Account Manager – Regional & Independent

Forever Cheese•New York, NY

22h•$65,000 - $80,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Forever Cheese is seeking a driven, high-touch Account Manager to join the Regional & Independent team. This role owns a defined book of independent accounts end-to-end — from proactive outbound selling through order execution, CRM maintenance, and follow-through. The Regional & Independent team delivers white-glove service to independent accounts that require consistent, proactive attention to grow. This is a full-ownership model: each Account Manager is the single point of contact for their portfolio and is directly accountable for commercial outcomes and the day-to-day customer experience. This role is based in Forever Cheese's New York City office and requires a minimum of 3 days per week in-office.

Requirements

1–3 years of experience in specialty food, CPG, or food & beverage sales
Demonstrated experience managing independent retail, foodservice, or wholesale accounts
Strong relationship-building skills with a proactive, solutions-oriented approach
Ability to manage a high volume of accounts and tasks with discipline and attention to detail
Comfort with CRM systems, order management, and day-to-day account administration
Based in or able to commute to New York City; minimum 3 days per week in-office required

Nice To Haves

Background in specialty cheese, fine food, or imported food products
Experience with independent retail buyers, specialty distributors, or broadline distributors
Familiarity with KeHE, UNFI, or similar distributor workflows

Responsibilities

Proactively reach out to independent accounts to build and maintain strong relationships
Identify and secure new menu and shelf placements across your account portfolio
Drive consistent, multi-touch outreach each cycle to increase account impact
Own the full order cycle — placing, adjusting, and confirming orders to keep accounts running smoothly
Manage substitutions and additions in real time, coordinating with the inside operations team as needed
Ensure orders are handled within agreed service levels with no gaps in execution
Maintain current, accurate CRM profiles for every account in your portfolio — contacts, purchasing patterns, notes, and opportunity tracking
Own New Item Form (NIF) submission and follow-through for your accounts from initial request through confirmed listing
Handle credits and returns end-to-end: initiating, tracking, and confirming resolution with the account
Manage all other account-level administrative tasks — you are the single point of accountability for your book
Engage new distributors as a key growth lever within your territory
Support new-door pipeline development and outbound prospecting
Contribute to segment growth targets: growing from 2% to 4% penetration represents $780K+ in upside