Account Director

CHEW (Chew CPG Inc.) is a Boston food innovation company. Our chefs, food scientists and manufacturing experts take products from first idea to retail shelf for CPG companies of every size, and in 12.5 years we have worked on 5,000-plus products across 25-plus categories. Every concept is developed in our Boston lab and proven in our Cambridge pilot plant before it scales, so what our clients approve on the bench is what they can actually make. We exist to put better choices in every grocery aisle: food that tastes great, delivers real nutrition and earns its place on the shelf. Learn more at The Account Director runs CHEW's client accounts day to day. You are the main contact for each client's project lead and working team, and you make sure we deliver exactly what the statement of work promised, on time and on budget. You report to the CEO, who leads senior client relationships and overall account strategy, and you work closely with our R&D team and Project Manager. What you will do Lead client kickoffs, status meetings and stage gate reviews, with an agenda before every meeting and a recap within 24 hours. Turn each client brief into measurable success criteria covering objective, target consumer, cost targets, claims and timing, and confirm them before the SOW goes out. Write every SOW, including deliverables, timeline by gate, assumptions, exclusions and pricing. Build hours estimates with R&D and set price, margin and payment terms with Finance. Brief R&D, track sample requests and bench sessions, and approve what ships to the client. Get written client sign-off at every gate before work moves to the next stage. Log out-of-scope requests and secure a signed change order before extra work starts. Confirm a purchase order is in place before any project begins. Track budget against actuals weekly and flag overruns early. Host client visits, tastings and pilot plant sessions. Start renewal conversations 90 days before each contract ends, find follow-on work in every account and write the proposals. Support new business pitches, case studies and industry events. How we will measure success 90 percent or more of gates met on the date agreed in the SOW, with written sign-off at each one. Every SOW includes measurable success criteria, and no out-of-scope work starts without a signed change order. Client satisfaction of 8 out of 10 or higher. Your accounts run smoothly day to day, so the CEO can focus on senior relationships and strategy. Qualifications 7 to 10 years in client service at a CPG company, agency, co-manufacturer or product development consultancy. Hands-on experience in food and beverage product development, working directly with R&D. Enough knowledge of formulation, scale-up and co-manufacturing to brief food scientists and discuss feasibility and cost with clients. A track record of writing SOWs, pricing projects and holding scope. Highly organized and comfortable doing the detailed work yourself. Strong written communication and presentation skills. Bachelor's degree required; food science or business background a plus. Location and type Boston, MA, on-site preferred. Full-time, or contract to full-time. #J-18808-Ljbffr Chew