Key Account Manager- Foodservice

COMPANY OVERVIEW

Chicken of the Sea Frozen Foods (COSFF) is a leading importer and marketer of frozen and refrigerated seafood in North America. Founded in 2006 to build on the heritage of the iconic Chicken of the Sea brand, COSFF has grown into one of the top U.S. shrimp importers with a strong presence in crab meat, tuna, and value-added seafood products across all trade channels.

A wholly owned subsidiary of Thai Union – one of the world’s largest seafood companies and a global sustainability leader ranked #1 in the Food Products Industry on the 2024 Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) – COSFF is guided by Thai Union’s SeaChange® strategy and its vision of “Healthy Living, Healthy Oceans.” Headquartered in El Segundo, CA, COSFF blends a dynamic, entrepreneurial culture with a deep commitment to sustainability and innovation. Our six core values of Collaboration, Responsibility, Innovation, Respect, Humility, and Passion define who we are and how we lead the industry forward.

SUMMARY

To be the liaison between Chicken of the Sea Corporate, Broadline Distributer, brokers, and other customers to ensure desired sales results by orchestration of business activity through written and verbal communication, market presence and sales direction to achieve annual sales volume objectives, maximizing the utilization of promotional funds, gaining and retaining key distribution points and gaining new accounts while meeting operational needs through accurately forecasting sales plans. The primary goal is to deliver Chicken of the Sea annual sales plan objectives by product and by customer. The Key Account Manager is responsible for the growth of business within the current customer base and new Distribution and Multi Unit business opportunities by developing relationships, understanding the customer’s critical business strategies, then create and execute solutions to achieve the customer’s business objectives and grow revenue internally. This role will focus on maintaining and growing our Foodservice business in the Southeast region of the US . The expected salary range for this role is $125,000 to $150,000 (DOE).

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• In conjunction with management, develop and execute sales plan for their individual markets that align with the overall Foodservice strategy to drive new business through distributor placement and end user accounts.
• Prospects and develop new and existing relationships with customers to earn market share within the foodservice segment while maintaining margin expectations.
• Manages local marketing programs, broker partners to effectively promote and profitably grow our market share.
• Leverages market driven data to drive market share, internal, 3rd party and distributor data platforms.
• Price updates (calls/e-mails) to core customers weekly, discuss inherent knowledge of market triggers/levers
• Ability & autonomy to negotiate off COSFF price sheet as the account manager’s book of business, on major buys. Requires discussion and alignment internally to assure inventory/market alignment
• Collaborate internally with procurement, category and inventory manager partners
• Attend all major customer summits/conferences as key account manager/leader, manage core account meetings
• Establish budget with growth, with approval from VP of FS/WS for each market you are responsible for. You will then be tasked to attain your agreed upon monthly budget.
• Manage customer requests (RFI, RFQ, RFP, Specification/TQ documentation, Sustainability, etc.)
• Manage customer issues regarding AR/AP, TQ, Delivery, etc.
• Works with the sales leader on the development of a comprehensive market strategy
• Collaborates with a wider team to expand foodservice development efforts to achieve annual profit plan
• Reviews monthly and quarterly sales objectives and results for target accounts and prepare action plans where improvement is needed
• Utilizes Power BI, internal sales reports, and pricing files daily to communicate offers to customers
• Gathers information on emerging markets and industry trends to understand the competitive landscape
• Stays current with development in the field through participation in work withs, food shows, and reading publications
• Develops strong working relationships with a wider team at COSFF and internal cross functional teams
• Learn quickly when facing new challenges; thrives on fast-paced learning environment
• Adapts well to change and views new experiences as growth opportunities
• Seeks out opportunities to improve by applying feedback from others
• Ensures that data and activity on new and current accounts is accurately entered and managed within company platforms
• Stays current with company’s value-added offerings and solutions
• Responsible for accurately forecasting and revising monthly sales activity by customer to meet sales needs
• Responsible for day-to-day customer account communication, conducting customer presentations, sales meetings, product cuttings and facilitating top to top contact for all customers in the Foodservice channel
• Responsible for direct communication to assigned customer contacts
• Responsible for timely and accurate submission of all business reports and process orders
• Responsible for developing and adhering to a purposeful travel schedule to maximize business activity within budget
• Accurate monthly forecasting will be achieved by channel to minimize OOS conditions, reduce improper inventory holdings and decrease the risk of creating obsolete inventory issues
• Ensure promotional activity is a justifiable expense, properly planned and accounted for, reconciling deductions in a timely fashion

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in business or related field or the equivalent in experience.
• Ability to travel up to 50% of the time and work nontraditional work days and hours.
• 10+ years’ relevant sales experience in Commodity and Value-Added Seafood, and 5 or more years’ with a proven track record of Foodservice business accounts and customers
• Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States
• Ability to express information in terms of profit and loss, cost and expense ratio
• Strong financial acumen and ability to properly plan and execute business plans
• Flexible; readily accepts change; open to new ideas
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work with and influence a variety of key stakeholders
• Strong communication skills; ability to effectively communicate with internal and external teams
• Ability to understand and manage industry and companywide compliance
• Demonstrated ability to deliver against deadlines and produce high-quality results (accuracy, thoroughness in the deliverables they are producing)
• Intermediate to advance in Microsoft Applications Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)
• Excellent organizational and project management skills, including the ability to execute multiple initiatives at the same time

DISCOVER WHAT’S POSSIBLE AT CHICKEN OF THE SEA FROZEN FOODS

1. Drive What’s Next – Quality and innovation are at the heart of everything we do. We’re redefining what’s possible in seafood—developing sustainable solutions, introducing new value-added products, and continuously improving how we source, process, and deliver to advance our mission of “Healthy Living, Healthy Oceans.”
2. Grow With Us – Your growth fuels our success. We offer the tools, learning programs, tuition assistance, and mobility opportunities to help you reach your potential. You’ll gain hands-on experience working with many of the industry’s most recognized customers and operators—an invaluable opportunity to learn, collaborate, and grow alongside the best in the business.
3. Make Waves Together – Experience the impact and agility of a smaller company backed by the reach and resources of a global organization. At COSFF, your work makes a visible difference while connecting you to opportunities across Thai Union worldwide. To recognize the differences being made and to pay it forward, we foster a culture of appreciation – celebrating our Crew’s achievements and giving back through community volunteer programs that support our sustainability goals.
4. Thrive With Us – We offer comprehensive benefits and perks designed to support your wellbeing, financial security, and continued growth.
5. Health & wellness: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance options; employee assistance program
6. Financial future: 401(k) with company match, HSA option with employer contributions, company-paid life insurance
7. Work / life balance: Generous paid time off, paid parental leave, family-friendly benefits, hybrid / remote roles, flexible hours
8. Learning & growth: Training and tuition assistance program
9. Perks: Internet, phone, and wellbeing stipends

READY TO JOIN OUR CREW?

To be the world’s most trusted seafood leader, we rely on people who live our values every day – Passionate, Humble, Respectful, Responsible, Collaborative, and Innovative. If this sounds like you, and you’re ready to make a meaningful impact in the seafood industry, we’d love to hear from you!