National Account Manager – Grocery Retail (CPG)

Lucas James Talent Partners; United States; Remote; USD 130,000 - 145,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

20-30% performance-based bonus

Fully remote work

Job summary

A leading specialty foods distributor seeks a National Account Manager to support its expansion into national retail grocery. This fully remote position focuses on driving new item authorizations, building relationships with major retailers like Kroger, and executing strategic retail growth initiatives. Ideal candidates will have experience in the CPG sector, particularly with large grocery accounts, and will be comfortable with up to 75% travel. Join a company poised for growth in the specialty food market!

Qualifications

• Experience selling into large grocery retailers like Kroger.
• Demonstrated success securing new item authorizations.
• Strong understanding of retail pricing, promotions, and merchandising strategies.

Responsibilities

• Identify and secure new product placements across targeted national retail accounts.
• Develop data-driven product pitches to retail buyers.
• Manage the Kroger relationship and expand product placements.

Skills

Relationship-building skills

Strategic mindset

Strong execution

Solutions-oriented problem solving

Job description

Location: Remote (U.S.) – Preference for Central or Western United States

Reports to: Director of Sales

Compensation: $130,000 – $145,000 base + 20–30% bonus

Lucas James Talent Partners is partnering with Forever Cheese to identify a National Account Manager to support the company’s expansion into national retail grocery.

About Forever Cheese

Forever Cheese is a leading importer, manufacturer, and distributor of premium specialty foods in the United States. For more than 25 years, the company has built a strong reputation for bringing exceptional cheeses and specialty foods from around the world to American consumers.

As the business continues to evolve, Forever Cheese is expanding beyond its legacy import and specialty distribution roots into branded specialty foods and value-added offerings built for national retail grocery. This next chapter represents a significant growth opportunity as the company looks to scale its brands across major U.S. retailers.

To support that growth, Forever Cheese is seeking an experienced commercial leader who understands how to build retail partnerships, win new placements, and grow business within large grocery organizations.

Position Overview

Forever Cheese is seeking a National Account Manager – Grocery Retail (CPG) to drive expansion across major national retail customers.

This is a high-impact individual contributor role focused on growth, not maintenance. The position is designed for someone who has successfully sold into large grocery retailers and understands how to navigate complex category management environments.

The primary focus of the role is securing new item authorizations, expanding distribution, and building relationships with key retail buyers, while also managing and growing an existing partnership with Kroger.

This person will play a key role in helping Forever Cheese establish and scale its national retail sales strategy.

Key Responsibilities

• Identify and secure new product placements across targeted national retail accounts
• Develop and deliver compelling, data-driven product pitches to retail buyers
• Navigate category review cycles and retailer buying processes
• Expand distribution within existing retail relationships

Own and Grow the Kroger Account

• Serve as the primary commercial owner for the Kroger relationship
• Manage both direct business and distributor-based placements
• Navigate Kroger’s complex banner structure and decentralized decision-making environment
• Identify opportunities to expand product placements across banners and divisions

Build Strategic Retail Relationships

• Develop relationships with category managers, merchandisers, and key retail decision-makers
• Understand internal retailer structures and decision-making processes
• Serve as the primary conduit between the retailer and Forever Cheese

Develop Retail Growth Strategies

• Partner with internal teams to identify new product opportunities aligned with retailer needs
• Support pricing strategy, promotions, and merchandising initiatives
• Contribute to long-term retail growth strategy

Drive Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with marketing and product development on new item launches
• Coordinate with customer support and operations teams to ensure execution
• Help shape internal processes for managing national retail accounts as the business scales

Success in the First 12 Months

Within the first year, the National Account Manager will:

• Establish relationships with key category decision-makers within target retailers
• Map retailer organizational structures and buying processes
• Advance multiple products through retailer sales cycles
• Position at least one product for potential adoption
• Help define the company’s playbook for selling into large grocery organizations

Key Accounts

This role will focus on expanding distribution and building relationships across several strategic national retailers.

Primary Account

• Kroger

Additional Target Accounts

• Publix
• Albertsons / ACI
• Club retailers including Costco, BJ’s Wholesale, and Sam’s Club

Kroger will likely represent a significant portion of the role initially, with opportunities to expand relationships across Kroger’s multiple banners and divisions.

Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate has experience managing national grocery accounts within a CPG environment and understands how to successfully secure new placements with large retailers.

Required Experience

• Experience selling into large grocery retailers such as Kroger, Publix, Albertsons, or Club channels
• Demonstrated success securing new item authorizations
• Experience calling on category management teams and navigating category review processes
• Strong understanding of retail pricing, promotions, and merchandising strategies

Preferred Background

• Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) experience strongly preferred
• Experience with premium or specialty food brands is helpful but not required
• Data-driven sales approach with the ability to support recommendations with analytics

Traits That Drive Success in This Role

• High level of ownership and accountability
• Strong relationship-building skills with retail buyers
• Ability to navigate complex retail organizations
• Strategic mindset paired with strong execution
• Solutions-oriented approach to problem solving
• Bonus: 20–30% of base salary, based on management-by-objective performance metrics
• Fully remote position within the United States
• Preference for candidates located in the Central or Western U.S.

Travel

• Up to 50% travel initially
• Potential to increase to 50–75% travel once the role is fully ramped
• Travel includes in-person retailer meetings and overnight travel

Why Join Forever Cheese

This role offers the opportunity to help shape the next phase of Forever Cheese’s growth as the company expands into national retail grocery.

The National Account Manager will have the chance to:

• Play a key role in building the company’s national retail presence
• Work directly with senior leadership on retail growth strategy
• Influence how the company approaches large retail partnerships going forward

If you are energized by building from the ground up, winning new placements, and helping a growing specialty food company expand across national retail, this is a rare opportunity to make a real mark. We’d love to connect.