Account Director - MarketLink/Seafood/Retail

Griffith Foods is a global manufacturer of food products. We provide a wide range of taste and texture components for food industry customers throughout the world. Our products include seasoning blends, dry mixes, coating systems, dough blends, crumbs, flavors, sauces and food bases that are used in an extensive variety of application from snack foods and processed meat and poultry to ready meals. Our customers include food processors, restaurant operators and grocery retailers. While our name may not be familiar to consumers, our products are key components of foods offered by many of the world's best-known companies.

Summary: Lead the continued development of the MarketLink model within the North American region. Manage a portfolio of legacy seafood customers in line with the regional protein strategy. Lead the development of a seafood strategy for the region.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

• To work cross functionally and globally to grow North American MarketLink sales in line with our annual operating plan and long-range plan targets.

• Work with other Griffith Foods regions to enable MarketLink opportunities in the North American market
• Act as the regional expert for the embedding of the MarketLink Model within the North American Go-To-Market team through continuous training and leadership
• Directly supporting key MarketLink opportunities across the region
• Ensure the appropriate execution of the MarketLink model within the regional segment strategies
• Tracking financial progress vs. short and long-term objectives

• Manage a portfolio of seafood customers for profitable growth as a part of the North American Protein Segment strategy.

• Direct responsibility for sales growth in line with budget expectation
• Demand forecasting, customer support and project management
• Customer Account plan development

• Work with the Regional Segment and Category Teams to develop a Seafood strategy as a part of the North American Protein strategy.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree is required; MBA preferred.
• 10+ years of food industry experience in Culinary, Food Science, Sales, Nutrition.
• Experience operating internationally within the food industry. Asia Pacific is a plus.
• Proven experience in building and maintaining business relationships.
• Experience with customized and private label food products development required.
• Experience with CRM is preferred.
• Understanding international regulatory is a plus.
• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written.
• Interpersonal skills to interact with diverse groups of individuals and functional areas within the company and outside the company.
• Ability to communicate across regions, cultures, and functions (Technical, Culinary, Sales & Purchasing).
• Knowledge of Microsoft Excel, Word, PowerPoint required.
• This position requires up to 50% travel.

• Alsip, IL, USA