About Teknor Apex
Teknor Apex, founded in 1924, is a privately held global custom compounder with operations across North America, Europe, and Asia. The company partners with manufacturers to develop custom polymer solutions and is guided by seven core values: integrity, partnership, sustainability, innovation, accountability, safety, and respect.
Position Summary
The Account Manager, Eastern Midwest Territory, is responsible for driving profitable growth for Teknor Apex's Engineered Plastics and Elastomers product withing the geographic region. This role manages an assigned territory and customer base while identifying, developing, and winning new business with OEMs, processors, contract manufacturers, and strategic partners. The territory is the Ohio Valley (OH, Eastern IN, Western PA, Kentucky, Western Tennessee and West Virginia)
The ideal candidate brings a strong understanding of complex sales cycles, commercialization timelines, and the technical, quality, and regulatory requirements that influence purchasing decisions at companies that specify and use engineering thermoplastics and elastomer. Success in this role requires the ability to drive material specifications at OEMs and specifiers while building and sustaining relationships with processors across the assigned sales region.
Responsibilities
Own the commercial strategy and performance for an assigned territory, with responsibility for revenue and volume growth, margin improvement, pricing discipline, and long-term account profitability.
- Develop and execute strategic account and prospect plans that expand Teknor Apex's position in the assigned region
- Identify, develop, and commercialize new business opportunities through share gain at existing customers and prospecting at new customers.
- Build strong relationships across procurement, supply chain, engineering, quality, regulatory, manufacturing, executive, and commercial stakeholders within target accounts.
- Partner with Sales Management on forecasts, pricing strategies, business reviews, contract development, and major commercial negotiations.
- Work closely with Application Development, Technical Service, Product Management, Marketing, Sales Development, Supply Chain, Operations, and global teams to support material selection, trials, qualifications, commercialization, and issue resolution.
- Translate customer performance, processing, and compliance requirements into value-based material recommendations and commercial proposals.
- Create and deliver effective sales and technical presentations that educate customers, differentiate Teknor Apex solutions, and advance opportunities to close.
- Communicate regularly with customers to uncover needs, drive growth plans, resolve open issues, and ensure strong ongoing account support.
- Develop customer-specific value programs, including vendor-managed and other service-oriented programs, where appropriate.
- Gather and communicate competitive intelligence related to products, pricing, market activity, compliance trends, and competitive threats.
- Represent Teknor Apex at trade shows, industry events, customer meetings, sales meetings, and training events.
- Train, coach, and mentor other commercial team members as appropriate.
- Perform additional duties and responsibilities as assigned.
Required Qualifications
- 3+ years of successful B2B sales, account management, or business development experience in plastics, polymers, specialty compounds, chemicals, or a closely related technical industry.
- Proven track record of profitable growth within complex accounts and complex selling cycles.
- Strong working knowledge of polymer compounding and an understanding of extrusion, injection molding, and related conversion processes.
- Ability to confidently provide technical product guidance and develop compelling value-in-use / value-based selling cases.
- Demonstrated success managing customer relationships up, down, and across the organization.
- Strong planning, forecasting, budgeting, account strategy, and pipeline management skills.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office, especially PowerPoint and Excel, along with CRM and account-management tools.
- Strong oral and written communication skills in English; additional languages are a plus.
- High self-motivation, accountability, and effectiveness in an independent remote role.
- Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience required; a technical degree in engineering, chemistry, polymer science, materials science, or a related field is preferred.
- Routine travel up to 50% within the assigned territory is required; valid driver's license required.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with TPV, TPE, and/or engineering plastics, nylon specifically.
- Experience selling into specifiers and processors the assigned region.
Key Traits / Success Profile
- Customer-focused and trustworthy
- Technically curious and eager to learn applications in depth
- Collaborative and effective across functions
- Resilient and persistent in pursuit of growth
- Strong listener and clear communicator
- Team-oriented with the ability to build lasting internal and external relationships
Essential Functions:
- Ability to safely and successfully perform the essential job functions consistent with the ADA, FMLA, and other federal, state, and local standards, including meeting qualitative and/or quantitative productivity standards.
- Ability to maintain regular, punctual attendance consistent with applicable standards.
- Must be able to lift and carry up to 15 lbs.
- Must be able to talk, listen, and speak clearly on telephone and virtual media.
Equal Opportunity
Teknor Apex is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against any protected status under state or federal laws. Must be 18 years of age or older to work at Teknor Apex.