutical companies, we are seeing an increase in the number of key account management opportunities with Ashfield In2Focus. 

Many pharmaceutical companies are now looking to outsource their key account management roles to contract sales organisations and Ashfield In2Focus is the UK market leader in this field.  Working for Ashfield In2Focus gives you a level of job security that other pharmaceutical sales organisations cannot offer.  You will also be joining a multinational organisation with offices in the US, UK and Ireland.  Our parent company United Drug is still investing in contract sales so the opportunities for people looking for medical sales jobs continue to grow.

Why not take a look at our current key account management vacancies; we are confident that you will find something there for you.  If not, please register to join our database to be notified of new positions on a weekly basis.