National Account Manager, Onsite Foodservice

Summary

The National Account Manager owns and grows La Colombe’s top onsite enterprise relationships across assigned national customers, including foodservice management companies such as Compass, Sodexo and Aramark. The role serves as the primary point of accountability for strategic customer partnerships that scale across Business & Industry (B&I), Healthcare, Higher Education, Sports and Entertainment. In partnership with Group Purchasing Organizations (GPOs) Corporate Procurement, Sector & Channel Leaders), Regional Teams, and Internal Cross-Functional Partners, the National Account Manager drives contracting, distribution, programming, new-unit placements, and sustainable long-term growth.

Responsibilities

Account Ownership and Enterprise Relationships

• Own corporate-level and sector-head relationships with assigned national customers, such as Compass, Sodexo, and Aramark, including contracting strategic, national partnership deals.
• Serve as the primary point of accountability for assigned enterprise accounts, aligning customer priorities with La Colombe growth objectives.
• Develop and maintain relationships with corporate procurement, sector leadership, brand, regional, and GPO stakeholders.
• Identify and advance opportunities to expand product placement, beverage programming, distribution, and new-unit placements across priority sectors.
• Drive GPO approval and field pull-through pathways where applicable.

Strategic Planning, Programming, and Distribution

• Develop and execute named-account business plans covering account programming, trade investment, and execution priorities.
• Build and manage Joint Business Plans (JBPs) that address customer-specific objectives and deliver mutual value.
• Drive product placement, menu integration, Limited-Time Offer (LTO) execution, and beverage program penetration across assigned accounts.
• Build and manage per-serving cost models, JBPs, chain-economics frameworks, and competitive positioning.
• Manage Request for Proposal (RFP) cycles, contract renewals, and commercial negotiations while maintaining appropriate trade-spend levels.

Customer Leadership and Business Reviews

• Create customer presentations grounded in business insights, account economics, and execution opportunities.
• Lead customer business reviews and hold internal and external partners accountable for delivery against agreed plans, programs, and performance measures.
• Participate in relevant customer meetings, regional district meetings, trade shows, and industry events.

Cross-Functional Partnership

• Partner with regional foodservice leaders and field sales counterparts to drive execution at priority sites and across customer field organizations.
• Coordinate with service operations on equipment standards, installation pipelines, and preventive maintenance requirements for new and existing placements.
• Partner with channel marketing on co-op programs, customer-facing collateral, and brand activation.
• Coordinate with product, innovation, and delivery-system teams on customer-specific solutions and on-tap deployments where applicable.

Reporting and Pipeline Discipline

• Maintain accurate Customer Relationship Management (CRM) records following meaningful customer interactions.
• Deliver consistent pipeline updates, forecasts, and risk/opportunity assessments to the Sr. Director, Foodservice.
• Contribute to Quarterly Business Review (QBR) and annual planning cycles with account-level revenue, margin, placement, and JBP scorecards.

Requirements

• 7+ years of Away From Home (AFH) or Foodservice sales experience, with significant experience managing foodservice management companies or complex multi-unit national accounts. 
• Proven track record managing enterprise customer structures and multi-level buyer organizations, including corporate procurement, sector leadership, regional operations and GPOs.
• Direct experience with JBP development, RFP cycles, contract negotiation, per-serving cost modeling, and customer business reviews.
• Strong familiarity with foodservice distributor networks and the GPO landscape.
• Ability to translate customer and financial insights into clear recommendations, persuasive presentations, and executable account plans.
• Self-motivated, entrepreneurial, and able to work independently in a remote environment while leading through influence across a matrixed organization.
• Strong analytical, presentation, communication, and negotiation skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint; CRM proficiency (HubSpot or equivalent) required.
• Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree a plus. 
• Travel 30-50%, primarily to customer headquarters, regional district meetings, key sector events, trade shows, and priority customer locations.