National Account Manager Scrap Metal & Recycling

As a National Account Manager, you will own and manage large National Accounts across Canada, the United States and Mexico. You will sell vertically integrated metal recycling services — scrap collection, processing, in-house transportation, and consignment yard management — to industrial companies that generate scrap metal. The primary decision-makers you will call on are purchasing departments, VP- and Director-level senior leadership, and C-suite executives or owners at manufacturing and industrial firms. In Year 1, the focus is almost entirely on account management. Your customers are industrial companies generating scrap metal — primarily mid-to-large businesses spanning Canada, the United States, and Mexico. The base salary range is $120,000–$150,000 CAD, plus a discretionary annual bonus.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

• Base salary: $120,000–$150,000 CAD with a discretionary annual bonus
• Monthly car allowance
• Gas card
• Full travel expense coverage
• Health benefits
• RSP matching
• Cell phone
• Laptop
• Expense account
• Further education reimbursement
• Employee recognition, gifts, and rewards program
• Company social events

THE COMPANY & CULTURE

Our client has been in business approximately 90 years and is a family-owned, privately held metal recycler — the largest privately held company in its industry. They employ approximately 3,000 people across more than 136 locations in North America, with approximately 500 people at the Hamilton operation where this role is based. Revenue is growing 25% to 50% per year, and the US footprint is expanding, with recent or pending activity in Buffalo, Ohio, Maine, Phoenix, and Los Angeles. The business is fully vertically integrated across four divisions — ferrous, non-ferrous, retail, and transportation — and runs an in-house trucking fleet significantly larger than those of its competitors. This allows the company to control material from collection through processing and final shipment. Approximately 80% of the material handled crosses the Canada–US border. Freight is the single largest cost in the business, so yard and transload locations are chosen deliberately to sit close to concentrated customer and mill activity. The stated culture pillars are Passion & Excellence, Teamwork & Collaboration, Agility & Innovation, and Community Engagement. Leadership is data-driven and hands-on, and long-tenured senior people are accessible for day-to-day questions. Commodity markets move, so priorities can shift quickly — candidates should be comfortable in a fast-moving environment.

OFFICE LOCATION & SALES TERRITORY

• Head office: Hamilton, ON
• Work arrangement: Office-based when not travelling; ideally in the Hamilton office when in Ontario. This role is not a remote or work-from-home role — extensive travel is the core demand of the position.
• Sales territory: National — Canada, United States, and Mexico. Approximately 50–75 large national accounts at hire. The majority of travel is within the United States (US first, Canada second, Mexico third).
• Client visit expectations: Face-to-face client visits are central to this role. You will be on the road approximately half of every month.
• Working hours: Monday–Friday, 44 hours per week, with flexibility required in the evenings and on weekends as client demands dictate.
• Overnight travel: Extensive — approximately 75–100 nights per year. Roughly half of each month is spent on the road.

EXPERIENCE, BACKGROUND & EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS

• You have 5–15 years of B2B sales experience; candidates across that full range will be considered
• You are a proven road warrior — you have travelled extensively for business in a previous role and are genuinely comfortable with approximately 75–100 nights away from home per year
• You have an industrial sales background — you have called on purchasing departments, VP and Director-level leaders, and C-suite executives or owners at manufacturing, industrial, or commodity-based companies
• Scrap metal or metal recycling industry experience is a nice-to-have, not a requirement; the company will train the right candidate on the business
• You have some prior account management or key account experience — managing a book of business, multi-stakeholder relationships, and complex industrial accounts
• Player-coach or managerial experience is a plus, given the expectation to hire and develop a direct report as the role matures into Year 2 and beyond
• Post-secondary education or equivalent professional experience; a university degree is preferred
• Valid driver's licence and access to a personal vehicle are required
• English required; bilingualism is not required
• You are based in Hamilton, ON or the Greater Toronto Area, and are willing and able to travel approximately half of each month

TECHNICAL SKILLS

• Salesforce CRM: Basic to Intermediate (proficiency preferred; willingness to learn is acceptable)
• Microsoft Excel: Intermediate
• Microsoft PowerPoint: Basic
• Microsoft Word: Basic
• Google Drive: Basic

THE PRODUCT / SERVICE / SOLUTION

• Scrap metal collection: pickup and removal of scrap metal from industrial client sites
• Scrap metal processing: on-site processing and sorting of collected materials
• In-house transportation: proprietary fleet used to move scrap from client sites to processing facilities — significantly larger than competitor fleets
• Consignment yard management: management of client-side scrap yards on a consignment basis
• Downstream solutions: vertically integrated processing and recycling of collected scrap, handled entirely within the company's own operations

PROSPECTIVE CUSTOMERS / INDUSTRY FOCUS / DECISION MAKER(S)

• Customer types: Industrial companies that generate scrap metal as a byproduct of their operations
• Industry verticals: Manufacturing, industrial production, commodity-based industries
• Company size: SMB (20–99 employees) and large businesses (100–999 employees)
• Geographic location of customers: Canada, United States, and Mexico — with the majority of the national account portfolio concentrated in the United States
• Decision-maker titles: Controller/Accounting, Purchasing Department, Executive Leadership/Owner (C-Suite)

SALES CYCLE / ORDER VALUE / ACCOUNT SIZE

• Average sales cycle length: 3–12 months, depending on account size (cycles of 3–6 months, 6–9 months, and 9–12 months are all present in the portfolio)
• Typical calls or visits to first order: 4–6 calls or visits after initial interest is established
• Number of decision-makers involved: Typically 3 people are involved in the purchasing decision — purchasing department, VP or Director-level leader, and C-suite executive or owner
• Account portfolio at hire: approximately 50–75 large national accounts across Canada, USA, and Mexico

COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES

• Largest privately held company in the metal recycling industry — scale and financial stability that smaller competitors cannot match
• Vertically integrated model: our client handles scrap collection, processing, transportation, and downstream solutions entirely in-house; clients deal with one provider from pickup through final processing, eliminating coordination across multiple vendors
• Significantly larger proprietary transportation fleet than any competitor — faster, more reliable service and greater capacity at scale
• Established national account portfolio of approximately 50–75 large accounts handed directly to the incoming hire — you are not starting from zero
• Clear career path: the role is designed to evolve into a player-coach capacity with a direct report in Year 2+, with a stated path toward national accounts team leadership
• Approximately 90 years in business with 25–50% annual revenue growth — the stability of an established company with the momentum of a scale-up

TYPICAL DAY & DUTIES

Year 1 time split:

• Account management and relationship ownership: 85–90%
• Opportunistic new business development: 10–15%

Day-to-day activities:

• Conduct face-to-face visits with national account clients across Canada, the United States, and Mexico — approximately half of every month is spent on the road
• Serve as the primary relationship owner for the national account portfolio; manage escalations, attend site visits, and coordinate with internal operations and transportation teams to deliver on client commitments
• During the first 2–3 months, complete immersive yard training to learn the scrap business from the ground up, then shadow the VP of Sales directly on all client travel and introductions
• Collaborate with inside sales representatives to ensure account continuity and fast response when you are travelling
• Identify and pursue growth opportunities within the existing national account base — expanding revenue and scope over time
• Maintain accurate records of all sales activity, account notes, and pipeline in Salesforce CRM
• As the role matures, begin recruiting and onboarding a national accounts sales representative to work under you, transitioning toward a player-coach model

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