Customer Account Lead II

Description
Looking for a job that can grow into a lifelong career?
At Lactalis USA, we believe in promoting from within and giving our employees meaningful opportunities to learn, grow, and thrive. Whether you're just starting out or bringing years of experience, we'll provide the tools and support you need to succeed.

Lactalis is the world leader in dairy—a family-owned company with over 85,000 pragmatic and ambitious professionals across the globe. Every day, we're proud to produce award-winning dairy products that bring people together every day.

In the US, we offer an unrivaled house of beloved brands, including Galbani Italian cheeses and ricotta, Président specialty cheeses and butters, Kraft natural and grated cheeses, Breakstone's cottage cheese, Cracker Barrel, Black Diamond cheddar, and Parmalat milk. Our yogurt portfolio includes siggi's, Stonyfield Organic, Brown Cow, Oui, Yoplait, Go-Gurt, :ratio, Green Mountain Creamery, and Mountain High, along with sour cream and a growing family of ethnic favorites like Karoun, Gopi, and Arz.

At Lactalis, we live by our core values—
Ambition
,
Engagement
, and
Simplicity
. We're building a workplace where innovation thrives, diverse perspectives are celebrated, and everyone's unique background and ideas are valued.

Even if you don't meet every qualification, we encourage you to apply. We want to hear about your
PASSION,
your
STORY
, and how your
EXPERTISE
can help us make an impact.

Requirements
From your PASSION to ours
The Lactalis Midwest Yogurt Customer Account Lead II is responsible for the development and execution of customer specific plans that maximize growth, align with strategic priorities and deliver topline and bottom-line targets. Regional responsibilities to include: Ahold / Delhaize in near term but may change or expand in the future. This individual is responsible for driving Lactalis Midwest Yogurt strategy by establishing business relationships with the customer and broker network.

From your EXPERTISE to ours
Key Responsibilities For This Position Include

• Develop and maintain effective customer relationships
• Achieve targeted sales and financial budgets
• Understand customer needs and link them to Lactalis product and service strategies to develop mutually beneficial business plans
• Review, evaluate, report results, and request support needed against specific sales objectives on a continuous basis
• Work closely with sales team, sales planning, and others within the organization to develop and execute strategic initiatives within area of responsibility (promotional plans, distribution initiatives, optimized assortment and new item launch execution)
• Responsible for customer sales and promotional planning
• Work closely with sales team and sales planner in the ongoing management and evaluation of trade spending efficiency
• Utilize and apply learnings from external sales data resources effectively (IRI, etc.)
• Utilize management tools to monitor, direct, and evaluate our broker execution
• Manage and actively participate in regional trade shows to maximize sales opportunities and event related investments
• Leverage our strength as a category leader in the marketplace
• Perform other duties as assigned

From your STORY to ours
Qualified Applicants Will Contribute The Following

• Minimum of 3-5 years of sales and sales management experience within the food industry. Experience with Ahold /Delhaize, and supermarket customers is strongly preferred.
• Experience in both direct sales and broker/distributor management is preferred.
• Category management and/or Omnichannel marketing experience a plus
• Bachelor's degree in business or related field preferred
• Industry and channel knowledge are preferred
• Ability to operate effectively and contribute within a team environment
• Ability to prioritize and meet deadlines within specified time constraints
• Ability to adapt in a changing work environment
• Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint is required
• Strong analytics, negotiation and personal selling skills required
• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, and the willingness to work within an established management group are required
• A high degree of self-initiative and the potential for continued growth in management are preferred
• Experience in an entrepreneurial smaller company will be considered an asset
• Requires the ability to flex schedule as needed to meet travel & business demands
• Ability to travel (25-40% dependent on assigned Customer account)