Job Description Summary: The Senior Manager, National Sales - Kroger Sparkling Soft Drinks plays a critical role in shaping success for both Coca-Cola and Kroger, one of North America's premier retail partners. In this role, you will lead the joint business planning process for our Sparkling portfolio, translating brand strategies into commercially executable plans that win with shoppers and drive incremental growth.
This position provides a unique opportunity for an ambitious commercial leader to manage a high-profile national customer, leverage advanced insights, and collaborate across the Coca-Cola System to deliver excellence in execution. You'll combine relationship leadership, data-driven decision-making, and operational precision to elevate distribution, on-shelf availability, and programming impact across thousands of Kroger stores. If you are passionate about partnership, analytics, and delivering results at scale, this role offers a platform to strengthen your expertise and accelerate your career in a dynamic retail environment.
What You'll Do for Us- Act as a system-wide expert on Kroger's business, translating customer strategy into Coca-Cola's approach for the Sparkling category.
- Develop annual business plans in partnership with Kroger's category team, system bottlers, and internal commercial teams, outlining growth priorities, activation strategies, and joint initiatives.
- Drive assortment optimization, programming, and promotional excellence to maximize on-shelf availability and category visibility.
- Partner with bottlers and internal field teams to ensure flawless plan execution across all regions, driving sustainable results and win/win outcomes.
- Monitor business performance using analytics and syndicated data to identify gaps, recommend course corrections, and pursue incremental opportunities.
- Guide initiatives that capture share growth versus competitors and expand Coca-Cola's presence in key Kroger banners.
- Serve as primary contact for Kroger's Sparkling beverage business, ensuring alignment of commercial objectives and consistent communication of priorities.
- Solve operational challenges rapidly, maintaining exceptional service levels and supporting supply and replenishment processes.
- Collaborate with Marketing, Revenue Growth Management, and Shopper Insights to convert strategic platforms into winning in-store activations and promotional plans.
- Champion innovation and embrace new ideas to drive customer and shopper value across national programs.
Qualifications & Requirements- Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, or related discipline preferred.
- 3+ years of experience managing key accounts in CPG or beverage categories with a track record of delivering growth.
- Strong expertise in business planning, promotional development, and negotiating joint initiatives with retail partners.
- Knowledge of retail ecosystems and bottler environments, including system planning and execution dynamics.
- Advanced ability to interpret syndicated data and performance metrics to make informed decisions and influence outcomes.
- Proven skills in complex selling, cross-functional collaboration, and stakeholder management within a matrix environment.
- Highly organized, self-motivated, and adaptable with a strong results orientation.
- Excellent communication and presentation skills with confidence in engaging senior-level customer and internal stakeholders.
What We'll Do for You- Provide opportunities to manage large-scale customer relationships that shape the marketplace for Coca-Cola Sparkling brands.
- Offer high-impact collaboration with Marketing, Revenue Growth, and Retail Operations to broaden your commercial expertise.
- Deliver advanced tools, analytics, and training to support business planning and data-informed decision-making.
- Enable career progression within national sales leadership roles across Coca-Cola's retail organization.
LocationCincinnati, OH | Travel up to 10%
Skills:Account Management, Business Insights, Client Service, Communication, Cross-Functional Collaboration, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Data Analysis, Financial Acumen, Leadership, Marketing, Negotiation, Persuasion, Pricing Strategies, Promotion Development, Retail Execution, Sales Cycle, Sales Process, Strategic Business Planning, Strategic Insights, Teamwork, Trade Spend Management
Pay Range:United States: 119,000 - 145,800 USD
Base pay offered may vary depending on geography, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. A full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the position, is offered.
Annual Incentive Reference Value Percentage:15
Annual Incentive reference value is a market-based competitive value for your role. It falls in the middle of the range for your role, indicating performance at target.
Location(s):United States of America
City/Cities:Cincinnati
Travel Required:00% - 25%
Relocation Provided:No
Job Posting End Date:November 3, 2026
