Key Account Rep

Aspire Bakeries is a North American baking company with a leadership position in specialty frozen baked goods. Formed from leading bakery companies, its innovative food portfolio includes breads, artisan breads, buns, cookies, donuts, muffins and pastries from beloved brands like La Brea Bakery®, Otis Spunkmeyer®, and Oakrun Farm Bakery®. With 14 bakeries in North America, we are committed to driving innovation, predicting upcoming consumer trends and flavors, and exceeding our customers’ expectations. Aspire Bakeries champions the values of Integrity, Ownership, Customer Focus, Creativity and Care to help us deliver on People Safety, Food Safety, Quality and Collaboration.

The Key Account Representative is responsible for the planning and execution of food service channel objectives in the West territory, broker engagement and training, and managing and growing purchases through sales activities in the non-commercial, street, emerging chain, c-store, vending, and K-12 segments, developing incremental business opportunities with local distributors, and providing effective and timely communication to internal and external customers.  The Key Account Representative will report to the Sr. Regional Sales Manager and support the objectives of the Emerging Chain, Corporate Accounts, K-12, C-Store, and Non-Commercial channel, as well as those from shared functional resources (Analytics, Operations, Customer Marketing, Category Management, R&D, Marketing, and Finance). 

Responsibilities:

• Work in conjunction with Sr. RSM to achieve and exceed current budget and profit goals.

• Work in conjunction with Sr. RSM to develop, implement, and manage broker and distributor initiatives, sales strategies, and tactics.  Work in partnership with the broker sales team to deliver sales objectives for the territory. 

• Manage existing business through price negotiations, contract extensions, RFP’s, new item placements, etc. 

• Gain new and incremental business by identifying operator solutions, menu gaps, promotional opportunities, and market trends.

• Conduct broker and distributor sales team training on Aspire Bakeries foods.

• Manage product forecasting and rollouts of new foods.

• Work with cross-functional teams such as Marketing and Finance to identify and pursue ideas, projects, and opportunities that have the biggest sales and margin potential.

• Communicate account issues, opportunities, and results through weekly status reports, and constant discussion horizontally and vertically throughout the organization.

• Represent Aspire Bakeries at tradeshows, distributor sales meetings, and customer conferences as needed.

• Develop knowledge of our Bakeries, Capabilities, Categories, and Food handling.  Communicate those attributes through training and interaction with customers and brokers.

• Interact with other departments in the organization to ensure the proper management of customer requirements.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing, Business, Communication, Culinary or related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

• Must have food service experience with a proven track record of success at the Broker, Distributor, or Operator level. 

• Proficient in MS Office, specifically PowerPoint, Word, and Excel.

• Up to 50% travel is required.

• Candidate must be based near a major airport within the geography.  No relocation is available for this position.

• Must have excellent communication skills and be able to collaborate well with others.

• The successful candidate will have a heavy focus on new business generation but must be able to manage and grow the existing customer base.

• Previous, demonstrated success in achieving incremental product placement with major accounts resulting from specific initiatives.

• Broker management experience is a plus.

• Prior Bakery experience and or a culinary background preferred.  Excellent interpersonal written and spoken communication skills are needed.

• Ability to survive and thrive in an opportunistic, fast-paced environment.

Salary Range: $75,000 - $82,500

Aspire Bakeries LLC values the contribution each Team Member brings to our organization. The final determination of a successful candidate’s starting pay will vary based on a number of factors, including, but not limited to location, shift, education, skill, and experience within the job or the industry. The pay scale listed for this position is generally for candidates who meet the specified qualifications and requirements listed In this specific job description. Additional pay may be determined for those candidates that exceed these specified qualifications and requirements. We provide a competitive compensation package that recognizes your experience, credentials, and education alongside a robust benefits program to meet your needs. For union-represented postings, wage rates and ranges are governed by applicable collective bargaining agreements.

Aspire Bakeries is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status.