Account Manager

Downers Grove, IL, United States

Founded in 2009 and headquartered in Downers Grove, IL we are a world-class contract manufacturer producing wholesome baked goods, snacks and packaged foods for many of the world’s leading food companies. As one of the largest and fastest growing food co-manufacturing companies in the US, we are the proud owner and operator of over 35 facilities globally. Our nearly 10,000 employee-strong organization is leading the way and setting new standards for quality, safety, flexibility and efficiency while feeding families around the globe.

Hearthside’s exceptional growth stems from its ability to address real-world problems for customers of all shapes and sizes, and by our resolute commitment to our belief that there are no great companies without great culture. Our culture of personal empowerment enables growth, learning, and continuous improvement every day!

We are steadfast in our ambition to be the indispensable and most trusted partner to our customers and need your help to do it! Join Hearthside and enjoy a competitive package, outstanding benefits and a diverse work environment.

Who We Are

With over 11,000 employees at over 40 facilities across US & Europe, Hearthside Food Solutions is one of the fastest growing food companies and the industry’s largest contract manufacturer. Our secret to success? Our people. We know an investment in our people is an investment in our company. We strive to understand our team members and support them however we can. By empowering employees through skill development and career advancement opportunities, we emphasize a culture of continuous improvement – both for the business and our people. We want team members that will support us in owning safety together – speaking up when they see a problem. When we focus on our people and safety, it ensures we all are driving better performance as well as on time delivery to our customers

What We Want to Give You

We offer a competitive wage and wide array of benefits including:

health/dental/vision insurance

flex spending accounts

short & long-term disability

paid holidays and vacation

bonus opportunities (referral, production, etc.).

Job Summary

The primary responsibility of the Account Manager will be managing the day-to-day relationship for a specific customer base, delivering sustained profitable growth for Hearthside Food Solutions (HFS). Additionally, this specific Account Manager role will have defined business development / new customer acquisition targets, a key enabler to driving incremental top line sales growth, one of HFS’ key strategic objectives. Account management will represent 75% of the candidates’ time, with the remaining 25% focused on business development.

Key Responsibilites

Operate as primary point of contact for day-to-day communication between customer base and HFS.

Create and execute customer-specific account plans to grow profitable sales in line with HFS strategy. Drive customer conversations relating to strategic planning, forecasting, pricing, terms, conditions, and expenditures.

Develop and maintain close working relationships with customer base, conducting business reviews that lead to growth for both the customer and HFS.

Operate as an extension of the customers’ networks, facilitating speed, flexibility, and fostering mutually beneficial solutions to solve business challenges.

Participate in customer specific Product Development and Commercialization processes from inception to completion, providing regular updates to internal and external stakeholders.

Work cross-functionally with peers in R&D, Operations, Supply Chain, Commercialization, and Finance to validate, prioritize and deliver customer projects.

Provide appropriate information, reviews, adjustments and insight to Customer and HFS cross-functional teams to promote effective delivery of the customer’s requirements

Analyze market trends in the industry, using external and internal resources to identify growth and profit improvement opportunities.

Create new customer acquisition / business development strategies for an assigned set of targeted accounts, maintaining accurate forecasting of prospect pipeline across all business platforms via CRM system.

Participate in sales and customer process improvement teams to ensure customer requirements are met.

Support the HFS’ vision to be a world-class food manufacturer, the industry leader, and the premier customer-centric manufacturing partner.

Must be willing to travel as required (2 – 4 times / month)

Knowledge Skills And Experience

Exposure to food manufacturing, supply chain optimization, contract manufacturing, or other relevant experience

Strong experience in customer account management and customer-specific project management

Track record of having built outstanding and effective relationships with cross-functional teams and customers

Demonstrated ability to lead and drive key initiatives while influencing across all levels in the organization

Experience developing and presenting business performance reviews to customers and internal leaders

Strong analytical skills, financial acumen, and ability to manage multiple work streams simultaneously.

Strong verbal and written communication skills

Ability to work autonomously, meet tight deadlines, and thrive in a fast-paced environment

Proficient in: MS Office Suite, Excel, Power Point

Minimum Qualifications

Four-year college degree in business, supply chain or related field required

3-5 years of experience in a multi-business unit food manufacturing environment

Experience partnering and leading the relationship with foodservice distributors and/or retail brokers highly desired

Excellent communication, conflict management, decision-making, motivational and organizational skills required.

Proficient in MS Office applications such as Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint and Word.

Hearthside is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Apply Now

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