Sr. Manager, Strategic Accounts - Washington, WA – Remote Locati, United States - Puratos

Description

Looking for a Career for Good?

Puratos is a global purpose-driven company focused on bringing people together through food innovation for good. We offer a full range of innovative food ingredients and services for the bakery, patisserie, and chocolate sectors, serving artisans, retailers, industrial and food service companies in over 100 countries around the world. Our passion for innovation, pioneering spirit, and core values continue to propel our global ambitions. This coupled with our commitment to our communities is what makes working at Puratos so magical.

We offer a competitive compensation and benefit package, designed to promote a Happier, Healthier You. This includes:

• Insurance coverage beginning the first of the month—no extra waiting period to get started
• Immediate 401(k) eligibility including a fully vested matching contribution
• Receive over 5 weeks total of paid time off within your first year of service
• Free life coaches, convenient onsite health exams, 24/7 access to Registered Nurses
• Puratos-paid insurance coverage to protect you and your family including Life and Disability insurance

If you are a results-driven problem-solver with a passion for customer excellence and looking for an opportunity to drive organizational growth, we invite you to join us for "a career for good."

Position Overview:

The Strategic Accounts Manager primary responsibility will be to manage the Costco USA business and build profitable, sustainable business for direct sales to the Costco bakeries & via our triangular sales approach. The objective is to achieve & exceed sales volume, revenue, profitability, and other budgetary objectives within the scope of the 2030 long-range plan. The role requires relationship building at all levels, leadership, people management, strategic planning, market competitiveness, pricing, and resource management to ensure the Puratos Costco 30+ year relationship continues to go from strength to strength.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Manage the Costco Relationship:
  • Manage the overall relationship with the Costco USA organization developing deep multi-layer relationships and encouraging multi-departmental contact between Costco & Puratos.
  • Targeting VPs, Directors, Buyers and R&D teams, utilizing Puratos' senior team (USA & Global) to support top-to-top engagement.
  • Regular visits to Costco's ISB bakery/sweet goods & chocolate team to bring new "Wow" finished concepts, current product improvements (or renovations) and cost-saving initiatives, in line with the Puratos Big Tickets/Strategic Innovations focus.
  • Organize regular visits by Costco to the Costco INC in Issaquah, WA, for business meetings, product presentations and continue to offer it as a place for co-creation with Costco and our triangular partners.
  • Expand departmental penetration outside of ISB to include Deli, Food Court, Frozen & Ambient buying teams where Puratos solutions can help Costco further accelerate their growth goals.
  • Grow Triangular business through our Industry team to bring new plug-and-play shelf-ready items to all buying departments.
  • Organize and lead bi-annual business reviews and regular trainings in the Seattle INC to ensure Puratos remains the 'Go-To' ingredient partners for knowledge and ideation.
• Business Management, Pricing & Profitability:
  • Develop & execute yearly Key Account Plans using all necessary resources & tools.
  • Follow up & report on the Costco KPI's: sales results, service level, quality, profitability, and budgets.
  • Clarify deviations to budget and initiate corrective actions where necessary.
  • Build a solid understanding of Costco's LTO plans for each quarter, building the necessary strength across our supply chain to service each promotion at the highest service level.
  • Maintain CRM weekly, updating project status, recording risks & losses, customer visits and marketing/R&D/technical support required.
  • Ensure the highest possible forecast accuracy (60%+ target) within the IBP system, with regular alignment with the Costco buyers to verify the Puratos forecast data matches their demand needs.
  • Collaborate with Pricing Controllers to manage customer specific pricing, integrating all commercial conditions and maintaining/growing customer production margin & volumes.
  • Work in synergy with the Costco Global Account Manager and Puratos Costco Account Managers around the world to exchange best practices internally and with the Costco US team.
  • Strong collaboration with Puratos Industry KAMs on triangular business management to be fully aware of all projects, commercials, and all facets of supply chain to the industrial partners/Costco.
  • Work closely with Puratos' purchasing team to mitigate raw material shortages through solid business planning and forecasts. Then, trigger the necessary bookings with Costco to take advantage of the latest raw material marketing pricing (fruit, cocoa, sugar, flour...).
• Customer Intelligence:
  • Build Costco's customer profile, keep up to date & maintain all information in CRM/Acc Databases.
  • Play a role on selected internal business development teams as a voice of the customer/the sales community to help guide new product development & business sales support required.
  • Participate in sales/technical meetings/communications to exchange Best Practices and improve our overall performance with this customer (incl. annual Puratos internal global account meeting).
  • Utilization of the Puratos Taste Tomorrow platform to engage Costco in ideation sessions to help grow categories, including inviting/attending trade shows and TT events with Costco.

Competencies/Profile:

• Education experience
  • Minimum – 4 Year / Bachelors Degree
• Work experience
  • Minimum - 5 Years
  • Maximum- 10 years

Prior Knowledge/Experience:

• Proven track record in Senior Strategic Account Management (pref. in Retail channel, ingredient supplier)
• Strong interpersonal skills - establishes contacts easily & demonstrates strong leadership skills.
• Project & time management skills & competences.
• Business & results driven, analytical with strong focus on margin management.
• Excellent sales and negotiation skills.
• Assertive & self-confident team player, animator, and leader.
• Field sales, Trade marketing, Category management, or Consumer marketing experience is a plus.
• Knowledge of applicable software programs to communicate via email and develop activity memos, reports, and spreadsheets.
• Fluent in English.
• Travel expected up to 50% of time (to Costco, national triangular partners when needed & to Puratos US locations: Rancho Dominguez, CA; Kenosha, WI; Pennsauken, NJ HQ; Rochester, NY; & less frequently to Belgium HQ for various Costco Global team meetings and other trainings).