Senior Key Account Manager, Large Format Central

Liquid Death is a better for you beverage company that will murder your thirst with a wide range of low calorie beverages from water to iced tea to energy drinks. Our goal is to be the funniest beverage brand on earth and to make health and sustainability 50 times more fun.

Reports to: Senior Director, Large Format

Location: Remote, USA — Central Time Zone preferred; candidates based in Michigan or Texas are strongly preferred and must reside within approximately one hour of a major commercial airport to support travel requirements

Travel Requirement: Up to 40% domestic travel, including occasional overnight travel, as business needs require
Role Overview:

As a Senior Key Account Manager, Large Format you will be responsible for managing and growing and developing relationships with key retailers (headquarter buy in, influences, and division stakeholders). This role is responsible for building strong customer headquarter (HQ) relationships and driving profitable growth. The ideal candidate thrives in a startup environment, possesses exceptional negotiation skills, has a deep understanding of the beverage industry, and a passion for delivering outstanding results.
Key Responsibilities:

- Account Management: Own central region HQ call point actions with a focus on both hunting (20%) for new opportunities, and farming (80%) existing accounts to maximize growth

- Strengthen customer relationships at super regional accounts (i.e. Meijer, HEB, HyVee, Spartan Nash, Brookshire Grocery, and Schnucks) and will have on average 14 retailer call points to manage

- Responsible for new account penetration, account management, and overall account performance against topline & bottomline targets

- Align company strategies with retailer goals to foster mutual growth and long-term partnerships

- Develop and execute strategic sales plans, Joint Business Plans (JBPs) across 4 different categories (still water, sparkling water, tea & energy)

- Manage administrative tasks around trade spend & forecasting - ensure trade investments are smart, measurable, and are monitored through Vividly

- Cultivate strong relationships with HQ buyers and divisional managers at key Large Format accounts, leveraging these relationships to drive sales and secure favorable product placement

- Work with Liquid Death DSD partners to ensure optimal in-store execution, including Planogram (POG) compliance, promotional activity, and display execution

- Leverage data and insights to develop compelling, fact-based narratives that resonate with customers and drive decision-making. Quickly assess business needs, identify critical issues, and develop effective strategies for resolution

- Collaborate with internal teams to develop internal routines and execute company sales objectives

Qualification Requirements:

- Bachelor’s Degree preferred

- 4+ years of relatable Key Account experience calling on HQ buyers in large format with specific prior management of HQ Buyer relationships with HEB, Meijer, or HyVee required

- Deep comfort with joining a high growth start up environment including advanced problem solving capability and willingness to work with ambiguity and adaptability to flex to market dynamics

- Advanced presentation skills (both creating slides and presenting)

- Deep experience in joint business plan (JBP) processes and HQ call relationships required

- Previous retailer P&L management and trade budget and spend required

- Background with DSD, Broadline distribution and alternative routes to market (previous experience with beer distributors as a non alcoholic product preferred but not required)

- Ability to work with cross functional teams (Operations, Customer Service, Accounting, Distribution, and Finance) across organizations to achieve results

- Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word, and PowerPoint) and Google Suite (Sheets, Docs, Slides)

- Previous experience with Circana, Vividly, and VIP preferred but not required