Sales Account Manager

Requisition ID: 67473

Position Type: FT Permanent

Workplace Arrangement: #LI-Onsite

About Kerry

Kerry is the world's leading taste and nutrition company for the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries. Every day we partner with customers to create healthier, tastier and more sustainable products that are consumed by billions of people across the world. Our vision is to be our customers' most valued partner, creating a world of sustainable nutrition. A career with Kerry offers you an opportunity to shape the future of food while providing you opportunities to explore and grow in a truly global environment.

About the role

Work Location: Tokyo, Japan with travel to offshore R&D sites as necessary

Reporting to: Sales Director

Team: Work with local offshore RD&A resources

The Sales Account Manager will be accountable for sales and overall growth for Kerry’s business in major Japan C-Stores, Retail Brands in Japan with key focus in Meat based products by creating and managing relationships with brand owners, their meat processing partners and importers. Focus of this role will be to maximize engagement in Japan to grow Kerry’s business and getting a bigger share of Thailand and China exports into these brands in Japan.

Kerry’s approach to this market requires close engagement with key stake holders externally and internally across countries through innovation, meeting consumer demands and build long term supply partnerships. The successful candidate will lead this engagement activity in Japan market with key stake holders, working back with teams in Thailand and China, and utilizing an innovative menu/category approach with applications and marketing support.

We need someone with highly developed influence, communication and leadership skills that can develop and maximize multi-level relationships in key customers/complex partnership models to secure long term business growth.

Key responsibilities

• Define, plan and implement account based (on C Store, Retail Brands) strategies to support, grow and drive bigger share for Thailand and China exports into Japan meat markets.
• Establish key multi-level partnership model for each C Store/retail brands with their importation, and processing partners to execute Kerry’s growth strategies.
• Create all taste and market samples in the Kerry Japan Customer Center
• Collaborate closely with different business development, technology/application teams within Japan, and Thailand and China for input on account strategies to ensure adherence to their set boundaries
• Identify new and further growth opportunities within the region through the salesforce.com reporting process
• Responsible to meet the pre-defined Key Performance Indicators
• Maintain and improve current levels of profitability of products with existing customers
• Take actions where necessary to ensure channel near & long-term sales target achievement
• Monitor and measure performance against targets
• Build, manage and strengthen relationships with the customers by overseeing activities or transactions and ensuring compliance in accordance with the customer’s segmentation guidelines
• Support the development of commercial, legal, supply, and stocking agreements with customers in compliance with Kerry’s guidelines
• Ensuring compliance with all Kerry systems and processes

Qualifications and skills

• At least 8 years sales account management experience in Japan within the Meat, Processed Meat, Food and Beverage Industry with a focus on food service.
• Long work relation and experience with C-stores, Retailers in Japan will be critical and advantageous.
• Prior technical or functional experience in meat, food or beverage research development & application (RD&A), manufacturing, operations, or quality is a plus factor
• Demonstrated understanding of Japan’s C-Store, Retail market, consumer trends, key players and competitive landscape
• Passion for food and taste to create great products that consumers will love and that our customers can sell in volume profitably and sustainably
• Strategic thinking, planning, and execution
• A good head for numbers - understanding costs, margins, profit and delivering shareholder value
• Ability to clinically prioritise top important objectives and structure to deliver smart plans
• High emotional intelligence and adaptability to different personality types to get the best from internal and external relationships
• Prepared to get out there and spend maximum quality time developing and nurturing multi-level contacts with customers, all aligned to delivering objectives
• Demonstrated experience and understanding of the science and language around the food business (e.g. sensory, organoleptic, nutrition, labelling, legislation, manufacturing, RD&A processes, quality, etc.)
• Independent, self-driven, positive, driven, articulate and persuasive
• BSc or higher in Food Science / Meat/ Engineering or related field or alternatively, a BBS or BA or higher in a Business or Marketing discipline, combined with practical Food Industry experience

Beware of scams online or from individuals claiming to represent us. A Kerry employee will not solicit candidates through a non-Kerry email address or phone number. In addition, Kerry does not currently utilise video chat rooms (e.g., Google Hangouts) to conduct interviews. Refuse any request that asks you to provide payment to participate in the hiring process (e.g., purchasing a “starter kit,” investing in training, or something similar). Kerry will not ask you to pay any money at any point in the hiring process with the exception of reimbursable travel expenses. In addition, any payments made by Kerry will be from official firm accounts bearing the Kerry name.

Recruiter: #LI-NA1

Posting Type: LI