Key Account Manager

Nature's Touch Frozen Foods; Toronto; On-site; CAD 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading frozen fruits supplier in Toronto is looking for a Key Account Manager to develop collaborative relationships with major Canadian retailers. The ideal candidate will have a Bachelor's degree, 3-5 years of account management experience, and be fluent in both English and French. Strong negotiation, analytical, and communication skills are essential. This role involves strategic planning and a commitment to long-term success in the food industry.

Qualifications

• Minimum 3 to 5 years of experience managing large national accounts or at a retailer.
• Experience with private label products is required.
• Experience with category management and marketing is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Be the strategic partner for major retail customers, ensuring their needs are met.
• Develop and execute customer-centric account strategies.
• Lead high-stakes negotiations on pricing and contracts.
• Cultivate and maintain superior relationships with customers.
• Champion data-driven decision-making with insights.

Skills

Bilingual - Fluent in English and French

Strong knowledge of food processing and packaging

Excellent interpersonal and negotiation skills

Proven track record of business development

Superior verbal and written communication skills

Strong commercial acumen

Demonstrably high-caliber analytical ability

Education

Bachelor's degree in business administration or related field

Tools

Project management tools and software

Job description

Who We Are

Nature's Touch is a global leader in the frozen fruits industry, supplying the retail and industrial sectors in North America, Australia, Taiwan, and Japan. We provide a full range of products and support multiple private-label programs in addition to our own brands. We are also one of the largest buyers of fruit globally each year, and continue to enjoy strong growth in this emerging category in retail. We are known for our customer-centricity with multiple awards in our industry. As we continue to grow, we are seeking a dynamic, trailblazing Key Account Manager to join our team.

The Role

We are looking for a Key Account Manager - Private Brand Partnerships committed to building collaborative, long-term relationships with our key Canadian retail partners. This role is not about transactional selling - it is about leading with trust, transparency, and a shared vision for growth. The successful candidate will act as a strategic partner, working closely with our customers to create and execute joint business plans that drive sustainable category growth and unlock value for both parties.

Reporting to the Director of Sales Canada, the Key Account Manager will play a pivotal role in fostering a culture of open dialogue, information sharing, and operational excellence. This position requires a proactive, solutions-oriented mindset and a commitment to disrupting the traditional buyer-seller dynamic in favour of mutual success.

Key Responsibilities

• Be the strategic partner and primary advocate for major Canadian retail customers, ensuring their needs are met while driving Nature's Touch's business objectives forward.
• Develop and execute bold, customer-centric account strategies that unlock growth opportunities, maximize profitability, and strengthen long-term partnerships.
• Craft compelling, insights-driven presentations that translate data into actionable plans, allowing for mutual growth.
• Lead high-stakes negotiations on pricing and contracts, creating win-win solutions that drive sustainable growth, while keeping in mind the time sensitivity of our crop categories.
• Cultivate and maintain superior relationships with assigned accounts and customers, fostering trust, collaboration, and long-term partnerships.
• Own the end-to-end project lifecycle with the customer, the project lifecycle with private label customers, from innovation to packaging changes, ensuring seamless execution and customer satisfaction.
• Collaborate with category teams to drive category growth through the 4 P's, ensuring our budget and forecast are accurate to drive our always-in-stock position and category growth.
• Develops, runs and communicates weekly/monthly sales performance dashboards/scorecards.
• Champion data-driven decision-making, gathering and synthesizing insights that fuel smarter strategies and stronger customer relationships.
• Proactively manage customer communications, ensuring responsiveness, professionalism, and a relentless commitment to service excellence.
  
  

What You Will Bring

• Supervisory Responsibilities:
• None
• Minimum Qualifications:
• Bachelor's degree in business administration, marketing, or related field
• Preferred Qualifications:
• Minimum 3 to 5 years of experience managing large national accounts as an Account Manager, or have worked at a retailer in product or category management
• Bilingual - Fluent in English and French
• Knowledge and Skills:
• Strong knowledge of food processing and packaging, international business, and quality systems
• Experience with private label products is required.
• Experience with category management and or marketing is preferred.
• Experience with the food service industry would be a significant asset.
• Superior verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong commercial acumen with a passion for building long-term partnerships.
• Proven track record of business development
• Proven track record of disruptive customer and/or category collaboration
• Demonstrably high-caliber analytical ability and presentation skills
• Comfortable in taking calculated risks
• Excellent interpersonal and negotiation skills.
• Confident and driven to bring in new business.
• Experience with project management tools and software.
  
  

Additional Considerations

• Traveling will be required; 10-15% of the time.
  
  

Job Posted by ApplicantPro