National Account Manager - Away From Home (AFH)
Company: Heartland Foods Products Group Brand Portfolio: Splenda, Java House, and SlimFast
Focus: Bar and Restaurant Chains
Position Overview
Heartland Foods Products Group is seeking a National Account Manager to drive sales and business development across bar and restaurant chains as part of the Away From Home (AFH) team.
This role will represent the total Heartland Foods Products Group portfolio, including Splenda, Java House, and SlimFast, and will be responsible for identifying new business opportunities, securing chain-wide programs, and growing relationships with key accounts. The ideal candidate brings experience selling into multi-unit bar and restaurant organizations and can manage the sales process from initial outreach and product presentation through negotiation, rollout, and ongoing account growth.
Key Responsibilities
• Drive sales growth: Develop and execute account plans to grow revenue across national and regional bar and restaurant chains.
• Win new business: Identify, prospect, and secure new chain accounts, building a qualified pipeline of opportunities.
• Build strategic relationships: Develop relationships with corporate beverage teams, purchasing leaders, culinary teams, operations leaders, and other decision-makers.
• Develop customer solutions: Present products and programs across the Heartland Foods Products Group portfolio-including Splenda, Java House, and SlimFast-that align with each customer's menu, operational needs, and business objectives.
• Secure menu placements: Partner with customer teams to move opportunities through product evaluation, testing, approval, and menu integration.
• Lead commercial discussions: Manage proposals, pricing discussions, and negotiations in collaboration with internal stakeholders.
• Coordinate account launches: Work with customers, distributors, and internal teams to support product availability, training, and execution across participating locations.
• Grow existing accounts: Identify opportunities to expand into additional locations, increase product usage, and introduce additional products or applications.
• Manage account performance: Track sales, customer activity, program execution, and growth opportunities against account objectives.
• Maintain forecasts and pipeline visibility: Keep accurate account plans, opportunity updates, and sales forecasts.
• Share market insights: Communicate customer feedback, competitive activity, and emerging food and beverage trends to inform commercial priorities.
• Represent the portfolio: Participate in customer meetings, product presentations, industry events, and account visits as needed.
Required Qualifications
• Previous national or regional account sales experience serving multi-unit bar and restaurant chains.
• Demonstrated success developing new business and growing existing accounts.
• Experience navigating corporate purchasing processes and working with multiple customer stakeholders.
• Ability to translate product benefits into compelling customer proposals.
• Strong relationship-building, presentation, negotiation, and account management skills.
• Ability to coordinate cross-functional teams and manage opportunities from prospecting through rollout.
• Strong organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple accounts and long sales cycles.
• Willingness to travel for customer meetings, account development, and industry events.
Preferred Qualifications
• Experience in beverage, foodservice, or Away From Home sales.
• Established relationships with bar and restaurant chain decision-makers.
• Experience developing beverage programs and securing menu placements.
• Familiarity with distributor-supported sales and fulfillment models.
• Experience supporting multi-location product tests and rollouts.
What Success Looks Like
• Revenue growth across assigned bar and restaurant chain accounts.
• New account wins and successful multi-location rollouts.
• Expanded menu placements, product adoption, and sales within existing accounts.
• A healthy pipeline supported by clear account plans and reliable forecasts.
• Strong customer relationships and consistent execution across participating locations.
