Sr Manager, Customer Development

Aspire Bakeries is a North American baking company with a leadership position in specialty frozen baked goods. Formed from leading bakery companies, its innovative food portfolio includes breads, artisan breads, buns, cookies, donuts, muffins and pastries from beloved brands likeLa Brea Bakery,Otis Spunkmeyer, andOakrun Farm Bakery. With 13 bakeries in North America, we are committed to driving innovation, predicting upcoming consumer trends and flavors, and exceeding our customers' expectations. Aspire Bakeries champions the values of Integrity, Ownership, Customer Focus, Creativity and Care to help us deliver on People Safety, Food Safety, Quality and Collaboration.

Key Accountabilities

The Sr. Manager of Corporate Accounts is responsible for leading strategic relationships with targeted Aspire Bakeries Corporate Distribution accounts. This role drives revenue growth, profitability, and joint business planning efforts by aligning customer needs with the company's product portfolio, marketing programs, and supply chain capabilities. The Sr. Manager serves as the primary point of contact for senior customer stakeholders and leads cross-functional collaboration internally to deliver exceptional service and value.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Account Leadership: Develop and execute sales and growth strategies for Foodservice distributor partners; accountable for sales volume, profitability, and long-term business growth.
• Customer Relationship Building: Cultivate and maintain strong, trust-based relationships with key stakeholders at multiple levels across customer organizations; act as a thought partner and solutions-oriented advisor.
• Proactive Business Development: Identify new opportunities through market insights, customer needs, and category trends, positioning Aspire as a strategic partner to our customers.
• Category & Program Management: Execute category management initiatives with distributor partners, negotiating and implementing impactful marketing programs.
• Joint Planning & Presentations: Lead and participate in customer joint business planning, quarterly business reviews, and strategic presentations with excellence.
• Field & Regional Sales Collaboration: Work closely with Aspire's Field Sales Team, along with brokers, to ensure flawless execution of plans across local distribution in all markets.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with Aspire teams (Sales, Finance, Marketing, Supply Chain, etc.) to maximize speed to market and customer satisfaction.
• Contract & Trade Spend Management: Negotiate contracts, terms, and trade investments to maximize ROI and align with Aspire's goals.
• Portal Management: Collaborate with key internal stakeholders to lead and support customer portal requests, tasks, and initiatives, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and efficiency in all account-related processes.
• Operational Support: Lead and support day-to-day projects including pricing, forecasting, deductions, aged collectibles, ingredient/packaging updates, and related initiatives.

Skills, Experience & Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Business or related field required; MBA a plus.
• 7+ years of related experience in the Foodservice industry; Corporate Distribution Account Management and/or Bakery segment experience preferred.
• Deep knowledge of food industry dynamics and customer structures
• Analytical mindset with ability to interpret sales data and financial reports
• Proven ability to build and sustain trusted, long-term customer relationships.
• Exceptional presentation, communication, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence across levels.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office; experience with trade promotion management /customer systems a plus.
• Ability to travel up to 50-75% for customer meetings, trade shows, and internal collaboration

Aspire Bakeries is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status.