Role summary: The National Account Manager owns the commercial performance and day-to-day execution for assigned national retail customers across Mass, Club, Specialty Pet, Farm & Ranch, and Drug channels. This role is responsible for delivering profitable growth through joint business planning, assortment and line reviews, pricing and promotion strategy, trade spend management, forecasting and supply chain coordination, and retailer operational compliance. The NAM leads cross-functional execution across Sales, Demand Planning, Supply Chain, Finance, Marketing, and Product to improve in-stock, reduce deductions/chargebacks, and deliver best-in-class retail execution across brick-and-mortar and digital.
Primary accounts may include: Tractor Supply, Walmart, Costco, Petco, PetSmart, Sam's Club, Target, CVS, and similar national retailers.
Key responsibilities
Account leadership and growth
· Own the customer relationship across buyer, replenishment, eCommerce, operations, and category partners.
· Deliver annual and quarterly revenue, profit, and distribution objectives for assigned accounts.
· Lead Joint Business Plans (JBP), including goals, initiatives, item strategy, promo calendars, and execution timelines.
· Drive line reviews, new item launches, resets, and assortment optimization using item productivity and consumer insights.
· Lead QBRs and performance reporting, including executive-ready recaps of opportunities, risks, and action plans.
Pricing, promotions, and trade spend
· Develop and manage account pricing strategy aligned to retailer margin requirements and company profitability targets.
· Build annual promo plans (TPR/feature/display/digital events), and evaluate performance with post-event analysis and learnings.
· Manage trade spend budgets, including accurate accruals, reconciliation, and ROI improvement.
· Partner with Finance to manage deductions/short pays/claims and reduce leakage; support dispute resolution with documentation and root-cause fixes.
Forecasting, demand planning, and supply chain execution
· Own account-level forecasting inputs and assumptions; partner with Demand Planning to align forecasts to POS, inventory, seasonality, and promotional plans.
· Drive in-stock performance through proactive inventory planning and issue resolution across DC/store/eComm fulfillment nodes.
· Partner with Supply Chain and Customer Ops to improve service levels, fill rate, on-time shipping, and retailer scorecard performance.
· Manage risks tied to lead times, allocation, discontinuations, and launch timing; communicate clearly and early across internal and customer teams.
Retail operations, compliance, and item setup
· Ensure operational readiness for retailer requirements (purchase orders, routing guides, EDI, ASNs, invoicing, labeling, packaging, pallet configuration).
· Coordinate item setup and maintenance (item master data, case packs, barcodes, dimensions/weights, imagery/content requirements where applicable).
· Maintain fluency in retailer portals, scorecards, and required documentation; drive corrective actions to reduce chargebacks and compliance penalties.
· Lead cross-functional problem solving for operational issues that impact customer performance and profitability.
Omni-channel and eCommerce (as applicable by account)
· Partner with eCommerce and Marketing to support online assortment, content readiness, and account-specific digital programs.
· Coordinate digital promotions and events; ensure PDP content accuracy and timely updates (images, claims, attributes, compliance).
Private label and customer-brand programs (if applicable)
· Support private label/RFP workstreams including costing, margin modeling, spec alignment, packaging, compliance documentation, and timeline management.
· Coordinate cross-functional execution for private label launches, ensuring quality, operational readiness, and on-time delivery.
Cross-functional leadership
· Serve as the internal voice of the customer and create alignment across Sales, Finance, Supply Chain, Demand Planning, Marketing, QA, and Product.
· Create clear briefs, timelines, and accountability for launches, promos, and initiatives.
· Build internal processes and playbooks that improve repeatability, speed, and performance.
Success measures (KPIs)
This role is expected to deliver results across:
· Net sales, gross margin, and profitable growth
· Trade spend effectiveness (trade % of sales, trade ROI, accrual accuracy)
· Distribution gains, assortment health, item productivity
· In-stock and service metrics (fill rate, on-time performance, retailer scorecards/chargebacks)
· Forecast accuracy and launch/reset/on-shelf timing
· Deduction/claim rate reduction and resolution cycle time
Qualifications Required
· 5+ years of experience in national account management, key account sales, or category/customer leadership within CPG, pet, consumer products, or adjacent industries.
· Demonstrated experience managing one or more major retailers (examples: Walmart/Sam's, Target, Costco, Tractor Supply, Petco, PetSmart, CVS or similar).
· Proven ability to build JBPs, negotiate and execute promotions, and drive distribution/assortment outcomes.
· Strong financial and analytical skills with comfort managing pricing, trade spend, and performance reporting.
· Strong cross-functional leadership skills with the ability to align and drive execution without direct authority.
Preferred
· Experience with Club channel business dynamics (Costco/Sam's), including pack architecture, margin requirements, and event-based planning.
· Experience with Specialty Pet (Petco/PetSmart) and/or Farm & Ranch (Tractor Supply) account expectations and program cadence.
· Experience supporting private label programs or customer-brand launches.
· Experience working with EDI and retailer portals/scorecards, and resolving deductions/chargebacks through root-cause fixes.
· Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Supply Chain, or related field (or equivalent experience).
Core competencies
· Strategic account planning and negotiation
· Data-driven decision making and executive communication
· Trade and promotion planning, ROI analysis
· Forecasting partnership and operational problem solving
· Retail execution discipline and attention to detail
· Strong ownership mindset and follow-through
Tools and systems
· Advanced Excel and PowerPoint; comfort with building customer recaps and performance stories.
· Experience with ERP/forecasting systems, CRM tools, and retailer portals.
· Familiarity with EDI transaction flows (PO/ASN/invoice) and retail operational compliance concepts.
Work environment and travel
· Remote role with travel to customer meetings, line reviews, and internal planning sessions as needed (estimated 25–40%).
· Ability to work across time zones and adapt to customer schedules during peak planning periods.