The Technical Account Manager will work closely with the Sales Team to support, maintain and build relationships with key customers. This position will commit to generate cost take out, develop new innovative & creative designs, support major quality investigations & measures and demonstrate the sustainability benefits of SKNA to new & prospective customers. This can be achieved through the usage of innotools, sustainability metrics, insights, re-design and smart methodologies. This position promote the Smurfit Kappa Innotools: Pack Expert (packaging performance along the supply chain). NewCalc (packaging optimizer), Paper to Box (material specifications), Shelfviewer and Innobook.
Primary Duties
- Support the Sales Team with key customers in technical areas such as packaging development, sustainability, retail approach, harmonization and supply chain optimization. Identify, manage and implement cost take out and value added projects to the technical requirements of SKNA customers in line with the account strategy and group capabilities
- Build project pipeline per account and ensure its implementation by keeping track of each project through monthly meetings /calls with local sales team, and customers’ project leaders in each country & fill in the Monthly Top Customer Savings into the KPI Report with Sales
- Promote Smurfit Kappa Smart methodologies (SupplySmart, ShelfSmart, E-Smart) by carrying out customer’s plant visits with local SK sales and design teams to define projects to drive customer supply chain performance, reduce logistics costs, lower packaging costs, reduce waste and footprint, and increase lines productivity
- Identify regional opportunities to replicate designs and projects along our SKNA customers’ locations by sharing best practices in design and cost take out projects from Europe and the Americas with SK design teams
- Support Smurfit Kappa Experience Center with customers visits to strengthen customer relationships and SK positioning by creating experiences to explain our ways of working and potential projects opportunities
- May be assigned to other projects and duties
Job Qualifications
- Degree in Packaging Engineering, Graphic Design or relative field
- Preferred Bilingual English and Spanish
- 3+ years of relative job experience
- Knowledge of FMCG products & markets
- Effective project management capabilities;
- Ability to adapt to an intercultural team and international customers
- Ability to travel extensively throughout identified regions such as Texas, California, Arizona and Mexico.
- Industry related knowledge: paper, and corrugated board principles, paper manufacture and converting processes, paper and corrugated board properties, mechanized packaging lines, assembly and filling lines, flexographic printing technologies, performance packaging, packaging optimization, packaging design, design projects development
- Knowledge in packaging development, retail ready packaging and supply chain optimization
- Preferred knowledge and use of Smurfit Kappa Innotools: Pack Expert (packaging performance along the supply chain). NewCalc (packaging optimizer), Paper to Box (material specifications), Shelfviewer and Innobook.
- Knowledge and use of Artios CAD 3D and Capepack (palletizing patterns)
- Preferred knowledge and use of Smurfit Kappa methodologies: SupplySmart, ShelfSmart, “Insights” Smurfit Kappa marketing and Sales approach
- Able to work flexible hours
- Excellent interpersonal communication skills
About Smurfit Kappa
Smurfit Kappa is a FTSE 100 company and one of the leading providers of paper-based packaging in the world, with operations in 23 European countries and 12 countries in the Americas.
EEO Statement
Smurfit Kappa is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, sex, pregnancy, religion, national origin, ethnicity, citizenship, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, genetic information, status as a Vietnam Era, disabled veteran, special disabled veteran, Armed Forces Services Medal Veteran, recently separated or other protected veteran. Smurfit Kappa also complies with all applicable state, federal and local laws, regulations and ordinances prohibiting discrimination in places where Smurfit Kappa operates.
Our vision is to be a globally admired business, dynamically delivering secure and superior returns for all stakeholders.