National Account Manager - Retail

National Account Manager - Retail

Position Summary

The National Account Manager (NAM) is responsible for leading the strategic business relationship with Walmart and other key retail customers, driving profitable sales growth across assigned food brands and categories. This role owns customer strategy, line reviews, assortment planning, pricing, promotions, forecasting, trade investment, and cross-functional execution to achieve revenue, profit, and market share objectives.

Key Responsibilities

Customer Leadership

• Serve as the primary contact for Walmart & other key retail customer buyers, merchants, replenishment teams, and category managers.
• Build and maintain senior-level customer relationships.
• Lead Joint Business Planning (JBP) processes and annual account strategies.
• Represent the company during line reviews, modular reviews, and category meetings.

Sales & Business Management

• Deliver annual sales, profit, and market share targets.
• Develop customer-specific growth strategies aligned with company objectives.
• Manage forecasts, shipments, revenue plans, and inventory performance.
• Identify opportunities to expand distribution and increase shelf presence.

Category & Assortment Strategy

• Lead new item introductions and product launches.
• Optimize assortment and SKU productivity.
• Analyze category trends, shopper insights, and competitive activity.
• Develop compelling selling stories supported by data and analytics.

Pricing & Trade Management

• Own pricing strategy and cost change negotiations.
• Manage promotional calendars and trade spending budgets.
• Evaluate ROI on customer investments and promotional activity.
• Partner with finance to ensure profitable growth.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with marketing, supply chain, demand planning, finance, category management, and operations teams.
• Ensure flawless execution of launches, promotions, and replenishment programs.
• Communicate customer requirements, risks, and opportunities internally.

Analytics & Reporting

• Utilize Walmart systems and syndicated data sources to drive decision-making.
• Monitor sales trends, inventory levels, forecast accuracy, and scorecard metrics.
• Present business reviews and recommendations to senior leadership.

Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Finance, or related field.

Experience

• 5-10+ years of CPG sales or account management experience.
• Direct Walmart headquarters snacking & confectionery experience preferred but not essential.
• Proven success managing P&L responsibility and delivering profitable growth.

Preferred Skills

• Walmart Retail Link / Scintilla
• Circana (IRI) or Nielsen data analysis
• Category management
• Forecasting and demand planning
• Financial analysis and trade management
• Negotiation and presentation skills
• Joint Business Planning (JBP)
• Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint

Common KPIs

• Net sales growth
• Gross profit and contribution margin
• Market share growth
• Distribution gains
• Forecast accuracy
• Trade spend ROI
• New item success rate
• Walmart scorecard performance