TITLE: Account Director - Midwest/Southeast

LOCATION: Chicago, IL, Atlanta, GA, Dallas, TX

Travel: 50-60%

COMP RANGE: $140,000-155,000 year plus 25% target Sales Incentive Plan

The Account Director will be cultivating sales growth within key accounts for our Protein or Retail business by being a trusted partner: understanding their business needs and then collaborating to create or share current Griffith Foods products. In this high-impact role, this individual is responsible for achieving volume, net sales, and contribution margin goals while driving strategic initiatives, managing key accounts, and developing new product opportunities with existing customers aligned with Griffith Foods' capabilities and values.

The Account Director position may be right for you if you:

• Have a strong consultative selling style that is strategic and data driven
• Have a natural curiosity to learn and share knowledge to improve business relationships.
• Are persuasive, with a proven ability to negotiate, influence decisions and manage complex customer needs.
• Have a high level of comfort interacting across functional teams and diverse stakeholders.
• Ability to work independently and travel 50-60% of the time.

As the Account Director, your responsibilities will include:

• Contribute actionable insights and customer-focused strategies to the annual Sales & Marketing planning process. Align plans with both market trends and Griffith's long-term goals.
• Identify, engage, and grow strategic accounts by delivering customized solutions from Griffith Foods' full portfolio. Actively pursue new product acquisitions with existing customers that are consistent with our Long-Range Plan.
• Build and sustain strong relationships with key decision-makers. Act as a trusted advisor, using a consultative selling approach to create mutual value and long-term partnerships.
• Meet or exceed sales, volume, and profitability targets. Ensure that all activities are aligned with budget expectations and organizational priorities.
• Partner closely with internal teams including R&D, Marketing, Operations and Supply Chain, and Culinary to align customer needs with Griffith's capabilities and innovation pipeline.
• Lead sales planning, forecasting, and pipeline management. Utilize CRM tools and data analytics to manage accounts, track performance, and support Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) processes.
• Manages negotiations with clients and customers regarding pricing, cost delivery and special promotions.
• Provides weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual reports of activities and sales volume.

Qualified candidates will have:

• Bachelor's degree required (business, marketing, or related field preferred).
• 5+ years of progressive sales/account management experience, preferably in the food or adjacent industries.
• Demonstrated success in building and growing strategic customer relationships.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word, PowerPoint).
• Data-driven approach to sales strategy, pipeline management, and reporting.
• Candidates must currently possess unrestricted authorization to work in the United States. Work visa sponsorship is not available for this role.

What will set you apart:

• Having at least 5-8 years of sales experience
• Experience selling customized or private-label food products.
• Business to Business sales in the food and beverage industry

This role is eligible to participate in the Sales Incentive Plan, with a target of 25% of salary. This bonus is based on weighted achievement against contribution margin, strategic priorities, and volume goals.

The Company offers the following benefits for this position, subject to applicable eligibility requirements:

Medical, Rx, Dental, Vision, Flexible Spending & Health Savings Accounts, EAP, Health Advocacy, Financial Planning, Parental Leave, Care.com, Adoption & Surrogacy Assistance, Education Assistance/Tuition Reimbursement, Safety Reimbursement, Lifestyle Spending Account, Group Life & AD&D, Voluntary Life Insurance, Short Term & Long Term Disability, 401(k) Plan with Company Match, ESOP, PTO, Holiday's & Leaves, Accident Insurance, Critical Illness Insurance, Hospital Indemnity, Home & Auto Insurance, Pet Insurance, Identity Theft Protection, Long Term Care + Life Insurance & Legal Assistance.

Custom Culinary and Griffith Foods embrace WorkFlex, allowing employees to work from home most of the time, and select options like compressed work weeks, flex time, etc. that creates an effective workplace where work patterns meet the needs of both employers & employees. Most professionals come into the office once a week. Periodic onsite meetings may occur at our Lombard or Alsip (IL) locations.