Key Account Manager - Grocery

Blue Buffalo Canada Ltd; Toronto; On-site; CAD 71,000 - 107,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

Total rewards package

Time off programs

Annual incentive program

Job summary

General Mills is seeking a Key Account Manager to lead our Canadian grocery business, focusing on the Loblaws relationship with additional Metro responsibilities. You will build trusted buyer relationships, manage trade plans and budgets, and drive data-driven growth across channels.

You will collaborate with Brand, Shopper Marketing, Supply Chain, Sales Operations, Forecasting, and cross-functional teams to meet customer needs and deliver sustainable results.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of CPG account management or customer development experience.
• Experience managing grocery/retail CPG customers and delivering results through customer relationships.
• Experience with LDIA, Nielsen, or comparable data sources.
• Ability to analyze customer and sales data, draw meaningful insights, and translate into actions.
• Strong planning, organization, communication, negotiation and follow-through skills.
• Proactive, results-oriented, able to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to work effectively in a team and communicate with stakeholders at all levels.
• Strong Excel and PowerPoint skills; comfortable with customer systems and processes.
• Willingness to travel ~10% overnight; ability to lift up to 30 pounds.
• French and English bilingual capability.

Responsibilities

• Own day-to-day relationships with Loblaws and Metro, lead meetings and present results, opportunities, priorities, and action plans.
• Lead annual joint business planning and merchandising plans by connecting customer priorities, analytics, and negotiations.
• Identify opportunities to expand distribution or routes to market.
• Lead event execution from opportunity to final review, including sell-in and POS.
• Plan, manage, and track promotional events and trade spend within budgets.
• Analyze customer data, POS results, Nielsen insights, and translate into recommendations for assortment and promotions.
• Develop and maintain relationships across customer departments and internal teams.
• Present innovative solutions, product opportunities, and rollout plans to meet customer needs.
• Identify process improvements and promotional efficiencies.

Skills

CPG account mgmt

Grocery/retail accounts

Nielsen/LDIA data

Data analysis

Planning & negotiation

Travel flexible

Team collaboration

Excel & PowerPoint

Physical ability (lift 30 lbs)

French & English bilingual

Tools

Excel

PowerPoint

Job description

COMPANY OVERVIEW We exist to make food the world loves.

But we do more than that.

Our company is a place that prioritizes being a force for good, a place to expand learning, explore new perspectives and reimagine new possibilities, every day.

We look for people who want to bring their best - bold thinkers with big hearts who challenge one another and grow together.

Because becoming the undisputed leader in food means surrounding ourselves with people who are hungry for what's next.

About the Role As Key Account Manager, you'll help lead Pet's Canadian grocery business, with primary responsibility for the Loblaws relationship and additional responsibility for Metro banners.

You'll build trusted relationships with buyers and supply chain partners, manage the business with a customer-first mindset, and identify opportunities to expand distribution and other routes to market.

This role combines customer relationship leadership, commercial planning, trade and budget management, and data-driven problem solving.

You'll work closely with internal partners across Brand, Shopper Marketing, Supply Chain, Sales Operations, Forecasting, and other teams to create plans that meet customer needs and deliver sustainable business results.

What You'll Do

• Own day-to-day customer relationships with Loblaws and Metro, lead regular customer meetings, and present results, opportunities, priorities, and action plans.
• Lead annual joint business planning and merchandising plans by connecting customer priorities, analytics, shopper insights, trade strategies, negotiations, and growth priorities.
• Identify opportunities to expand distribution or routes to market.
• Lead event execution from initial opportunity through final review, including sell-in, participating items, consumer and customer offers, point-of-sale execution, retail feedback, and required account materials.
• Plan, manage, and track promotional events and trade spend within customer budgets, using results to inform future investment decisions.
• Analyze customer data, POS results, Nielsen insights, sales trends, and financial information, translating insights into clear recommendations for assortment, promotion, distribution, customer conversations, and internal decision making.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships across customer departments and internal cross‑functional teams, including Brand, Shopper Marketing, Supply Chain, Sales Operations, Forecasting, and the broader Food, Drug, and Mass team.
• Present innovative solutions, product opportunities, and rollout plans in a timely way that meets customer needs.
• Identify process improvements and promotional efficiencies that make it easier to execute and grow the business.

Minimum Qualifications

• 3+ years of consumer-packaged goods (CPG) account management or customer development experience.
• Experience managing grocery, retail, or other CPG customers and delivering results through customer relationships.
• Experience with LDIA, Nielsen, or comparable customer and syndicated data sources.
• Ability to analyze customer and sales data, draw meaningful insights, and translate those insights into actions and results.
• Strong planning, organization, communication, negotiation, and follow‑through skills.
• A proactive, results-oriented approach and the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, growing business.
• Ability to work effectively in a team environment and communicate with stakeholders at all levels of the organization.
• Strong Excel and PowerPoint skills, along with comfort working with customer systems and business processes.
• Ability to travel occasionally, including approximately 10% overnight travel and some weekend work.
• Ability to lift up to 30 pounds.

Preferred Qualifications

• A passion for pets and genuine interest in helping pet parents and their animals.
• Pet industry experience.
• Experience managing Loblaws and/or Metro business in CPG.
• French and English bilingual capability.
• Ability to thrive in a virtual and cross‑functional team setting while building strong in‑person customer relationships.

International relocation or international remote working arrangements (outside of the US) will not be considered.

Applicants for this position must be currently authorized to work in Canada on a full‑time basis.

General Mills will not sponsor applicants for this position for work visas.

The posting for this position is to fill an existing vacancy within the organization.

The salary range for this position is $71,300-$107,150 / Annually.

At General Mills we strive for each employee's pay at any point in their career to reflect their experiences, performance, and skills for their current role.

The salary range for this position is $71,300-$107,150 / Annually.

Beyond base salary, General Mills offers a competitive Total Rewards package focusing on your overall well-being.

We are proud to offer a foundation of health benefits, financial wellbeing, time off programs, wellbeing support and perks.

You may also be eligible to participate in an annual incentive program.

An incentive award, if any, depends on various factors, including, individual and organizational performance.

SALARY RANGE

The salary range for this position is: $71,300 - $107,200 Annual

At General Mills we strive for each employee's pay at any point in their career to reflect their experiences, performance, and skills for their current role.

The salary range for this role represents the numerous factors considered in the hiring decisions including, but not limited to expertise, skills, and relevant work experience.

As such, pay for the successful candidate(s) could fall anywhere within the stated range.

Beyond base salary, General Mills offers a competitive and comprehensive benefits package.

ELIGIBILITY

Applicants must meet minimum age qualifications in the country in which the job is located.

New possibilities.

Bold thinking.

Real heart

Build remarkable brands with remarkable people.

At General Mills, we make food the world loves.

Across 100+ markets, we come together to create, innovate and grow.

Here, you'll do meaningful work and help to lead the future of food at a company that stands for good.