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Senior Key Account Manager, Grocery Sales

Minneapolis

About the Company 

Essor, where brands take flight. We find digital challenger brands and supercharge them into iconic global legends that consumers love. As a next-generation consumer products platform, we leverage technology, industry expertise, and strategic collaborations to ignite growth and launch brands beyond expectations. 

Essor’s brand portfolio today includes a broad range of rapidly growing health & wellness and lifestyle brands like Boka, ZitSticka, Puracy, OTOTO Design, FreshCap, Iron Flask, Fullstar, NumNum, Key Nutrients, and Viking Revolution that are sold on Amazon, Direct to Consumer channels, and through national retailers like Target, CVS, and Walmart. 

About the role:

We are seeking a dynamic Senior Manager, Grocery Sales to lead and expand our grocery retail channel, with a primary focus on KeHE. This role is responsible for driving revenue growth, managing key retail partnerships, and executing strategic initiatives that elevate Essor’s brand presence across multiple product lines. The ideal candidate will have a business-owner mindset, exceptional relationship-building skills, and experience leading a sales associate to achieve ambitious sales targets.

What you will do:

Grocery Account Management

  • Own and manage key grocery retail accounts, with a primary emphasis on KeHE.
  • Develop and implement strategic account plans to meet revenue and profitability objectives.
  • Manage and scale a portfolio of up to $20MM in revenue, driving sustainable growth.
  • Collaborate with cross-functional teams (marketing, operations, and finance) to ensure smooth execution of grocery channel initiatives.

KeHE Account Leadership

  • Utilize deep expertise in KeHE to onboard multiple Essor brands and maximize distribution opportunities.
  • Oversee item setup processes, ensuring accuracy and efficiency in product launches.
  • Lead line review preparations, including data analysis, presentations, and strategic recommendations to buyers.

Forecasting and Business Planning

  • Build and maintain accurate sales forecasts and business plans for key accounts.
  • Monitor sales performance, analyze trends, and adjust strategies to meet or exceed targets.

Buyer Relationships

  • Establish and maintain strong, trust-based relationships with grocery buyers and retail partners.
  • Serve as the primary point of contact for all buyer communications, negotiations, and account updates.

Team Leadership

  • Manage and mentor a Sales Associate, providing coaching, performance feedback, and professional development opportunities.
  • Foster a collaborative, results-driven team environment to achieve shared objectives.

Retailer Engagement & Industry Representation

  • Travel as needed to meet with key retail partners, attend industry events, and strengthen relationships with buyers and distributors.
  • Represent Essor at trade shows, retail meetings, and industry conferences.

Who you are

  • Experienced grocery account manager with a proven track record of success in KeHE and other major grocery distribution networks.
  • Ability to manage and grow a revenue portfolio up to $20MM, driving sustained growth.
  • Strong understanding of item setup, line reviews, forecasting, and grocery retail dynamics.
  • Business-owner mindset with the ability to identify growth opportunities, solve challenges, and drive results.
  • Excellent communication, negotiation, and relationship management skills.
  • Experience leading and developing team members in a high-performance sales environment.
  • Willingness to travel as needed to engage retailers and industry stakeholders.
  • Preferred: Experience working with other major grocery retailers (e.g., Kroger, Albertsons, Whole Foods, Sprouts).
  • Preferred: Familiarity with retail data analytics tools and systems to optimize sales strategies.

We are seeking for people who:

  • Are owners. 
  • Are continually raising the bar.  
  • Are sincerely open-minded, and are willing to examine their strongest convictions with humility. 
  • Nurture and embrace differing perspectives to make better decisions. 

What's in it for you?

  • A supportive, diverse and global team with a growth mindset.
  • A scaling company with great industry professionals.
  • A flexible (hybrid) working environment.
  • Great opportunities to get involved with exciting projects.

If you are ready to join our fast-paced company, apply now!

The estimated salary range for this role is $130 - $140K per year. Final compensation will be determined based on factors such as experience, skills, and location.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, ancestry, age, or national origin will be considered. No qualified applicants will be discriminated against on the basis of disability or protected veteran status.

#LI-GU1  #LI-Hybrid

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