National Account Manager

Aston Carter•City of New Rochelle, NY

5d•$130,000 - $160,000•Remote

About The Position

The National Account Manager drives distribution, sales growth, and retail execution across assigned regional and national chain accounts within the wine and spirits industry. This role manages key customer relationships, develops joint business plans, and executes strategic initiatives to grow distribution, increase volume, and expand market share for a premium beverage alcohol portfolio. Success in this position is measured by achieving distribution gains, delivering profitable growth, strengthening customer partnerships, and executing against strategic business objectives.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree is required.
5+ years of National Account Management, Regional Account Management, or Category Management experience within beverage alcohol, wine and spirits, or consumer packaged goods (CPG).
Demonstrated success managing large chain retail accounts and driving measurable business growth.
Strong understanding of chain retail environments, including grocery, mass, club, and beverage alcohol channels.
Proven ability to develop and execute joint business plans that deliver distribution, volume, and share growth.
Exceptional communication skills with the ability to present complex data and recommendations clearly.
Strong relationship management capabilities with internal teams, distributors, and retail customers.
Effective negotiation skills with experience structuring mutually beneficial customer programs.
Strong analytical skills with experience interpreting sales and market data from syndicated and retailer-specific sources.
Excellent organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple accounts, projects, and deadlines simultaneously.
Ability to travel as needed to support customer meetings, market visits, and business objectives.

Nice To Haves

Experience managing national grocery and mass retail customers such as Kroger, Target, Walmart, Albertsons, Publix, or similar accounts.
Experience working with syndicated data platforms such as Nielsen and Circana (IRI).
Knowledge of beverage alcohol regulations and the three-tier distribution system.
Wine and spirits industry experience is strongly preferred.
Background in retail data analysis, syndicated data interpretation, and category management.
Proven ability to build long-term, strategic customer relationships and influence key decision-makers.
Strong understanding of grocery, mass, and club retail dynamics and category management principles.
Commitment to professional development within the wine and spirits industry.

Responsibilities

Develop and maintain strong relationships with national and regional chain buyers, category managers, and key retail decision-makers.
Serve as the primary point of contact for assigned retail chain accounts, ensuring responsive and proactive communication.
Create and execute annual business plans that support distribution, volume, revenue, and market share growth objectives.
Identify and secure opportunities for new item placements, expanded distribution, feature and display activity, and assortment optimization.
Negotiate customer programs and initiatives that drive mutually beneficial growth for both retail partners and the beverage alcohol portfolio.
Lead the day-to-day management of assigned chain accounts, ensuring consistent execution of agreed-upon plans.
Partner closely with distributor partners to align priorities, objectives, and execution standards across markets.
Support assortment reviews, modular resets, shelf placement strategies, and promotional programming to optimize in-store presence.
Monitor account performance and retail execution to identify and address gaps in distribution, pricing, and merchandising.
Collaborate with distributor sales teams to maximize in-market execution, promotional effectiveness, and program compliance.
Analyze sales performance, market trends, and customer data using syndicated reporting tools and retailer-specific reporting platforms.
Leverage syndicated data platforms such as Nielsen and Circana (IRI), along with internal reporting resources, to identify opportunities and potential risks.
Provide actionable recommendations that improve customer performance and drive category growth within beverage alcohol.
Monitor competitive activity, pricing trends, and industry developments across the beverage alcohol space and share insights with stakeholders.
Partner with Commercial Marketing to develop customer-specific activation programs, promotional initiatives, and marketing plans.
Collaborate with Supply Chain, Operations, and Customer Service teams to ensure product availability and seamless execution for retail customers.
Work closely with Finance and Leadership teams on account planning, forecasting, and investment strategies.
Support successful product launches and portfolio expansion initiatives across assigned accounts, ensuring strong retail execution.
Maintain accurate forecasts, account plans, and sales reporting to support business planning and decision-making.
Manage trade spend, promotional budgets, and customer investments to maximize return on investment and achieve financial targets.
Present business reviews, account updates, opportunities, and risks to leadership in a clear and data-driven manner.
Develop recommendations and action plans based on business performance, market trends, and category insights.
Build and maintain strong external relationships with national and regional chain buyers, category managers, distributor leadership and sales teams, retail merchandising and execution partners, and beverage alcohol industry stakeholders.