National Account Manager – Meijer

Heartland Food Products Group; Grand Rapids (MI); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Heartland Food Products Group is seeking a National Account Manager to lead our Meijer partnership from Grand Rapids, MI. You will own the relationship, craft Joint Business Plans, and drive growth with merchandising and category teams.

Ideal candidates have 7+ years in CPG sales, direct Meijer experience, and a proven track record of profitable growth, with strong leadership and collaboration across marketing, operations, and finance.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of CPG sales or customer leadership experience.
• Direct experience calling on Meijer is required.
• Established relationships with Meijer merchandising teams.
• Strong understanding of grocery retail, trade management, and category management.
• Proven track record of delivering profitable growth.
• Prior people management experience or demonstrated readiness to lead.

Responsibilities

• Own the primary sales lead and relationship for Meijer.
• Build and deepen partnerships with merchandising teams to drive mutual growth.
• Represent Heartland’s brand portfolio with confidence and credibility.
• Develop and execute annual Joint Business Plans aligned to growth, profitability, and brand-building priorities.
• Lead assortment, pricing, merchandising, and promotional strategies that expand distribution.
• Champion innovation and new item launches with strong customer alignment and execution.
• Own volume, trade spend, and profitability targets for Meijer.
• Lead promotional planning, display strategy, and in-store/online execution with merchandising teams.
• Provide accurate forecasting and demand inputs to support high service levels and efficient inventory management.
• Use syndicated data and customer insights to identify category opportunities and support fact-based selling.
• Partner with customer merchandising teams to improve shelf placement, promotional ROI, and execution quality.
• Translate data into clear, compelling stories that support brand and category growth.
• Set clear priorities, provide ongoing feedback, and support professional development.

Skills

CPG sales

Meijer account management

Retail partnerships

Sales leadership

Tools

Syndicated data analysis

Job description

Heartland Food Products Group is seeking a National Account Manager (NAM) to lead our business with Meijer, oneof Heartland’s most strategic retail partners. This role is ideal for a proven CPG sales leader with direct experience calling on this account, established relationships with merchandising teams, and a passion for building brands through strong retailer collaboration.

This position is based in Grand Rapids, MI.

What You’ll Do

Own Strategic Customer Leadership

• Serve as the primary sales lead and relationship owner for Meijer
• Build and deepen partnerships with merchandising teams to drive mutual growth
• Represent Heartland’s brand portfolio with confidence, credibility, and a growth mindset

Drive Growth Across Heartland’s Brand Portfolio

• Develop and execute annual Joint Business Plans aligned to Heartland’s growth, profitability, and brand-building priorities
• Lead assortment, pricing, merchandising, and promotional strategies that expand distribution and household penetration
• Champion innovation and new item launches, ensuring strong customer alignment and flawless execution

Deliver Results Through Best-in-Class Execution

• Own volume, trade spend, and profitability targets for Meijer
• Lead promotional planning, display strategy, and in-store/online execution in partnership with merchandising teams
• Provide accurate forecasting and demand inputs to support high service levels and efficient inventory management

Leverage Insights to Win at Shelf

• Use syndicated data (Circana/IRI, Nielsen) and customer insights to identify category opportunities and support fact-based selling
• Partner with customer merchandising teams to improve shelf placement, promotional ROI, and execution quality
• Translate data into clear, compelling stories that support brand and category growth

Lead and Develop Talent

• Set clear priorities, provide ongoing feedback, and support professional development
• Lead with Heartland’s values and foster a high-performance, collaborative team culture

Collaborate Cross-Functionally

• Act as the voice of Meijer internally, aligning marketing, R&D, supply chain, finance, and operations
• Partner closely with marketing and category management to deliver customer-relevant brand strategies

What You Bring

Required Qualifications

• 7+ years of CPG sales or customer leadership experience
• Direct experience calling on Meijer required
• Established relationships with Meijer merchandising teams
• Strong understanding of grocery retail, trade management, and category management
• Proven track record of delivering profitable growth
• Prior people management experience or demonstrated readiness to lead

Preferred Experience

• Experience managing branded food or beverage portfolios
• Strong analytical and financial acumen
• Comfort working in a fast-paced, growth-oriented, matrixed organization