Account Manager – Northern California

What We Do 

Who We Are 

Overview of the Role 

We are seeking an experienced Account Manager to manage and grow key conventional grocery retail accounts throughout Northern California.

The ideal candidate has established experience working directly with retailers such as Nugget and PAQ-Food4Less/Rancho San Miguel Markets, understands the Northern California grocery landscape, and brings a strong working knowledge of distribution, category reviews, promotional planning, and new item presentations.

This is a highly relationship-driven role that requires someone who can independently manage retailer relationships while also identifying opportunities to expand distribution and build a stronger portfolio of business across the region.

Key Responsibilities

• Build and maintain strong relationships with buyers, category managers, and other key retailer contacts.
• Manage the full retailer sales cycle, including new item presentations, category reviews, promotional planning, pricing discussions, and ongoing account management.
• Develop retailer-specific sales strategies that align client objectives with retailer needs and category opportunities.
• Analyze sales, distribution, and category performance to identify opportunities for increased shelf presence, new item placement, and incremental volume.
• Ensure the shelf space and assortment our brands receive appropriately reflect their sales contribution and category performance.
• Partner with internal Insights resources to develop compelling, data-driven retailer presentations and selling stories.
• Identify opportunities to expand distribution across existing accounts and proactively pursue new business opportunities.
• Understand retailer promotional vehicles, cost of doing business, submission requirements, and category review processes.
• Coordinate with distributors and internal teams to ensure new items, pricing, promotions, and retailer programs are executed accurately and on time.
• Maintain accurate account information, opportunities, meetings, and follow-up activities within company systems.
• Attend retailer meetings, category reviews, industry events, and other in-person meetings as required.
• Serve as a knowledgeable resource for clients regarding the Northern California conventional grocery market.

Qualifications

• Prior account management or sales experience within the CPG, grocery, food, or beverage industry.
• Previous experience working directly with retailers such as Nugget Markets and PAQ, or comparable Northern California grocery retailers, is required.
• Strong understanding of grocery distribution and experience working with distributors to support retailer business, UNFI and C&S preferred.
• Demonstrated experience with category reviews, new item presentations, promotional planning, and retailer negotiations.
• Ability to analyze sales and category data and translate insights into a clear selling story.
• Proven ability to build productive relationships with buyers, category managers, clients, distributors, and internal teams.
• Strong organizational and follow-through skills with the ability to independently manage multiple retailers, brands, deadlines, and priorities.
• Comfortable prospecting and developing incremental business within existing and new retail accounts.
• Strong written, verbal, and presentation skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, particularly Excel and PowerPoint. Experience with CRM and retail sales reporting platforms is preferred.

Location & Travel

This position requires a strong local presence in Northern California. The successful candidate should live along the I-5/Highway 99 corridor between Sacramento and Modesto to provide effective coverage of the assigned retailer base.

What Success Looks Like

Success in this role means maintaining strong, consistent support for our existing retailer and client relationships while actively identifying opportunities for growth. The Account Manager should become a trusted resource for both retailers and clients, ensure strong execution of existing business, and build a meaningful pipeline of incremental distribution and new retail opportunities throughout Northern California.

Perks 

• PTO and Sick Days
• 11 paid company holidays per year 
• 1 Floating Holiday
• 2 paid volunteer days per year 
• 3 months fully paid parental leave (regardless of gender) 
• Medical, dental, and vision 
• Paid company life insurance 
• 401k with company match 
• Summer hours (half day Fridays from Memorial Day thru Labor Day) 
• Work from home flexibility 

Come As You Are 

C.A. is committed to making our company more inclusive. Diversity fuels our innovation and better connects us to our clients, our colleagues, and our communities. Based on research, we know that women and other marginalized groups tend to apply to roles only when their experience perfectly matches the job description. That said, we encourage you to apply if you meet the majority of qualifications, especially if this role aligns with your career trajectory.