Top Account Manager H/F

Top Account Manager, Southern Europe – Honeywell Fire

Location: France (Lyon area preferred)

Reporting to: Sales Director South Europe, Honeywell Fire

Region Covered: Southern Europe (France, Italy, Iberia, Malta and selected strategic accounts across the region)

Honeywell Technologies is seeking an experienced and highly strategic Top Account Manager to lead the growth and development of key customer relationships across the Southern European Fire business. The role will focus on driving profitable growth, increasing market share, and strengthening executive-level partnerships with major system integrators, distributors, end-users, consultants, and strategic channel partners.

The successful candidate will combine deep expertise in the European Fire Detection market with strong commercial, financial, and demand generation capabilities. Operating across multiple countries, this individual will drive account strategies, influence specification activities, develop long-term growth plans, and ensure the successful deployment of Honeywell Fire solutions.

Strategic Account Management

• Develop and execute multi-year strategic account plans for top regional and multinational customers.
• Build and maintain executive-level relationships with key decision-makers, influencers, consultants, and procurement organizations.
• Identify growth opportunities across the complete Honeywell Fire portfolio, including fire detection, voice alarm, life safety software, connected services and emerging technologies.
• Negotiate complex commercial agreements and framework contracts.
• Drive customer retention, share-of-wallet expansion, and competitive displacement initiatives.

Business Development & Demand Generation

• Create and execute demand generation plans to increase project pipelines within targeted vertical markets.
• Collaborate with consultants, engineering firms, and specifiers to secure Honeywell inclusion in project specifications.
• Develop market penetration strategies for high-growth sectors including Data Centers, Healthcare, Transportation, Hospitality, Energy and Critical Infrastructure.
• Work closely with Channel, Marketing, and Demand Generation teams to generate qualified opportunities and accelerate project conversion.

Financial & Commercial Leadership

• Own sales targets, revenue growth, margin expansion, and forecast accuracy for assigned accounts.
• Develop business cases and ROI analyses to support strategic investments and customer opportunities.
• Lead pricing strategy, contract negotiations, rebate programs, and commercial governance.
• Monitor account profitability and implement corrective actions where required.
• Support annual operating plan (AOP), quarterly business reviews, and long-range planning activities.

Market Intelligence & Competitive Strategy

• Maintain a deep understanding of the European fire detection and life safety market.
• Track competitive activity, regulatory developments, industry trends, and emerging technologies.
• Provide strategic recommendations to leadership regarding market opportunities and risks.
• Influence product roadmap decisions through customer and market feedback.

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Although the role will be individual contributor, the successful applicant will coordinate resources across Sales, Demand Generation, Product Management, Technical Support, Finance, Customer Service, and Operations.
• Lead virtual cross-country account teams to ensure consistent customer engagement throughout Southern Europe.
• Promote best practices in account planning, CRM discipline, and pipeline management.

Education

• Bachelor's Degree in Business, Finance, Engineering, Marketing, or related discipline.
• MBA or equivalent advanced qualification is highly desirable.

Experience

• Minimum 10+ years of experience in B2B sales, strategic account management, or business development.
• Proven success managing large multinational accounts across multiple European countries.
• Strong background in: 
  • Strategic Sales
  • Key Account Management
  • Financial Planning & Analysis
  • Demand Generation
  • Commercial Negotiation
• Extensive experience within the Fire Detection, Life Safety, Fire Alarm, Voice Alarm, Building Technologies, or Security Systems industry.

Languages: Fluent English and French required. Italian and/or Spanish strongly preferred.

Industry Knowledge

• Deep knowledge of the European Fire Detection market.
• Strong understanding of the Southern European landscape, particularly: 
  • France
  • Italy
  • Spain
  • Portugal
  • Malta
• Knowledge of key market players, distributors, system integrators, consultants and regulatory environments.
• Understanding of European standards and regulations related to fire detection and life safety systems.

Technical & Digital Skills

• Advanced CRM expertise, preferably Salesforce NEX.
• Strong knowledge of SAP ERP.
• Experience with funnel management and forecasting systems.
• Advanced Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, PowerPoint, Teams).
• Knowledge of business intelligence and analytics tools.
• Familiarity with digital demand generation platforms and marketing automation tools.

Core Competencies

Account Management Excellence

• Strategic Account Planning
• Executive Relationship Management
• Customer Success Mindset
• Opportunity Identification
• Business Development
• Consultative Selling
• Value-Based Selling

Commercial & Financial Acumen

• Revenue Growth Management
• P&L Understanding
• Margin Optimization
• Financial Analysis
• Pricing Strategy
• Contract Negotiation

Leadership & Collaboration

• Cross-functional Leadership
• Influencing without Authority
• Stakeholder Management
• Team Collaboration
• Change Management

Personal Attributes

• Highly customer-focused.
• Results-oriented and entrepreneurial mindset.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills.
• Comfortable operating in a multicultural, international environment.
• Ability to travel extensively across Southern Europe.

Success Metrics

• Sales Revenue Growth
• Gross Margin Improvement
• Market Share Expansion
• Strategic Account Retention
• Pipeline Generation and Conversion
• Forecast Accuracy
• Customer Satisfaction (VOC/NPS)
• Demand Generation Contribution
• Executive Relationship Development

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform crucial job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.

Join a team recognized for leadership, innovation, and diversity.