JOB TITLE: Director, National Accounts
COMPANY BACKGROUND: A privately owned specialty manufacturer of frozen food products, primarily sold to food service and institutional customers.
OVERALL OBJECTIVES: The Director of National Accounts will be responsible for driving growth with current and new accounts in the following channels: Foodservice, QSR’s, C-Stores, Private Label co-packing for Retail and Club. Building on a successful track record of growth in these channels, the role will leverage existing relationships with Brokers, Chefs and Distributors to secure new business in these channels and expand our reach with our line of frozen foods.
The Director of National Accounts will report to the President and will directly manage broker relationships. The ability to foster relationships with existing and new customers is vital. The Director, National Accounts will facilitate communication with customers and build long-term relationships to achieve business goals.
MAJOR ISSUES/GOALS New Channel Development
Drive profitable revenue growth of $30MM+ with accurate forecasting and planning by 2027 in the Foodservice, QSRs, C-Stores, Private Label co-packing for Retail and Club channels.
Extend our sales penetration with major buying groups and distributors
Formulate and implement sales growth strategies for National Accounts. This will concentrate on Chains with 25 units or more. Deliver strong year over year volume growth.
Execute the full customer acquisition and sales execution cycle. Identify New Product Development ideas for customers and work with R&D and Operations, outlining the full opportunity, volumes, timing and information required to execute the deal. Facilitate contract negotiations and specifics of each deal.
Sales Leadership
Drive sales of our products to a diverse group of customers throughout the Food Service Industry and communicate with all levels of our customers from the owners/ Chefs to the buyers’ associates.
Utilize sales tools such as CRM, stage-gated pipeline and performance tracking to determine resource allocations, formal account planning, and utilizing analytics to track performance.
Lead capability/innovation presentations (i.e. PowerPoint decks) in an interactive, highly professional manner to high level positions.
Maintain trade promotional spending based on budget. Develop sales promotions and properly use market funds based on established spending levels.
SPECIFIC EXPERIENCE: 15+ years of sales and marketing experience in the food industry, with most recent experience as a National Accounts Director or Manager, or equivalent sales role. Specific experience selling frozen food products a definite plus.
Demonstrated track record in building profitable sales growth in the required channels (Foodservice, QSRs, C-Stores, and/or Private Label co-packing for Retail and Club) while in a sales leadership role.
Demonstrated experience in developing, implementing and executing sales strategies to drive channel growth with new and existing accounts
In-depth understanding of sales performance metrics with the ability to interpret written, oral, diagram or schedule instructions
Demonstrated experience in negotiating and meeting client’s requirements
Demonstrated sales management experience with the ability to lead and motivate team members
Solid decision-making ability with the ability to work collaboratively across departments to gather data and gain consensus
Strong analytical and computer skills, with hands-on experience with CRM software and MS Office
Financial and business acumen, with the ability to interpret financial data and reporting metrics.
Obsessive attention to detail, well organized and able to juggle many different projects at once
Excellent presentation, verbal, and written communication skills
COMPENSATION RANGE: Commensurate with experience and historical earnings
EDUCATION: BS degree in Sales, Business Administration or relevant field required
LOCATION: Preference for candidates residing in Southern California, Texas, Arizona or Nevada
TRAVEL: Up to 30% travel