National Account Manager

Service Foods; Auckland; On-site; NZD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Service Foods is seeking an experienced National Account Manager to drive growth across New Zealand. You will manage national and group accounts from our South Auckland base, with regular travel and a strong focus on retention and new business opportunities.

This permanent, full-time role requires office-based collaboration, strong negotiation skills, and a passion for foodservice. A NZ driver licence and Salesforce experience are essential.

Qualifications

• Proven success in Account Management, Business Development, FMCG, Foodservice, or B2B sales.
• Tertiary qualification in Business, Commerce, Hospitality or related discipline preferred.
• Strong commercial acumen and negotiation skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Outstanding presentation and relationship-building abilities.
• Experience using Salesforce or similar CRM platforms.
• A full, clean New Zealand Driver Licence.

Responsibilities

• Manage and grow a portfolio of national and group accounts, achieving agreed sales, gross profit, and retention targets.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with key customers and stakeholders at all levels.
• Prepare and deliver professional business reviews, account plans, and customer growth strategies.
• Identify and convert opportunities within existing accounts, including category growth and margin improvement initiatives.
• Lead contract renewals, pricing reviews, and commercial negotiations in line with company processes.
• Build and maintain a healthy pipeline of new business opportunities through prospecting, networking, referrals, and industry engagement.
• Manage the full sales cycle from opportunity identification through to proposal, negotiation, onboarding, and implementation.
• Collaborate closely with branch teams and support functions to ensure consistent customer service and successful execution of national agreements.
• Maintain accurate customer, opportunity, and activity records in Salesforce and provide timely reporting, forecasts, and sales insights.
• Monitor account performance, proactively resolve customer issues, and identify opportunities for continuous improvement.
• Represent Service Foods at customer meetings, tastings, trade shows, industry events, and networking functions.
• Contribute to a customer-first culture by working collaboratively across the business to deliver exceptional outcomes for our customers.

Skills

Account Management

Business Development

FMCG

Foodservice

B2B sales

Verbal and written communication

Negotiation

Relationship building

Forecasting and analytics

Stakeholder engagement

Education

Tertiary qualification in Business/Commerce/Hospitality or related discipline

Tools

Salesforce

Job description

We are seeking an experienced, commercially driven National Account Manager to join our National Sales team.

This role offers the opportunity to manage key national accounts, grow existing business, and secure new opportunities across New Zealand. If you're passionate about food, enjoy working with people, and thrive in a fast-paced sales environment, we would love to hear from you.

About The Role

• Location: Ihumātao Road, South Auckland
• Reporting to: National Sales Manager
• Hours: Monday to Friday, 08:30 am - 05:00 pm
• Employment Type: Permanent, Full-Time
• Start Date: Immediate start available

Reporting to the National Sales Manager, you will be responsible for retaining, growing, and developing a portfolio of national and group accounts while identifying and securing new business opportunities.

This is a full-time, office-based role located at our National Support office and is an integral part of our National Sales team. Regular in-office attendance is essential to support collaboration, team cohesion, knowledge sharing, customer responsiveness, and overall business performance. While flexibility may be considered for occasional exceptional circumstances, the expectation is that this role is performed from the office on a full-time basis.

Flexibility is essential, as business and customer requirements may extend beyond standard working hours. This may include early starts, evening meetings, customer functions, tastings, trade shows, industry events, and occasional weekend work.

The role involves regular travel throughout Auckland and New Zealand to meet customers, conduct business reviews, attend industry events, and develop new business opportunities. Occasional overnight travel will be required.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage and grow a portfolio of national and group accounts, achieving agreed sales, gross profit, and retention targets.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with key customers and stakeholders at all levels.
• Prepare and deliver professional business reviews, account plans, and customer growth strategies.
• Identify and convert opportunities within existing accounts, including category growth and margin improvement initiatives.
• Lead contract renewals, pricing reviews, and commercial negotiations in line with company processes.
• Build and maintain a healthy pipeline of new business opportunities through prospecting, networking, referrals, and industry engagement.
• Manage the full sales cycle from opportunity identification through to proposal, negotiation, onboarding, and implementation.
• Collaborate closely with branch teams and support functions to ensure consistent customer service and successful execution of national agreements.
• Maintain accurate customer, opportunity, and activity records in Salesforce and provide timely reporting, forecasts, and sales insights.
• Monitor account performance, proactively resolve customer issues, and identify opportunities for continuous improvement.
• Represent Service Foods at customer meetings, tastings, trade shows, industry events, and networking functions.
• Contribute to a customer-first culture by working collaboratively across the business to deliver exceptional outcomes for our customers.

Key Measures of Success

• Portfolio sales and gross profit growth.
• New business acquisition and implementation.
• Customer retention and account development.
• Strong pipeline management and sales activity.
• Excellent customer service outcomes.
• Accurate Salesforce and reporting discipline.

About You

To succeed in this role, you will bring:

• Proven success in Account Management, Business Development, FMCG, Foodservice, or B2B sales.
• Tertiary qualification in Business, Commerce, Hospitality or a related discipline preferred.
• Strong commercial acumen and negotiation skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Outstanding presentation and relationship-building abilities.
• Confidence engaging with stakeholders at all levels.
• Strong reporting, forecasting, and analytical skills.
• Experience using Salesforce or similar CRM platforms.
• A customer-first approach with a genuine commitment to delivering exceptional service.
• An understanding and appreciation of diverse customer cultures, backgrounds, and business needs.
• The ability to work collaboratively within a team while achieving individual results.
• Strong organisational and time management skills.
• A professional personal presentation and dress standard appropriate for customer-facing interactions.
• Passion for food, hospitality, and the foodservice industry.
• A proactive, resilient, and results-driven attitude.
• A full, clean New Zealand Driver Licence.

About Us

Service Foods commenced its operations in Christchurch as a modest grocer in 1983. Today, we proudly stand as one of New Zealand’s premier privately-owned and family-operated food service distribution enterprises. Our extensive range encompasses Produce, Butchery, Seafood, and Essentials, catering to diverse clientele.

We serve a broad spectrum of establishments nationwide, including Cafes, Restaurants, Hotels, Rest Homes, QSRs, Manufacturers, Retailers, Distributors, cruise ships, and exporters. Our network includes direct imports of over 4,000 items from more than 20 countries, complemented by over 8,000 locally sourced products. Our ambition is simple and stated openly: to build the best sales team in New Zealand.

Why Join us?

• Join one of New Zealand's leading foodservice businesses.
• Work with a diverse portfolio of national customers.
• Be part of a collaborative, high-performing National Sales team.
• Opportunity to make a real impact on business growth.
• Build meaningful customer partnerships across New Zealand.
• Work in an industry you're passionate about.
• Competitive remuneration and career development opportunities.

If you're passionate about food, enjoy building lasting customer relationships, and have a track record of growing business, we'd love to hear from you.

We are passionate about providing exceptional products, service, and solutions to our customers and are committed to building the best sales team in New Zealand.