National Accounts Manager West - Food Service

Position Overview

The National Accounts Manager establishes, develops, and grows strategic business partnerships with targeted national accounts using a consultative selling approach. This role is responsible for identifying and securing sales and profit opportunities, assisting customers with menu analyses, and driving business development for new product opportunities. The ideal candidate has proven experience in managing large national accounts as well as developing new business within the foodservice industry.

Key Responsibilities

• Maintain open and frequent communication with existing customers through on-site visits and virtual meetings.

• Represent the Company at customer conventions, trade shows, and industry events.

• Lead QA/product incident response for assigned accounts.

• Conduct regular business reviews with key accounts to assess performance and identify growth opportunities.

• Collaborate with the Commodities/Procurement team to deliver market updates (e.g., wheat, flour, sugar, oils) to customers.

• Build strong business relationships to position the Company as a trusted partner and extension of customer teams.

• Draft and support new supply agreements and pricing proposals in collaboration with Revenue Growth Management and Legal.

• Grow base business by acquiring new accounts through targeted prospecting, research, and outreach.

• Conduct prospecting and “warm” calls to identify and engage key decision makers.

• Manage sample submissions for new and existing products.

• Achieve annual sales budget for assigned accounts, including securing profitable new business.

• Communicate effectively across departments including National Accounts Marketing, Quality Assurance, Supply Chain, Customer Service, Purchasing, R&D, and Culinary.

• Manage projects with R&D and Product Marketing teams to support product innovation and new business development.

• Develop a thorough understanding of customer operations through direct involvement with R&D and restaurant operations.

• Complete administrative requirements accurately and on time.

• Perform additional duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Education & Experience

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

• Culinary or sales-related accreditation a plus.

• Minimum of 5 years’ experience selling to and managing national and regional restaurant chains.

• Experience in food manufacturing and basic knowledge of plant operations preferred.

Skills & Abilities

• Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint (OneNote experience a plus).

• Strong leadership and relationship-building skills across departments.

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

• Proven strategic selling skills; completion of courses such as Challenger, Miller Heiman, or Gartner a plus.

• Ability to engage effectively with customers and colleagues at all levels, from entry-level to executive.

• Strong collaboration skills with cross-functional teams including Cost Accounting, Operations, Purchasing, R&D, Supply Chain, Legal, Culinary, and Quality Assurance.

• Ability to manage multiple projects with competing deadlines.

• Strong organizational skills and ability to prioritize effectively.

• Proficient use of business technology and software.

Supervisory Responsibilities

• None