*Our client is a B-Corp Certified, purpose-driven, healthy and sustainable snack company committed to creating delicious and nutritious snacks that fuel and inspire people.*
The Senior Key Account Manager is responsible for calling on, building business, and developing relationships with a designated group of Tier 1 Strategic accounts. This role is Customer facing and will drive the customer agenda and provide strategic and operational day-to-day leadership of the assigned customer. It will deliver results by influencing cross functionally and building effective customer relationships.
Key Accountabilities & Responsibilities:
- Driving Strategic Sales growth for Riverside Natural Foods
- Demonstrate and uphold Riverside’s Core Values, mission, and vision.
- Help to establish RESPECT and confidence with customers. Build and strengthen relationships across customers.
- Educate customers on product attributes and benefits while displaying HUMILITY.
- Build relationships within multiple levels of the customer organization. Develop and manage collaborative partnerships and ownership of joint business plans with key customers.
- Develop and drive strategic plans to meet or exceed revenue goals. Have high engagement with customers to collaborate and partner during the planning process.
- Provide key inputs for demand planning - own the bottoms-up forecast for the SOP process for each account owned. Properly manage forecasting on an accurate and consistent basis.
- Compile and review quantitative sales data and react rapidly to changing trends or new competitive threats and opportunities. Have a close pulse on environment and proactively have plans to support customer and Riverside brands.
- Create and present customer specific presentations to support customer category growth and Riverside growth, enabling them to tactically execute against plans.
- Develop customer-specific programs to drive strong velocities.
- Discover medium- and long-term opportunities. Offer solution based selling approach.
- Ensure execution against planning tactics of:
- Assortment: Close gaps/expand distribution on Priority Core and Innovation SKUs
- Merchandising: Create in-store impact with disruptive off-shelf merchandising displays during key promo periods that support RNF strategies, tactics, and programs
- Pricing/Promos: Work with retailers on pricing guidelines & guardrails as communicated through Sales Planning & Strategy (on everyday pricing and promoted)
- Shelving: Work Closely with Category Management team to understand best shelving principles to share with retailers
- Present all Innovation in a timely manner, creating plans for effective speed-to-market.
- Collaborate on marketing programs with customer and Riverside Marketing team.
- Effectively manage trade spend against assigned trade budgets.
- Follow trade compliance and deduction support process. Manage trade payments and deductions in a timely manner.
- Communicate account activity/results via internal processes.
- Conduct quarterly business reviews with accounts. Send out monthly updates to both internal team and customer.
- Drive strong partnerships and engagement (monthly connects, quarterly reviews, KPI tracking, etc.)
- Demonstrate OWNERSHIP by managing customers as if they were your own.
- Full understanding of customer and competitive market.
- Attend designated trade shows and events as needed.
- Keeps the work atmosphere FUN by keeping it light and welcoming.
- Any other duties as assigned.
- Travel as required up to 25% of role
Skills & Abilities:
- Demonstrable success at creatively solving problems and implementing those solutions.
- Must have strong presentation, negotiating and listening skills
- Strong TEAM player with Energy, PASSION, ambition, competitiveness
- Outstanding organizational, and time management skills
- Intermediate level of computer and technical skills with an emphasis on MS Office Suite
- Ability to adapt communication style based on the audience. Ability to communicate in a clear and professional way, both written and verbal
- Tech savvy with apps and sales related software
- Proven ability to build and maintain productive relationships with key business partners.
- Proven ability to make decisions based on a mixture of information, analysis, experience, and judgement.
- Adept and Agile in working through business analytics and navigate business financials.
Sales Competencies:
- Negotiations
- Resiliency in Selling
- Trade Marketing/Financial Acumen
- Business Analytics
- Customer Specific Solutions
- Depth of Customer Knowledge
- Forging Strategic Partner Relations
- Industry Knowledge
- Influencing Through Communications
Education & Qualifications:
- University Degree in Business or a related discipline strongly preferred
- 7-10 years of progressive sales experience. Experience in the organic / health food industry a plus.
- French language (intermediate or fluent) an asset
