Customer Team Lead- Kroger

utzexternalcareer1; United States; On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical benefits

401k match

Profit sharing

Employee stock purchase plan

Job summary

Utz Brands is seeking a strategic Kroger Customer Team Lead to shape our Kroger partnership and drive profitable growth across the Utz portfolio. You will lead customer strategy across a complex multi-banner business and guide a sales team to deliver strong results.

You’ll build trusted partnerships with Kroger decision makers, coach a high-performing team, and bring customer, shopper, category, and financial insights together to create winning plans for Utz and our retail partners.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of progressive sales experience in consumer packaged goods with complex or multi-banner retail customers.
• Experience leading or influencing customer sales teams and delivering results through others.
• Strong business acumen with experience managing customer P&Ls, trade spend, revenue goals and promotional strategy.
• Proficiency with syndicated data and financial measures to build selling stories and customer strategies.

Responsibilities

• Lead the customer sales strategy for Kroger’s multi-banner business, aligning plans with Utz priorities and growth opportunities.
• Build strategic relationships with customer decision makers and present insight-led selling stories during reviews and negotiations.
• Drive profitable sales, distribution, merchandising, and trade investments across banners and brands.
• Own customer P&L performance, revenue goals, and investment strategies with Finance and Revenue Growth Management.
• Coach and develop Account Executives to deliver objectives and strengthen execution.
• Partner cross-functionally with Marketing, Sales Ops, Finance, and Supply Chain to deliver customer solutions.
• Monitor marketplace trends and opportunities to keep plans agile and growth-focused.

Skills

Sales leadership

Strategic thinking

Coaching & development

Cross-functional collaboration

Negotiation

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Business or related field

Tools

Excel

PowerPoint

Word

Outlook

IRI/Nielsen or similar tools

Job description

Utz Brands is looking for a strategic, results-driven Kroger Customer Team Lead to help shape the future of snacking with one of our most important retail partners. In this high-impact role, you’ll lead customer strategy across a complex multi-banner business, build trusted partnerships with key Kroger decision makers, and guide a talented sales team to deliver profitable growth across the Utz portfolio.

This is more than an account leadership role—it’s an opportunity to influence strategy, coach and develop a high-performing team, and bring customer, shopper, category, and financial insights together to create winning plans for both Utz and our retail partners.

What You’ll Do

• Lead the customer sales strategy for Kroger’s multi-banner business, aligning customer plans with Utz enterprise priorities, brand goals, and category growth opportunities.
• Build strong, strategic relationships with customer decision makers and bring insight-led selling stories to life through business reviews, negotiations, and joint planning.
• Drive profitable sales, share, distribution, merchandising, promotional, and trade investment results across assigned banners and brands.
• Own customer P&L performance, revenue goals, spending effectiveness, and investment strategies in partnership with Finance and Revenue Growth Management.
• Coach, align, and develop Account Executives and Sr. Key Account Executives to deliver business objectives, strengthen customer execution, and support talent growth.
• Partner cross-functionally with Marketing, Shopper Marketing, Sales Operations, Category Insights, Finance, Supply Chain, R&D, Manufacturing, and Logistics to deliver customer solutions.
• Monitor marketplace trends, competitive activity, promotional performance, and customer opportunities to keep plans agile and growth-focused.

What You’ll Bring

We’re looking for a collaborative sales leader who can think strategically, lead through complexity, and turn insights into action.

• 7+ years of progressive sales experience in consumer packaged goods, including direct customer account responsibility with complex or multi-banner retail customers.
• Experience leading, coaching, or influencing customer sales teams, with the ability to align people around shared goals and deliver results through others.
• Strong business acumen with experience managing customer P&Ls, trade spend, revenue goals, promotional strategy, and investment effectiveness.
• Proficiency using syndicated data, shopper insights, customer scorecards, and financial measures to build selling stories and customer strategies.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, analytical, problem-solving, relationship-building, and cross-functional collaboration skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, Word, and Outlook; experience with IRI/Nielsen or similar customer/category tools preferred.
• Bachelor’s degree in Business or a related field preferred; valid driver’s license and ability to travel up to 50% within the U.S. required.

Our Recruitment Process

• Easy Application (5 mins): Introduce yourself and answer a few key questions to get started.
• Engaging Chat Interview (20-25 mins): Share your experience in an online chat and highlight how your values align with ours.
• Live Interview: Selected candidates will meet with the hiring team to explore alignment with the role, team, and Utz culture.

Continuously Pursuing Excellence!

Here at Utz, we have a passion forexciting and delighting consumers with delicious snack foods made fromhigh qualityingredients.After over a centurywith a strong family heritage,ourdiverse portfolioof brands includes Utz, Zapp’s, Boulder Canyon, and On the Border.Our associatesare the reason for the success of this company, so it is important weprovide a supportive,caringand inclusive environment that offers opportunities for career growth and advancement.We alsohelp take care of our associates by providing benefits, resources, and programs that ensure they live their healthiest lives.

• Ourfull-timebenefit package includes medical, dental, and vision plans, an employer match 401k, profit sharing plan, employee stock purchaseplanand much more.

Joinour world class teamand help us become the fastest growing pure-play U.S. snacking company of scale!

Equal Opportunity Employer.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.