Global Air Logistics Operational Key Account Manager

The Network Operational Key Account Manager is responsible for maintaining and expanding relationships with strategically important customers mainly by providing an outstanding customer experience from an operational perspective. This role requires a dynamic and customer-centric individual who can manage the operational aspects of key accounts, ensuring high levels of customer satisfaction that ultimately lead to retention and growth. Our Network Air Logistics Operational Key Account Managers oversee and represent both Sea and Air Logistics Services for our Global Accounts within their designated geographical areas. Together with the Global OKAM and other potential Network OKAMs and the OKAS, they form the operational key account team. With the Global OKAM taking over the role, similar to a Team Lead, tasked with leading the Operational Key Account Team (Network OKAM + OKAS) working on an account. They ensure close and efficient collaboration aligned with the account's goals. The successful candidate will work closely with various internal teams to deliver seamless service and solutions tailored to client needs.

Main Responsibilities

• Establish and maintain strong, long-lasting relationships with customers through regular communication, meetings, and feedback sessions. Regularly engage to better understand customer requirements, establish trust.
• Serve as the main operational point of contact for assigned key accounts (overarching within your designated geographical area) customer requests (not directly related to immediate day-to-day operations), ensuring client needs are met efficiently.
• Act on customers behalf respective to articulating needs and requirements to the greater Kuehne + Nagel operational organization.
• Clarify, negotiate if needed, and formalize operational requirements with the customer (in cooperation with concerned KN departments).
• Serve as an escalation contact and manage escalations within the respective BU (Sea and Air), incl. Claims handling escalations (structural nature).
• Increase customer satisfaction and loyalty through the design and implementation of customer-specific solutions.
• Identify cost improvement opportunities, building on existing operational capabilities and client relationships engage KN and customer resources to achieve cost savings.
• Facilitate the implementation of new business by having customer knowledge and understanding their requirements, as well as acting as a subject matter expert for KN's internal operational capabilities.
• Work closely with Operational Key Account Team assigned to the account, including Global and Network OKAMs, OKAS and our operational departments in Sea and Air Logistics (primarily CCL, OCC, RCC), as well as FU's (mainly the KAM's), to offer a holistic service.
• Ensure you have overarching operational oversight of the account (cross BU and cross country - focus: designated geographical area) and support the operational team through overarching governance (tools, reporting, training of e.g. vertical/account specific requirements).
• Support our operational departments, especially with non-standard requirements, so that our operational units can work smoothly according to their processes in day-to-day operations.
• Proactively work with customer and KN sales and operational staff in facilitating corrective actions when required.
• Execute specific customer defined analytical functions in support of export and import activities and regulatory requirements.

Experience

• Must have experience in dealing with multi-national and multi-business unit organizations.
• Must have experience in customer relationship management and communications preferably as OKAM
• Must have in-depth knowledge of forwarder logistics import and export operations, including systems and processes as related to security protocols (Sea and/or Air Logistics)
• Must have an analytical mindset with the ability to interpret and act on data.
• Experience in project management, ideally in (Operational) Key Account Management preferred.