Costco Key Account Manager

Unilever Brazil; Toronto; On-site; CAD 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading global company in Toronto is looking for a Costco Key Account Manager to drive strategic customer development and achieve business growth. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in account management, excellent negotiation skills, and the ability to analyze customer trends. This role involves working closely with cross-functional teams to deliver category plans and manage trade investments, ensuring profitable growth for the company’s wellbeing brands.

Qualifications

• 3 years of relevant Account Management/Field Sales experience.
• Prior commercial experience and exposure to P&L.
• Ability to analyze data for better decision making.

Responsibilities

• Deliver in-year business targets and future-fit strategy.
• Negotiate trade terms and manage customer relationships.
• Manage promotional investments and customer performance.

Skills

Customer management

Negotiation

Account Management

Data analysis

Collaboration

Education

Relevant Bachelor's degree

Job description

Unilever has set out the bold ambition to be the world’s leading wellness organization. Our Wellbeing Collective (WBC) has bold ambitions to be a leader in the industry, driven by a portfolio of Wellbeing and Lifestyle brands.

• Over the past 5 years Unilever has acquired 7 brands that embody the Wellbeing purpose of health as a lifestyle pursuit. This portfolio includes Equilibra, Olly, Smarty Pants Vitamins, Liquid IV, Welly, Onnit, and Nutrafol.
• In addition to growing these brands in the US, the Wellbeing collective is looking to expand the brands into global markets. This is the role of our International Expansion organization. Our objective is to expand our largest brands Liquid IV, OLLY, and Nutrafol.
• Today we have launched and are present in more than 7 markets, with plans for further expansion.
• Successful candidates for Wellbeing International Expansion have an entrepreneurial spirit and are bold thinkers, high‑ownership doers, and door‑openers with an unstoppable can‑do mindset.

JOB PURPOSE

The Costco Key Account Manager will be responsible for strategic category development and customer development for the Wellbeing Collective to deliver the business in‑year and set the account strategy up for exponential growth for the next 2‑3 years. This position is responsible for the Wellbeing Collective creation, execution & communication of the customer plan, including trade investment management and application, that delivers consistent, competitive, profitable, and sustainable growth. Key Account Managers work closely with and are supported by several cross‑functional teams including Customer Strategy and Planning, Finance, Customer Service, Net Revenue Management, Category Management and Customer Analytics Associates to establish best‑in‑class practices and unlock opportunities to deliver against sales and profit targets. This role will build strong working relationships with the Costco customer buying team and are accountable for the day‑to‑day account management and coordination with the buyers and customer teams.

You’ll be part of a team that believes in doing work that matters — for people and the planet.

Because here, we don’t just hire for jobs. We invite you to be part of something bigger.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Deliver in‑year business targets – but set a future fit strategy to develop the customer for the next 2‑3 years.
• Build strong and sustainable customer relationships.
• Negotiate effectively with your customer, e.g. to agree trade terms, trade funding, and counterparts according to the UL strategy on his/her categories.
• Manage the relationship aspects of key customer ‘events’, e.g. launching of new products, cost price changes, breaches of trade terms.
• Develop and deliver the customer strategic business plan for relevant categories, and the joint customer business plan, working closely with Category Managers and Shopper Marketing.
• Develop and deliver an optimal integrated category promotional plan (including selling the plan with the customer).
• Manage promotional and non‑promotional investments with the customer and ensure all agreements are properly documented and stored.
• Ensure administrative aspects of promotions are completed.
• Manage the launch of new products with customers, e.g. selling in the new product, providing samples, etc.
• Manage the customer P&L for relevant categories and the overall level of customer investment.
• Manage in‑month performance vs forecast, working closely with Market Collaboration Planner (MCP), CS&P and Customer Operations (CO) teams.
• Manage accruals and pricing accurately and efficiently.
• Customer P&L Management: Delivery of Turnover & Business Building Terms targets for specific category.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Customer management & selling essentials - previous experience of performing a Customer Key Account Manager (CKAM) role.
• 3 years relevant Account Management/Field Sales experience.
• Prior commercial experience and exposure to P&L.
• Proven history of working within a team environment.
• Prior experience of leading and developing a direct report preferable however not essential.
• Previous experience collaborating with Customer Strategy and Planning (CSP) team to enable and support the right category growth management approach to ensure the triple‑win (Customer, Shopper, business group).
• Ability to demonstrate commercial strategy through analyzing customer joint business plan (JBP) looking for improvements, and budgeting appropriately so delivered within spend guardrails.
• Deep understanding of their customer and uses that knowledge to build strong customer relationships that align key Unilever and customer stakeholders.
• Ability to analyze data to make better decisions and identify new trends that impact the customer, category and Unilever.
• The ideal candidate understands how to execute with excellence with the customer, whether it’s through knowledge of supply chain expectations or deploying activities in‑store.
• Proficiency in negotiating complex agreements and resolving conflicts among multiple stakeholders (internally and externally).

Unilever Canada is an organization committed to diversity and inclusion to drive our business results and create a better future every day for our diverse employees, global consumers, partners, and communities. We believe a diverse workforce allows us to match our growth ambitions and drive inclusion across the business. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national or ethnic origin, marital status, family status, disability, genetic characteristics, and a conviction for which a pardon has been granted.

If you are an individual with a disability in need of assistance at any time during our recruitment process, please contact us at [e-mail]. Please note: These lines are reserved for individuals with disabilities in need of assistance and are not a means of inquiry about positions or application statuses.

Unilever Canada est une organisation engagée à la diversité et à l’inclusion pour stimuler nos résultats d’affaires et créer un meilleur avenir chaque jour pour nos employés, les consommateurs globaux, les partenaires et les communautés. Nous croyons qu’un effectif diversifiée nous permet de faire correspondre nos ambitions de croissance et de stimuler l’inclusion dans l’entreprise. Tous les candidats qualifiés recevront la considération pour un emploi sans égard à la race, la couleur, la religion, le sexe, l’orientation sexuelle, l’identité ou l’expression de genre, l’âge, l’origine nationale ou ethnique, le statut matrimonial, la situation familiale, l’invalidité, les caractéristiques génétiques, et une condamnation pour laquelle un pardon a été accordé.

Si vous êtes une personne handicapée qui a besoin d’aide à tout moment au cours de notre processus de recrutement, veuillez communiquer avec nous au [e-mail]. Veuillez noter : ces lignes sont réservées aux personnes handicapées ayant besoin d’aide et ne sont pas un moyen d’enquêter sur les postes.