KAM Sales - National Accounts

LEAHY-IFP•Glenview, IL

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Finlays Solutions is a leading partner to the B2B beverage manufacturing industry, recognized for its deep expertise, strong industry relationships, and commitment to innovation. The company plays a central role in supporting beverage brands, flavor houses, private label partners, and manufacturers through high-quality products, technical capabilities, and collaborative problem-solving. With a strong presence in the ready-to-drink beverage market, Finlays Solutions focuses on identifying emerging opportunities, expanding into new market spaces, and delivering solutions that meet evolving customer and consumer needs. Finlays Solutions operates with a strong commitment to its mission, values, ethics, and long‑term goals, ensuring that every initiative reflects the company’s dedication to integrity, partnership, and sustainable success. This KAM will support the National Account Retail and Foodservice Sales Team in the creation and implementation of tactical sales objectives to drive account profitability and sustainable growth to the organization. This Key Account Manager (KAM) will assist in the management of all current National Accounts and be directly responsible for select key customers along with the critical business development of new accounts.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in a related field or equivalent experience.
Strong personal and professional ethics
Excellent communication skills (oral and written)
Strong leadership skills, independent thinking, strong organizational and planning abilities and excellent analytical and problem-solving skills are essential
Must be detailed oriented
Ability to produce written technical documents with clearly organized thoughts
Strong knowledge of Microsoft 365 applications (Office, PowerPoint, Excel, SharePoint, OneNote)
Ability to conduct product reviews, business reviews, presentations, and product demonstrations.
Willingness to work additional hours, and tailor schedule appropriately, to support team goals and meet deadlines
Must possess adequate vision, hearing, and verbal communication skills to meet essential job performance and safety standards
Ability to stand and walk for extended periods and regularly perform physical tasks such as pushing, pulling, lifting, climbing, bending, stooping, squatting, and using hands for detailed tasks
Work environment sometimes involves exposure to inclement weather
Physically capable of performing tasks such as lifting, climbing, and using hand and power tools, including pallet jacks, scales, ladders, and standard material handling and cleaning equipment
Capable of safely lifting up to 50 pounds frequently throughout the day; ability to handle heavier items with proper lifting equipment or team-assisted techniques to ensure safety
Employees must be able to work in a dynamic manufacturing environment that may include exposure to odors, dust, moderate noise levels, and fluctuations in temperature and ventilation
Appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) must be worn at all times, which may include but is not limited to: safety glasses, steel-toed shoes, gloves, hairnets, uniforms, and face shields, as required by specific job duties and safety protocols
Follow Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP’s), allergen control, food defense, HACCP, SQF, and regulatory requirements so that we make consistently safe, quality products.
Ensure the presence of visitors, contractors, and customers are documented on each visit in and out of the facility to maintain good manufacturing practices, allergen controls, food defense/food security and HACCP controls.
Report all food safety and quality issues to management immediately.
Partner with colleagues across all functions to share knowledge, skills, and information regarding quality and food safety.
Adhere to all health and safety work practices.
Exhibit an understanding of quality and food safety standards and be able to speak about the Finlays quality and food safety system and your role in it.
Handle customer complaints in a timely and professional manner so that the customer is put first, always.
Participate fully in Finlays programs that drive continuous improvement methodologies.
Any employee in doubt as to the role they play in the Finlays quality and food safety management system must reach out to the site Quality Manager or VP of Quality.
All applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, color, gender, gender identity, age, religion, national origin, ancestry, disability, perceived disability, medical condition, genetic information, veteran status, sexual orientation, or any other protected status, as defined by applicable law.
Finlays employs individuals that are 18 years of age or older.
This position is not eligible for Visa Sponsorship

Nice To Haves

Role Does NOT Include Direct reports
Cold calling
Hunter-style sales expectations

Responsibilities

Develop Annual Objectives and Quarterly Milestones with the Retail and Foodservice account teams.
Comprehensive understanding of the overall business needs of each current Key Retail and Foodservice accounts.
Comprehensively understand the market to provide excellent services to customers and develop a strong working relationship with distributors and operators.
Act as the main liaison for external clients, managing open projects and facilitating all related internal and external meetings.
Sound understanding of account’s business, menu and/or Go2Market strategy.
Develop key relationships within each account and daily customer activity/communication.
Knowledge of past and current; sales, cases, margin and contribution to overall Key Accounts.
Participate in annual business reviews and account strategic planning.
Plan and assist sales leads with Ideation and Proactive Product Forward Presentations with our current GTM approach.
Collaborate amongst R&D, Innovation, Marketing, QA and Ops for all customer driven product development concepts.
Review customer and any additional business data to identify improvement opportunities for our key accounts.
Manage customer forecast along with facilitating communication amongst Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Ops and Finance Teams.
Coordinate RFIs and RFPs and maintain tracking databases.
Execution of clearly defined topline sales objectives and goals as outlined with the KAM- Director, VP of Retail and VP of Foodservice for revenue and profitability growth.
New business development efforts should focus on maximizing the company’s core strengths by leveraging our production, logistics, and innovation capabilities.
KAMs play a critical role in supporting the sales team by driving growth within accounts identified as strategic for long‑term expansion.
Remain disciplined in following our established processes to ensure a streamlined and efficient workflow.
Achieves company assigned sales budget quota with all Key Accounts: Retail and Foodservice
Consistently meet quarterly milestones to achieve overall annual objectives.
Completes strategic customer account planning that meets the company expectations and maintains a high level of customer satisfaction ratings that meet our company standards and values.