[Hiring] Head of Strategic Accounts @Cencora

Role Description

This role is in support of Cencora's veterinary and livestock production solutions marketed through our MWI Animal Health business. MWI Animal Health is a leading brand of Cencora, offering animal health services globally.

We have an exciting position for a Head of Strategic Accounts, reporting into the Commercial & Customer Experience Director. In this role you will be responsible for leading the strategic account function across the MWI business, with a primary focus on retaining and growing relationships with key strategic partners. This role will own a portfolio of high-value, corporate, charity, e-commerce and agriculture sector accounts directly, while also providing leadership and direction to the Strategic Account Managers and owning the strategic account framework across the business.

The role is accountable for developing and executing strategic account plans that protect existing revenue, strengthen long-term partnerships, and identifying opportunities for commercial expansion. You will establish the structure, segmentation, and allocation of strategic accounts to ensure appropriate ownership, focus, and service to the business’s most strategic customers.

You will play a crucial role in deepening customer engagement, delivering sustainable growth, and aligning internal stakeholders around the priorities of strategic partners.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the strategic accounts function for the MWI business, ensuring a clear and effective approach to managing key customer relationships.
• Develop and implement the strategic account management vision, priorities, and operating model aligned to wider business goals.
• Define and build the structure for strategic account management, including account segmentation, ownership, and allocation across the team.
• Create a consistent framework for account planning, customer engagement, governance, and performance management.
• Take overall responsibility for the retention of existing business with key strategic partners, ensuring strong relationship management and proactive risk mitigation.
• Build and maintain key relationships with strategic customers, acting as a senior point of contact.
• Manage a portfolio of strategic accounts directly, with accountability for customer satisfaction, contract stability, and commercial performance.
• Identify potential risks to retention early and lead cross-functional action plans to protect revenue and partnership value.
• Ensure customers experience a highly coordinated, commercially focused approach that supports long-term partnership success.
• Identify, develop, and deliver opportunities to optimise profitability of existing strategic partner relationships.
• Work closely with internal commercial, operational, and leadership teams to unlock additional value within customer accounts.
• Lead the development of robust strategic account plans that include retention strategies, growth priorities, stakeholder maps, and measurable objectives.
• Support contract renewals, commercial negotiations, and business reviews to secure sustainable and profitable growth.
• Drive a culture of proactive account development, ensuring the team focuses not only on protecting revenue but also on expanding strategic partnerships.
• Provide leadership, coaching, and direction to the Strategic Account Managers, ensuring clarity of expectations and strong performance delivery.
• Build capability within the strategic accounts team through effective mentoring, development planning, and best practice sharing.
• Set clear objectives and performance measures for the team aligned to retention, growth, and relationship outcomes.
• Foster a high-performance, customer-focused culture centered on accountability, collaboration, and commercial impact.
• Work closely with colleagues across sales, operations, finance, marketing, and leadership teams to ensure aligned delivery against strategic account objectives.
• Act as the internal voice of strategic partners, ensuring customer priorities and opportunities are understood and supported across the business.
• Lead internal governance around strategic accounts, including regular reviews of account performance, risks, and opportunities.
• Influence internal stakeholders to ensure the business is positioned to meet the evolving needs of strategic customers.
• Monitor and report on strategic account performance, including retention, revenue growth, profitability, and customer engagement measures.
• Use customer, commercial, and market insights to refine the strategic account approach and improve outcomes.
• Continuously assess account coverage, resource allocation, and customer potential to ensure focus remains on the highest-value opportunities.
• Drive continuous improvement in strategic account planning, account reviews, and relationship management practices.

Key Accountabilities

• Retention of revenue and relationships across key strategic partners.
• Direct management and development of selected strategic accounts.
• Leadership of the Strategic Account Managers and broader strategic account approach.
• Design and implementation of the strategic account structure, segmentation, and account allocation model.
• Delivery of growth opportunities within existing strategic partner accounts.
• Strengthening executive-level customer relationships and partnership value.
• Alignment of internal stakeholders around strategic account priorities and plans.
• Influencing commercial strategy through customer insight.

Qualifications

• Significant experience in strategic account management, key account leadership, or commercial leadership roles within the animal health industry.
• Proven track record of retaining and growing high-value customer relationships within a complex business environment.
• Experience managing strategic or national accounts directly, including ownership of senior customer relationships.
• Demonstrated ability to lead, coach, and develop account management teams.
• Strong commercial acumen with experience identifying growth opportunities and delivering account expansion.
• Ability to design and implement account management structures, processes, and governance.
• Excellent relationship-building, influencing, and negotiation skills.
• Strong analytical and planning capability, with the ability to translate customer insight into actionable strategy.
• Ability to work cross-functionally and lead through collaboration in a matrix environment.
• Experience operating at senior stakeholder level internally and externally.
• Customer-focused and commercially driven.
• Strategic and forward-thinking.
• Relationship-led with strong influencing capability.
• Accountable and results-oriented.
• Collaborative and able to lead across functions.
• Resilient, proactive, and solutions-focused.

Benefits

• Competitive remuneration package including on target bonus.
• Car allowance.
• Competitive pension scheme.
• Life assurance.
• Gym subsidy.
• Company health plan cover.