National Account Manager - Target

Heartland Food Products Group; Minneapolis (MN); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Heartland Food Products Group is seeking a National Account Manager to lead our relationship with Target in the Minneapolis area. You will own strategic leadership for Target, managing budgets, promotions, and joint business planning with strong collaboration across merchandising teams.

You will drive category growth, negotiate assortments and pricing, and coach a direct report while embedding Heartland’s values and growth mindset into every initiative.

Qualifications

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

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary sales lead and relationship owner for Target.
• Develop and execute Joint Business Plans with Target.
• Lead assortment, pricing, merchandising, and promotional strategies.
• Champion innovation and new item launches with Target alignment.
• Own volume, trade spend, and profitability targets for Target.
• Lead promotional planning, display strategy, and in-store/online execution.
• Provide accurate forecasting and demand inputs for high service levels.

Skills

CPG sales

Target account leadership

Target merchandising relationships

Grocery retail knowledge

Trade management

People leadership

Job description

Heartland Food Products Group is seeking a National Account Manager (NAM) to lead our business with Target, 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 Minneapolis, MN, and includes leadership responsibility for one direct report (Key Account Manager).

What You’ll Do

Own Strategic Customer Leadership

• Serve as the primary sales lead and relationship owner for Target
• 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 Target
• 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

• Directly manage and coach one Key Account Manager
• 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 Target 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 Target required
• Established relationships with Target 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