National Accounts Manager

Job Overview:

The National Account Manager will play a key role in driving long-term growth within the company. This position focuses on identifying and executing strategic opportunities to expand the company’s market footprint, including exploring new customers, categories, and channels as well as cultivating current customer relationships for greater distribution and menu share. The ideal candidate will work cross-functionally to validate and execute initiatives that drive revenue, enhance market presence, and align with the company’s overall strategic objectives. This role requires a self-driven, dynamic, forward-thinking leader who excels at navigating complex opportunities and partnerships to successful outcomes in the Food Service, Retail Food Service, and Co-Manufacturing spaces.

Key Responsibilities:

• Growth Opportunity Identification: Lead the identification of new business opportunities within frozen Kettle Cooked Foods (Sauces, Side Dishes, Soups, Chili, Mac & Cheese, etc.) including category expansion, channel growth, and entry into new markets.
• Strategic Planning & Execution: Develop and execute a comprehensive growth strategy for each of the categories and target customers, aligning with broader company goals and market trends. This person will be accountable for building relationships, providing solutions to customers, selling incremental new items, negotiating pricing/programs and prioritizing efforts against market plans.
• Customer / Project Management: Manage the cross-functional process from start to finish: product ideation/qualification/initiation, product cuttings, obtain commitment, launch project, product commercialization, product launch involving Culinary R&D and Supply Chain, analyze sales, maintain the necessary item forecasting while achieving organizational profit goals, mitigate finished goods and packaging obsolescence during item transitions. Other duties as assigned.
• Customer Advocate: Serve as the primary McLane Classic Foods point of contact for customers, delivering communications and acting as first line of defense for customer issue resolution & managing internal resolution response
• Forecasting: Accountable for accurate demand plan and inputs to Supply Chain team, addressing gaps to Customer Annual Strategic Plan as well as seasonal/promotional ramp ups and ramp downs.
• Market & Competitive Analysis: Conduct in-depth market research and competitive analysis to identify emerging trends, gaps in the market, and opportunities for differentiation in the categories.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with Sales, Marketing, R&D, Operations, and other internal teams to drive execution and ensure alignment across all functions on new growth initiatives
• Monitoring & Reporting: Track the performance of new partnerships and projects, reporting to senior leadership on progress and business impact.
• Manage T & E Budget
• Travel 30% - 50%, as required

Requirements:

• Characteristics: Character representing honesty, integrity, and strong moral principles.  Entrepreneurial, intellectually curious, results-driven, and comfortable working autonomously or as a team in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, or related field
• Experience: Minimum 7 years outside sales experience in Food Service, Manufacturing, or Distributor Sales, with preference toward successful sales experience within custom/proprietary products and co-manufacturing.
• Industry Knowledge: Deep understanding of custom manufacturing, project management, customer and consumer behavior, and competitive dynamics in Prepared Food Service. Develop a strong, in-depth knowledge of MCF processes and capabilities to enable better problem solving and customer support.
• Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to influence stakeholders at all levels
• Self-motivated: Initiative and follow through; Aggressive continuous improvement mindset; Independent decision maker in a fast paced and demanding environment.
• Skills: Strong strategic thinking, attention to detail, intermediate computer skills (Microsoft Office Suite, ERP, Power BI, etc.), financial acumen, and advanced negotiation skills. Highly effective and professional leadership, organization, coordination, and presentation skills. Proven experience leading cross-functional teams to mutual success.