Account Manager - Beverage Industry

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Account Manager - Retail Distributor & Merchandising Programs
LOCATION: This will be a hybrid role based out of Chicago, IL

Job Summary

We’re looking for an Account Manager with strong retail distributor and off-premise merchandising experience, someone who understands how to build brand presence through strategic, semi-permanent retail displays in national grocery chains. This role is embedded with our client’s retail connections team and is responsible for ideating, creating, and executing impactful merchandising programs that drive engagement and sales.

If you have worked in the beer, beverage, or alcohol industry — whether on the supplier side (e.g., Coors, Pabst, Anheuser-Busch) or distributor side (e.g., Southern Glazer’s, Columbia Distributing, Reyes Beverage Group) — and know the ins and outs of off-premise retail execution at the national level, we want to meet you!

Key Duties and Responsibilities

• Serve as the main point of contact between the client brand, licensing, and retail connections teams, ensuring merchandising programs meet brand integrity and compliance standards.
• Ideate and pitch creative off-premise retail display concepts for National Grocery accounts or beverage retail sales
• Engineer and execute semi-permanent retail displays (within a budget) that are creative, durable, and on-brand, going beyond temporary cardboard solutions.
• Translate brand stories into retail experiences (e.g., themed seasonal campaigns for Holidays, or Spring Break, or Summer, or a Cinco de Mayo giveaway program).
• Collaborate with vendors to manage the technical and engineering aspects of display creation.
• Present creative concepts and strategies to director-level executives while managing day-to-day execution with client and internal teams.
• Monitor merchandising program performance, providing data-driven recommendations for continuous improvement.
• Manage budgets, margins, and cost of goods to ensure profitability targets are met.
• Partner with internal marketing, creative, and licensing teams to align programs with broader brand and promotional strategies.
• Drive retail engagement by bringing programs to life in stores, ensuring displays are executed to plan.

Job Skills and Traits

• Strong understanding of retail distribution and off-premise Beverage (ideal) or Grocery merchandising.
• Proven ability to work with suppliers and distributors in the beverage/alcohol industry.
• Skilled in creative ideation and storytelling for retail brand activation.
• Ability to speak confidently and present persuasively at the Director level.
• Polished, professional communication style with subject matter expertise in merchandising and retail displays.
• Proficiency in cost management and vendor negotiation.
• Creative problem solver who can engineer solutions that balance brand vision with budget and production realities.
• Comfortable managing multiple priorities and stakeholders in a fast-paced, high-visibility environment.
• Able to think strategically while executing tactically.

Required Qualifications

• Location: Chicago, IL (hybrid: 2 days/week in clients office).
• Industry experience in retail distribution, wholesale, or supplier merchandising (ideally, Beverage) for national grocery/retail chains.
• Experience building, selling in, and executing retail display programs at both store and corporate levels.
• Demonstrated success working with national grocery chains and off-premise alcohol/beverage merchandising.
• Proven track record in budget management and hitting margin goals.
• Experience collaborating with creative, brand, and licensing teams to produce compliant and compelling retail programs.
• Ability to manage both creative and technical/engineering aspects of merchandising displays.

#LI-AH1
#LI-Hybrid

We are pleased to share the base salary range for this position is $70-82k with additional commission/bonus incentives for driving additional revenues. If you are hired at BDA, your compensation will be determined based on factors that may include geographic location, skills, education, and experience. In addition to these factors, we believe in the importance of pay equity and consider internal equity of our current team members as a part of any offer. In the spirit of pay transparency, the range listed is the full base salary range for the role and hiring at the top of the range would not be typical, in order to allow for future salary growth. The range listed is just one component of BDA’s total compensation and rewards programs, which includes: robust PTO; vacation, a paid volunteer day, holidays and summer Fridays, Benefits; medical, dental, vision, life, and AD&D insurance, 401k; tuition reimbursement, mental health and financial wellness programs and professional development opportunities including tuition reimbursement. Certain revenue-generating positions may be eligible for incentive compensation.