Key Account Manager - Pet Specialty Retail

Hagen Group

11d•Remote

About The Position

Hagen Group is seeking an experienced Key Account Manager to manage and grow key multi-store retail customers within the U.S. pet specialty channel. Reporting to the Director of Sales, this role will own the day-to-day and strategic management of assigned accounts, including sales performance, customer relationships, forecasting, promotional planning, and new business development. The successful candidate will understand the complexities of managing large retail customers and will combine strong relationship management with analytical and commercial skills to identify opportunities, solve problems, and deliver profitable growth.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Sales, or a related field preferred
5+ years of experience in key account management, retail sales, consumer products, or a related commercial role.
Proven experience managing multi-store retail customers; pet specialty or comparable specialty retail experience strongly preferred
Experience working directly with retail buyers, merchants, inventory planners, and category managers
Strong commercial and financial acumen, including revenue, margin, trade spend, forecasting, and account profitability
Ability to analyze POS, sales, Nielsen and inventory data and translate insights into action
Experience with line reviews, new item presentations, promotional planning, and annual business planning
Strong communication, presentation, negotiation, and relationship-building skills
Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint
Ability to manage multiple priorities independently in a fast-paced environment

Responsibilities

Serve as the primary relationship owner for assigned multi-store pet specialty retail accounts
Develop and execute account plans to achieve annual sales and profitability objectives
Build strong relationships across customer buying, merchandising, inventory, and planning teams
Lead customer meetings, business reviews, line reviews, and annual planning
Identify opportunities to expand distribution, assortment, shelf presence, and promotional activity
Present new products, programs, displays, and merchandising opportunities that support customer and Hagen growth objectives
Support negotiations involving pricing, trade terms, promotions, and other commercial programs
Own revenue, volume, margin, trade investment, and monthly sales forecasts for assigned accounts
Analyze purchases, POS, syndicated data, inventory, distribution, and promotional performance to identify trends, risks, and growth opportunities
Monitor performance against budget and develop action plans when results fall below expectations
Partner with customers and internal Supply Chain teams to manage inventory requirements, out-of-stocks, and changes in demand
Evaluate promotional and trade investments to improve effectiveness and return on investment
Coordinate new item launches, promotional programs, displays, and assortment changes from sell-in through execution
Monitor new product and promotional performance and recommend actions to maximize sell-through
Ensure customer programs, pricing, and trade agreements are accurately communicated and executed
Proactively identify and resolve issues impacting customer performance
Partner with Sales, Marketing, Product, Supply Chain, Customer Service, and Finance to deliver customer objectives
Communicate customer priorities, opportunities, risks, and market insights across the organization
Coordinate internal resources to ensure customer commitments and deadlines are met