Sales Manager

The Sales Account Manager is responsible for driving profitable sales growth, strengthening customer relationships, and expanding the company's retail and food service business within an assigned territory.

This role will develop and execute strategic sales plans, manage key customer relationships, identify new business opportunities, and collaborate closely with North American Sales, Marketing, Procurement, Logistics, and supplier partners to consistently deliver against revenue, profitability, service, and customer growth objectives.

The ideal candidate is a commercially minded, relationship-driven sales professional with a strong understanding of the retail and food service industries, excellent negotiation skills, and a proven track record of growing business with major customers.


Responsibilities:

• Develop annual sales plans, long-term business strategies, and customer-specific budgets in partnership with the National Sales Manager and Marketing team.
• Identify, qualify, and pursue new customers, distribution channels, and business opportunities that support profitable and sustainable growth.
• Develop and maintain a strong pipeline of prospective customers and opportunities within the assigned territory.
• Identify emerging retail and food service product opportunities and make recommendations regarding product development, positioning, pricing, and commercialization.
• Monitor market conditions, customer trends, competitive activity, and industry developments to identify risks and opportunities.

• Maintain regular, proactive communication with assigned customers at both buying and senior management levels.
• Develop trusted, long-term relationships with key decision-makers, influencers, and stakeholders.
• Act as a strategic business partner to customers by understanding their objectives, challenges, product requirements, and growth opportunities.
• Build and maintain a strong network of industry contacts to monitor competitive activity, customer developments, market conditions, and opportunities.
• Work closely with major suppliers to maintain market awareness and identify opportunities to strengthen the company's competitive position.
• Negotiate and manage customer agreements, pricing, programs, and supply commitments in alignment with company objectives.
• Protect and strengthen the company's financial and commercial interests in all customer relationships.

• Partner with the North American Procurement team to review and confirm monthly and seasonal inventory requirements based on sales forecasts, customer demand, promotional activity, and business plans.
• Communicate upcoming customer promotions, features, advertisements, and other activities that may impact product requirements or inventory levels.
• Coordinate with Transportation and Logistics teams to ensure efficient distribution and timely, reliable delivery to customers throughout the assigned territory.

• Deliver monthly and annual financial, customer, product, volume, revenue, profitability, and business objectives across the assigned territory.
• Manage territory accounts receivable and work proactively with customers and internal teams to ensure timely payment and minimize bad debt exposure.
• Prepare accurate monthly territory reports, forecasts, and business updates.
• Track customer performance against established plans and identify variances, risks, and opportunities.

Success in this role will be measured by the ability to:

• Achieve or exceed monthly and annual revenue, profit, volume, market share, sales, and accounts receivable objectives.
• Grow and retain the assigned retail and food service customer base.
• Develop new customers, products, channels, and revenue opportunities.
• Successfully execute customer and brand strategies that increase sales and strengthen customer relationships.
• Secure and maintain strategic supply agreements and long-term customer partnerships.
• Ensure customer demand is consistently supported through effective forecasting, procurement, inventory management, and logistics coordination.
• Maintain inventory levels within approved company targets while maximizing product availability and minimizing excess or obsolete inventory.
• Demonstrate strong cross-functional collaboration and consistently represent company values and commercial interests.

Qualifications:

• 5+ years of sales experience managing retail and/or food service accounts within an assigned territory.
• Proven experience developing and executing sales strategies for a sizable North American or global food manufacturer, processor, distributor, or related organization.
• Strong understanding of the retail and food service industries, including sales budgeting, forecasting, forward sales planning, customer planning, and account management.
• Working knowledge of case-ready retail meat processing and distribution systems.
• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Excel , presentation software, and ERP systems.
• Fluency in English.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities, meet deadlines, and operate effectively in a fast-paced commercial environment.
• Willingness and ability to travel extensively throughout the assigned territory.

The successful candidate will demonstrate the following:

• Strong commercial acumen and the ability to analyze business drivers, market conditions, customer needs, and competitive advantages to develop effective strategies.
• Exceptional communication, presentation, influencing, and negotiation skills.
• Strong contract negotiation and account management capabilities, with demonstrated success managing sales quotas, revenue targets, and profitability objectives.
• A proven ability to turn strategic relationships into profitable business opportunities and secure reliable supply to meet customer requirements.
• Strong problem-solving and decision-making skills, with the ability to operate effectively in high-pressure and time-sensitive situations.
• A high degree of integrity, credibility, accountability, and professionalism.
• The ability to build trust and loyalty with customers, suppliers, internal teams, and other stakeholders.
• A results-oriented mindset and the persistence to pursue opportunities and achieve ambitious goals.

The following experience is considered a strong asset:

• Experience selling retail protein products to major retailers
• Experience working with major food service distributors and wholesalers
• Experience working with specialty distributors
• Experience selling directly to specialty butcher shops, meat retailers, or other specialty protein customers.
• Experience managing international supply chains, import/export programs, or international distribution.
• Experience developing and executing integrated promotional campaigns across digital, print, in-store, and other media platforms.
• Experience working with meat, protein, food manufacturing, or related consumer packaged goods organizations.