Job Description

Account Manager

SMS Environmental | Harwell, Oxfordshire

Salary: Competitive, dependent on experience

Working arrangements: Hybrid, with regular client visits

Department: Account Management

Reporting to: Regional Department Lead – Account Management

Join our Account Management team

Are you working in the water hygiene industry and looking for an opportunity to take the next step in your career?

At SMS Environmental, we're looking for a motivated and commercially aware Account Manager to join our regional team, supporting clients across the UK.

This is an excellent opportunity for someone with a good technical understanding of water hygiene and Legionella management who enjoys working with people, building relationships and finding solutions.

You'll take responsibility for managing a portfolio of established clients, ensuring they receive excellent service, their contractual requirements are met and opportunities to improve their water hygiene management are identified.

We're looking for someone who takes pride in doing the right thing for clients, recognises opportunities to add genuine value and wants to continue developing their technical, commercial and account management skills.

You don't necessarily need previous experience as an Account Manager. If you've developed strong technical and customer-facing skills through engineering, risk assessment or another water hygiene role, we'd be interested in hearing from you.

The role

As an Account Manager, you'll be the main point of contact for your clients, taking ownership of their contracts and working closely with our operational and technical teams to ensure we deliver on our commitments.

You'll balance client relationships, compliance requirements and commercial performance, proactively identifying risks, resolving issues and recognising opportunities to provide additional services that genuinely benefit our clients.

You'll have the autonomy to manage your portfolio, supported by an experienced team and opportunities to develop your skills as your career progresses.

Key Responsibilities

Client & Relationship Management

• Manage a large portfolio of clients, building strong relationships and ensuring excellent customer service and retention.
• Act as the main point of contact, proactively addressing client needs, concerns and opportunities for improvement.

Contract Management & Compliance

• Take ownership of contract performance, ensuring service delivery, KPIs and contractual obligations are met.
• Carry out contract reviews, renewals and gap analyses, supporting clients with their water hygiene and Legionella compliance requirements.
• Provide timely technical advice and practical recommendations to clients, particularly following positive Legionella results, ensuring appropriate actions are identified and progressed.

Commercial Management & Added Value

• Manage contract revenue and profitability, preparing quotations for remedial works and additional services.
• Proactively identify opportunities to provide genuine added value to clients through ethical upselling and appropriate service recommendations.

Problem-Solving & Teamwork

• Take a proactive approach to identifying challenges, finding solutions and driving positive outcomes for clients.
• Build strong working relationships across operational and technical teams, taking ownership and working together to deliver an excellent client experience.

Training & Development

• Continue developing technical, commercial and account management skills through training and experience.
• Support wider departmental activities, including specialist technical work, client training and occasional tender support as experience develops.

What we're looking for

We're looking for someone who combines a good technical foundation with strong organisational skills, a customer-focused approach and a willingness to learn.

Essential skills and experience

• Ideally a minimum of 2–3 years' experience within the water hygiene or Legionella management industry.
• A good working understanding of water hygiene management, Legionella risks and relevant guidance, including ACoP L8 and HSG274.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build positive working relationships.
• Excellent organisational skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities and a demanding workload.
• A proactive approach to identifying problems, managing risks and finding practical solutions.
• A strong sense of ownership and accountability, with a commitment to following actions through to completion.
• Good attention to detail and the ability to maintain accurate records.
• Commercial awareness, with the ability to recognise opportunities that provide genuine value to clients.
• Confidence working independently while recognising when to seek support or involve colleagues.
• Good IT skills, including experience using Microsoft Office applications.
• Ability to travel regularly to client locations across the UK

Desirable experience

• Previous experience in account management, contract management or a customer-facing role.
• Experience reviewing Legionella risk assessments and identifying remedial or compliance requirements.
• Experience preparing quotations or identifying additional service opportunities.
• Knowledge of specialist water hygiene systems, including cooling towers, healthcare environments or other higher-risk systems.
• Experience managing contract performance, KPIs or commercial budgets.
• Relevant water hygiene, Legionella management or health and safety qualifications, including NEBOSH or equivalent.

We recognise that not every candidate will have experience in all these areas. If you have a strong foundation in water hygiene, enjoy working with clients and are motivated to develop, we'd encourage you to apply.

The way we work

At SMS Environmental, our values are central to how we work with our clients and each other:

We do what we say. We find solutions. We do what's right.

We're looking for someone who shares these values and demonstrates them through their everyday approach.

We believe in building long-term relationships by doing what's right for our clients, providing honest advice and recommending solutions that genuinely benefit them.

What we offer

Joining SMS Environmental means becoming part of an established business with opportunities to develop your career within the water hygiene industry.

Our benefits include:

• Competitive salary, dependent on experience.
• Company car or car allowance.
• Company pension scheme.
• Annual leave entitlement.
• Bonus or performance-related incentives.
• Health and wellbeing benefits.
• Technical training and ongoing professional development.
• Opportunities for career progression.
• Hybrid working arrangements, balancing client visits, office collaboration and home working.

You'll have the opportunity to take ownership of an established client portfolio, develop meaningful relationships and build your technical and commercial expertise with support from experienced colleagues.

Interested in joining us?

If you're passionate about delivering excellent customer service, have a good understanding of the water hygiene industry and are looking for an opportunity to develop your career, we'd love to hear from you.

Apply to join SMS Environmental and help us continue delivering trusted, high-quality water hygiene services to our clients.

SMS Environmental is an equal opportunities employer. We welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds and are committed to fair and inclusive recruitment.