National Account Manager, Kroger & Albertsons

ARI (Axcel Recruiting Inc.); Columbus (OH); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading CPG Food Company is seeking an experienced National Account Manager to support their Dry Grocery portfolio. This remote position requires strong leadership and negotiation skills, along with a Bachelor’s degree and 7+ years of experience in the CPG industry. The ideal candidate will manage customer relationships and drive sales objectives with a focus on profitability and market share growth.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in consumer-packaged goods (CPG), sales, or national account management.
• Experience working with Kroger preferred.
• Strong attention to detail and ability to analyze data.

Responsibilities

• Achieve annual sales objectives and profitability through execution of account plans.
• Develop plans to strategically deploy the annual trade fund budget.
• Oversee accuracy of all contracts and data entry processed by brokerage teams.
• Conduct periodic in-store market visits to stay informed of new products.

Skills

Leadership skills

Negotiation skills

Detail-oriented

Strong proficiency in Excel

Education

Bachelor’s Degree

Tools

Excel

PowerPoint

Job description

CPG Food Company is seeking an experienced and highly motivated National Account Manager to support its U.S. branded Dry Grocery portfolio across all Kroger and Albertson’s divisions. In this role, you will be responsible for all associated selling activities while acting as the primary liaison between the Customer and HQ teams. A successful candidate in this position will play a crucial role in strategically achieving target revenue, profit, and market share objectives utilizing an allocated budget. The ideal candidate will possess excellent verbal and written communication skills, strong attention to detail, and the ability to analyze data effectively. This role reports to the Sr. Director of Sales and is a remote position, preferably located near Kroger’s headquarters in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Responsibilities:

• Work to achieve annual sales objectives, volume goals, market share growth, and profitability through the execution of account plans and brand strategies across all Kroger and Albertson’s divisions.
• Develop plans to strategically deploy the annual trade fund budget within assigned trade rates.
• Create best-in-class trade promotion and shopper marketing plans to enhance sales velocities and deliver improved ROIs.
• Evaluate post-promotional activity to identify key learnings and adjust plans as needed to optimize trade spend efficiencies.
• Build and maintain positive business relationships with customer team members, broker partners, and CPG Food Company HQ teams.
• Oversee the accuracy of all contracts and administrative data entry processed by brokerage teams into internal/external portals.
• Assume a lead role in customer business development, contract negotiations, presentations, and sales calls.
• Lead the HQ teams through a joint business partnership process for Kroger’s Kompass & CPI processes and Albertson’s Winning Model programs to align strategies for planogram assortment, pricing, promotion, and shelving decisions.
• Track and monitor monthly outbound shipments and POS consumption sales.
• Communicate sales quota gaps and opportunities along with recommended solutions to the Senior Sales Director and HQ team.
• Manage and develop monthly forecasts for base and promotional volume.
• Review retail pricing to ensure CPG Food Company’s brands are priced in accordance with company objectives. Develop and execute an action plan to adjust pricing where necessary.
• Drive category leadership initiatives through the analysis of Shopper/Circana market data, fostering collaboration with marketing and category management teams to innovate and optimize strategies.
• Conduct periodic in-store market visits to stay informed of new products and selling strategies within the total Dry Grocery Category. Share relevant information with the Sr. Sales Director and HQ teams.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree Required
• 7+ years of experience in consumer-packaged goods (CPG), sales, national account management, category management, and/or trade management
• Previous experience working with Kroger preferred

Preferred Skills:

• Strong leadership skills
• Positive attitude and self-starter
• Excellent negotiation skills
• Detail-oriented and highly organized
• High proficiency in Excel and PowerPoint
• Experience in working with and leveraging syndicated market data and tools (e.g., Circana, Nielsen POS, and panel)
• Sales strategy development
• Category management & analysis
• Trade marketing management
• Joint Business Planning

Travel Requirement:

• Field/travel time: Up to 30%