National - Kroger

At Russell Stover, not only do we love chocolate, but we love our jobs! Every day we go to work exhibiting our values of excellence, innovation, entrepreneurship, responsibility, and collaboration. Working at Russell Stover you’ll be part of the leading manufacturer of boxed, seasonal, and sugar-free chocolates. For over 100 years, our American-made brands – Russell Stover Chocolates, Whitman’s, and Pangburn’s – have been crafted with the finest ingredients to bring happiness to generations. Today, we produce over 55 million pounds of chocolate annually, and our legacy brands can be found in 13 company-owned stores and over 9,000 wholesale accounts. Join our team and let’s continue making chocolate lovers happy! 

A day in the life…

As a National Account Manager -  Kroger, you will champion the iconic Russell Stover brand through strategic promotion and pricing initiatives. To help us aggressively grow market share, you bring a strong analytical and sales-driven mindset, along with a proven track record of developing and executing winning strategies with wholesale partners. You thrive in a fast-paced, growing CPG environment and excel at building collaborative, responsive relationships with both internal stakeholders and external customers.

What you will be doing…

• Manage the day-to-day relationship with retail buyers and teams
• Achieve true net sales growth through accurate performance analysis, forecasting and planning for the everyday inline business
• Manage budgets and funds to achieve optimal ROI
• Ensure consistent forecast accuracy for everyday items on a monthly and annual basis
• Develop and execute ongoing distribution objectives for Kroger
• Develop and execute new item presentations to meet current and future objectives
• Plan and implement promotional plans
• Budget and manage trade funds
• Collect competitive activity on an ongoing basis and perform as a category expert
• Provide category management and analytical support to the team using 84.51/Market 6 platforms
• Manage the weekly and seasonal internal business reviews using POS and category data through 84.51/Market 6/DemandTec/Prism platforms
• Manage the E-Comm business by collaborating with external and internal partners

If visiting our manufacturing plants, you will be expected to:

• Adhere to Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) to ensure product quality and maintain compliance with food safety standards
• Complete and follow FSQA training and programs to comply with regulatory requirements, ensure consumer safety, and support the plant’s food safety and quality objectives
• Promptly report and take appropriate action on any observed or potential food safety hazards, process deviations, or non-conformities by notifying the designated plant supervisor, in accordance with your role and responsibilities
• Actively contributes to the continuous improvement of the company’s Food Safety Culture through engagement and actions aligned with your role

 

This job posting is not all inclusive and other duties may be assigned.

 

Do you have what it takes? 

(Basic Qualifications)

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Finance, or a related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 5+ years of experience in consumer packaged goods (CPG) sales, account management, category management, or business analytics.
• Experience managing customer relationships and partnering directly with retail buyers.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret POS, syndicated, and category data to develop actionable business recommendations.
• Experience with sales forecasting, demand planning, and trade fund management.
• Advanced proficiency with 84.51°, Market6, DemandTec, and Prism.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint.
• Excellent communication, presentation, negotiation, and relationship-building skills.
• Experience supporting the Kroger business and/or working directly with Kroger systems and processes.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to speak, read, and write English fluently, with or without an accommodation

Do you stand above the rest?

(Preferred Qualifications)

• Experience leveraging Circana (IRI) syndicated data to identify trends and business opportunities.
• Experience developing compelling sales stories and delivering effective presentations to internal and external stakeholders.
• Experience with promotional planning, deduction management, and trade spending analysis.
• Ability to develop financial recommendations supported by ROI and profitability analysis.
• Demonstrated sense of urgency with strong follow-through, responsiveness, and customer focus.
• Proven success leading customer presentations, business reviews, and new item sell-in meetings.
• Experience conducting Joint Business Planning (JBP) with retail customers.
• Knowledge of Kroger merchandising, category review, promotional, and distribution processes.
• Experience supporting eCommerce and omnichannel growth initiatives.
• Extensive knowledge of the grocery channel and/or Kroger customer landscape.

 

At Russell Stover Chocolates, we don’t just accept difference — we celebrate it, we support it, and we thrive on it for the benefit of our employees, our products, and our community. Russell Stover Chocolates is proud to be an equal-opportunity workplace.

We provide equal employment opportunities to all people without regard to race, color, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, religion, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, pregnancy, physical or mental disability, protected medical condition, genetic information, military service, veteran status, or any other status or characteristic protected by law.

Employment by Russell Stover Chocolates is contingent upon I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification, passing the urinalysis drug screen, education verification, and satisfactory reference and background checks.

Make Happy. Work Happy.