Key Account Manager - OFI
Chicago, IL 60602
About the Job
Description
We are a global leader in food & beverage ingredients. Pioneers at heart, we operate at the forefront of consumer trends to provide food & beverage manufacturers with products and ingredients that will delight their consumers. Making a positive impact on people and planet is all part of the delight. With a deep-rooted presence in the countries where our ingredients are grown, we are closer to farmers, enabling better quality, and more reliable, traceable and transparent supply. Supplying products and ingredients at scale is just the start. We add value through our unique, complementary portfolio of natural, delicious and nutritious products. With our fresh thinking, we help our customers unleash the sensory and functional attributes of cocoa, coffee, dairy, nuts and spices so they can create naturally good food & beverage products that meet consumer expectations. And whoever we’re with, whatever we’re doing, we always make it real.
Position Summary
The Key Account Manager is at the heart of ofi’s purpose to “Be the Change for Good Food and a Healthy Future.” The Key Account Manager will be a significant contributor to ofi’s growth strategy, establishing and executing business and sales strategies for specific ambition accounts that drive growth across the entire product portfolio. This role is responsible for driving business growth, drawing on the knowledge and expertise of internal cross-functional and product-platform teams to provide a broader range of product and ingredient solutions for the customers that are unique and differentiated. This role will have a matrixed reporting structure, reporting on a dotted-line basis into the Head of North America Sales for the ambition accounts, and on a solid-line into the Head of Sales for a specific product-platform.
The ideal candidate for this position will be business-minded with a curiosity to learn about new products and explore the needs of the customers that contribute to long-term, profitable growth for the company. They will have demonstrated the ability to lead contract negotiations and guide the sales process, collaborating with internal stakeholders on critical projects to optimize ofi’s product portfolio, innovation, customer service, and supply chain. A successful candidate will have exceptional interpersonal and influencing skills to align key stakeholder groups and build impactful partnerships that help us deliver value and build long-lasting customer relationships.
Position Responsibilities
- Evaluate industry, market, category, channel, and customer trends to understand and articulate market and customer opportunities.
- Develop and execute account strategies, plans, and forecasts for assigned accounts; incorporate business strategies that reflect the entire product portfolio.
- Explore customers’ needs and opportunities, encouraging experimentation with the entire portfolio and seizing opportunities that result in unique and differentiated solutions.
- Develop long-term partnerships with targeted accounts that result in increased sales and margins, and value for the broader business portfolio.
- Initiate and lead contract negotiations with assigned key accounts to grow sales volume and margins while expanding ingredient solutions and distribution.
- Work with cross-functional and product-platform teams to ensure alignment of sales strategy and product offerings with technical and operational capabilities.
- Guide the sales process, articulating a path forward for customers with support from internal stakeholders, considering internal capabilities, constraints, competitive circumstances, and strategic priorities.
- Work closely with logistics and support teams to ensure excellence in contract execution and working capital management.
- Engage internal cross-functional and product-platform teams to execute business plans, resolve issues, and deliver solutions that meet or exceed customer needs and drive profitable growth.
- Collaborate with Innovation and R&D on SIM projects and customer-driven solutions and engage internal stakeholders to understand current capabilities required to deliver.
- Establish regular cadence of communications with internal stakeholder groups, reviewing progress and adjusting plans as needed.
- Balance key account responsibilities for ambition accounts with assigned product-platform accounts.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
Position Requirements
- Bachelor's degree is required, masters preferred.
- Five (5) years of major account spice selling experience required. Candidates substituting experience in lieu of degree, require ten (10) years prior experience in major account spice selling experience.
- Previous account management experience with headquarters of large CPG, foodservice or related industry. National account experience, private label sales or food CPG experience.
- Strategic thinking and business acumen: ability to develop and deliver a strategic account plan designed to achieve profitable growth in both business and sales objectives. Excellent analytical skills.
- Extensive spice ingredient product knowledge: ability to understand and translate ingredient portfolio features to targeted customer value propositions. Lead cross-functional teams to deliver customer solutions addressing the needs of each customer.
- Effective negotiation and problem-solving skills: ability to use appropriate strategies to address areas of concern, explore alternatives and reach mutually beneficial sales agreements that gain customer’s commitment to action.
- Impactful communicator: ability to convey information and ideas clearly and succinctly to individuals and groups at various levels, in a variety of situations; deliver high-impact presentations suited to the needs of the audience.
- Building influential relationships: ability to build and foster influential customer and internal stakeholder relationships across boundaries (cultural, organizational, geographical, etc.) that help deliver value and customer commitments.
- Adaptable: maintain effectiveness when experiencing major changes or shifts in direction; adjusts effectively by exploring the benefits, trying new approaches and collaborating with others to make the change successful.
- Ability and willingness to travel up to 40% of the time is required.
- The Chicago area is highly preferred.
Note: This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive. Employee may perform other related duties as negotiated to meet the ongoing needs of the organization.
ofi provides equality of opportunity for all persons with respect to hiring without discrimination on the grounds of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, pregnancy, age, disability, veteran status, or sexual orientation. All employment will be decided on the basis of qualifications, merit and business need. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, you may contact us for support at: US-Talent.Acquisition@ofi.com
At ofi, we celebrate our diversity. Olam Americas LLC is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace.
Source : OFI
