New Business Development Manager - Grand Valley, MN

Hood Container Corporation; Fort Snelling Unorganized Territory (MN); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Hood Container Corporation seeks a Business Development/Key Account Manager to represent Hood Container at General Mills, managing a dedicated set of fulfillment operations. Located in Golden Valley, MN, this role requires 20% remote work within MN and 80% in-office at General Mills HQ, with ~15% travel.

The ideal candidate is self-driven, independent, and an economical thinker with proven account management experience in manufacturing.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 5+ years of B2B sales or related experience strongly preferred.
• Proven success in any relevant sales or account manager position within manufacturing industry.
• Personal accountability and growth mindset.
• Effective negotiation and persuasion skills.
• Demonstration of dynamic communication and interpersonal skills, able to work with all types of personalities.
• Adaptability is key in an environment that can be ambiguous and uncertain.
• Go-getter, self-starter, and team player.
• General high level of enthusiasm, creative, and innovative ability.

Responsibilities

• Maintain a high level of customer service and strengthen the Hood Container–General Mills relationship.
• Serve as the primary Hood Container representative for customer meetings and planning.
• Keep plant managers and regional leadership informed on requests, events, and initiatives.
• Communicate safety, quality, and productivity efforts and flag service risks.
• Ensure on-time completion of customer deadlines and requests.
• Lead monthly scorecard meetings and report milestones and variances.
• Update leadership on initiatives, cost updates, and opportunities.
• Identify and resolve tolling and billing inconsistencies.
• Develop cost-reduction strategies with plant leadership to sustain savings pipelines.
• Support development of future strategic initiatives and capital ideas with the customer's tools.

Skills

B2B sales

Account management

Manufacturing experience

Negotiation

Communication

Self-motivated

Job description

Hood Container is looking for an Business Development/Key Account Manager to serve as the customer-facing representative for Hood Container's three (3) fulfillment operations, located within the customer's distribution centers. This is a dedicated role, servicing the General Mills account. The ideal candidate will be self-driven, highly independent and economic thinker with proven account management experience.

Location: Golden Valley, MN currently requires 20% remote in MN / 80% in-office (Monday through Thursday) presence at General Mills' world headquarters.

Travel: Currently requires approximately 15% travel (with overnights)

How You Will Contribute

• Maintain a high level of customer service and work to maintain the strong relationship between Hood Container & General Mills (GMI)
• Serve as the primary representative for Hood Container operations on all customer daily, weekly, & monthly recurring meetings
• Ensure Hood Container Plant Managers & Regional Manager are informed and up-to-speed on all customer requests, events, initiatives, projections, etc
• Keep customer informed of all Hood Container safety, quality, & productivity efforts and communicate any service risks
• Ensure all customer deadlines and requests are fulfilled on-time
• Lead monthly scorecard meetings and track/report milestones, accomplishments, and variances
• Update customers leadership on key initiatives, cost updates, and operational opportunities
• Identify and lead resolution of tolling & billing inconsistencies
• Identify and implement strategies for a 5% reduction in Costs of Goods Sold each year. Work directly with Hood's Plant Managers to develop process improvements, automation opportunities, and to maintain a cost-savings pipeline
• Assist in the development of future strategic initiatives
• Initiate capital ideas using customers processes and tools including the customers IRR calculator
• Work with Hood Container operations leadership to ensure that Hood fulfillment locations are strategically aligned, appropriately resourced, and operationally ready

Cost and Service Predictability

• With support of the Hood Operations team, work with the Business Account Manager on the annual contract review and other preparation for the new fiscal year
• Represent monthly performance: lead scorecard calls, trigger and lead action plan.
• Identify risks to budgets and lead proactive countermeasures if trending unfavorably.
• Investigate anomalies & variances prior to the scorecard meetings to the degree possible.
• Work proactively with Hood's fulfillment locations to anticipate needs for overtime and/or labor incentives, balancing the need to meet on-time deliveries with minimizing costs

What It Takes

• Minimum of 5+years of B2B sales or related experience strongly preferred
• Proven Success in any relevant sales or account manager position within manufacturing industry
• Personal accountability and growth mindset.
• Effective negotiation and persuasion skills.
• Demonstration of dynamic communication and interpersonal skills, able to work with all types of personalities.
• Adaptability is key as you will need to navigate and demonstrate flexibility in an environment that can be ambiguous and uncertain.
• Go-getter, self-starter, and team player.
• General high level of enthusiasm, creative, and innovative ability.

Why You'll Love Working at Hood Container

• Career Growth: Ongoing training and advancement opportunities.
• Team-Oriented Culture: Your expertise is respected and valued.
• Stable, Growing Industry: Nationwide leader in corrugated packaging manufacturing.

To learn more about Hood Container Corporation, visit www.hoodcontainer.com or check us out on social media!