We are strengthening our team with a Key Account Manager Foodservice (m/f/d)
Join our team and become a driving force behind the success of Lotus Biscoff and our Natural Foods portfolio in the AFH channel. As Key Account Manager AFH, you will play a crucial role in managing and growing relationships with leading wholesale customers.
Reporting directly to the Sales Manager Away from Home, you’ll be part of a dynamic four-person AFH Sales team. In this role you are managing the customer relationships and delivering the strategies for yearly and long term, profitable sales growth of your customers together with the Sales Manager Away from Home.
Your Mission
1. Develop and implement annual and long-term strategies to achieve profitable sales growth for your customer portfolio.
2. Collaborate closely with the Sales Manager Away from Home to align your efforts with the broader Lotus Bakeries growth plan.
3. Drive success through innovative strategies and a relentless focus on building and unlocking strong partnerships and delivering results.
4. Lead the annual negotiations with customers responsible for
5. Translating the national brand and Away from Home strategy at customer level by means of the growth pillars range such as product listings, promotions, trade fairs, etc.
6. Establishing and maintaining of strong commercial relationships with respective trade partners
7. Development of targeted, customer-related plans to achieve joint commercial objectives
8. Building conceptual channel-related trade selling stories on our brands and portfolio
9. Building and maintaining an effective network within the channel and acting as brand ambassador at customers, events, fairs, etc.
10. Analyzing and translating relevant Away from Home market data
11. Close collaboration with Marketing/Category Management to jointly develop and implement key levers that enable to grow the business
12. Monitoring and management of all administrative, logistical or financial tasks encountered by customers in close consultation with the Sales Assistant and other departments
13. Academic Excellence: A master’s/bachelor’s degree in economics or a related field.
14. Proven Expertise:
15. Customer Insights: Profound knowledge of the German Away from Home market structure
16. Channel Expertise: Experience in sales process dynamics on customer side (e.g. central vs. regional decision-taking) and translating them into dedicated concepts
17. Negotiation Mastery: You prove a track record of successfully leading customer negotiations, including annual agreements, promotional activities, listings, and more. You’re a persuasive negotiator with the determination to achieve results while maintaining strong, empathetic customer relationships.
18. Data-driven decision maker: You have strong skills in analyzing sales data, coupled with a solid understanding of fundamental sales/financial metrics.
19. Operational excellence: Key account management processes are second nature to you.
20. Language Skills: Fluency in German (full professional proficiency) and a good understanding of English (written and spoken).
21. Cultural Fit: You thrive in a team environment, fostering open dialogue, and radiating enthusiasm for sales and our beloved Lotus brand.
22. Proactive Achiever: With a hands-on mentality, you take ownership of your tasks and projects, driving progress and delivering tangible results.
23. Innovative Thinker: Ambitious and forward-looking, you proactively develop new ideas and seek opportunities to unlock both current and future potential.
24. Conceptual Communicator: Thinking in solutions and taking others on a joint journey by selling your ideas conceptually with focus on joint value creation.
25. Deal-Maker at Heart: Negotiation is your passion — you love the challenge and satisfaction of "scoring the deal" and closing agreements.
26. Results-Driven Visionary: You consistently aim for excellence, maintaining a strategic perspective while identifying opportunities to deepen and expand customer relationships.
27. Optimistic Learner: You approach your work with a positive attitude, embracing challenges, celebrating successes, and staying open to continuous learning and growth.