Key Account Manager - Advantage Solutions

Key Account Manager

As a Key Account Manager, you will play a pivotal role in overseeing and optimizing the strategic aspects of our sales process. Your primary responsibilities will include building and nurturing client and customer relationships, drawing on your customer expertise to deliver valuable insights and recommendations tailored to their specific needs. You will take ownership of the annual planning processes, collaborating closely with clients to set goals and objectives that align with both their business objectives and industry trends.

In this role, you will actively identify new business opportunities by staying abreast of market trends, leveraging data-driven insights, and fostering deep understanding of client needs. You will advocate for and secure favorable plans on behalf of our clients, ensuring mutually beneficial agreements with our customers. Furthermore, your role will involve close interaction with category buyers at our customers, where you'll establish and maintain deep relationships to influence product placement and drive successful outcomes for our clients.

Job Will Remain Open Until Filled

The Company is one of North America’s leading sales and marketing agencies specializing in outsourced sales, merchandising, category management, and marketing services to manufacturers, suppliers, and producers of food products and consumer packaged goods. The Company services a variety of trade channels including grocery, mass merchandise, specialty, convenience, drug, dollar, club, hardware, consumer electronics, and home centers. We bridge the gap between manufacturers and retailers, providing consumers access to the best products available in the marketplace today.

Essential Job Duties and Responsibilities
Revenue Budget Achievement

• Strategize, develop, and execute effective sales programs to achieve revenue and market share objectives
• Own client(s) P&L and achieve aligned financial targets for company / client income vs. expense budget goals

Client Relationship Management

• Pursue new strategic growth opportunities at clients by collaborating with the Client Team Leads
• Share market insights for strategic decision making with clients, based on thorough market research, competitor analysis and trends identification
• Lead strategic negotiations on behalf of clients to maximize profitability and maintain positive relationships
• Coordinate in sales presentations by demonstrating effective sales strategy implementation and accomplishments

Client Key Performance Indicators Achievement

• Establish and align on challenging sales targets that are achievable and in line with overall client business/strategic objectives
• Adjust sales strategy and make informed decisions based on data driven insights by monitoring and analyzing performance metrics
• Meet and/or exceed client’s goals for sales, distribution, pricing, shelving, and promotional volume by co-working with all related departments for assigned set of customers
• Manage and maximize client marketing/promotional funds to achieve sales goals by optimizing within financial guidelines
• Secure client approved brands’ schematics by coordinating and communicating with schematic, reset and retail departments
• Push volume-producing merchandising at assigned customers to achieve incremental growth
• Ensure incremental sales through distribution of new products and maintenance of existing SKUs in coordination with Customer Specialists
• Establish strategic contacts at key retailer positions by implementing successful customer headquarter calls
• Drive in-store strategic execution in accordance to plans (e.g., promo plans, price edits, etc.) in coordination with Customer Specialists

Business Management

• Generate and share regular, insightful strategic reports on sales activities, performance against targets, and market trends to the market leadership team
• Communicate insights and align broader market team in order to ensure resources and support for specific client and/or customer initiatives’ success
• Increase strategic coordination within team by facilitating communication, opportunities, challenges, and workflow to members representing the same clients and/or selling into the same customers

Minimum Qualifications
Education Level: (Required): Bachelor's Degree or equivalent experience
4+ Years of experience applicable sales field

Skills, Knowledge and Abilities
• Strong sales presentation, interpersonal and development skills
• Strong written communication and verbal communication skills
• Well-organized, detail-oriented, and able to handle a fast-paced work environment
• Track record of building and maintaining customer/client relationships
• Strong computer skills including proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, Outlook, and web-browsers
• Working knowledge of syndicated data and driving insights
• Proven track record in sales

Environmental & Physical Requirements
Office / Sedentary Requirements
Incumbent must be able to perform the essential functions of the job. Work is performed primarily in an office environment. Typically, requires the abilty to sit for extended periods of time (66%+ each day), ability to hear telephone, ability to enter data on a computer and may require the ability to lift up to 10lbs.

Additional Information Regarding Advantage Solutions Job Duties and Job Descriptions
Job duties include additional responsibilities as assigned by one’s supervisor or other manager related to the position/department. This job description is meant to describe the general nature and level of work being performed; it is not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required for the position. The Company reserves the right at any time with or without notice to alter or change job responsibilities, reassign or transfer job positions, or assign additional job responsibilities, subject to applicable law. The Company shall provide reasonable accommodations of known disabilities to enable a qualified applicant or employee to apply for employment, perform the essential functions of the job, or enjoy the benefits and privileges of employment as required by the law.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this position. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required of associates so classified.

The Company is committed to providing equal opportunity in all employment practices without regard to age, race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, religion, physical or mental disability, or any other category protected by law. As part of this commitment, the Company shall provide reasonable accommodations of known disabilities to enable an applicant or employee to apply for employment, perform the essential functions of the job, or enjoy the benefits and privileges of employment as required by the law.