Key Account Manager - Sam's Club & BJs

About the Company

Diageo is a global leader in premium alcoholic beverages with a portfolio of over 200 brands distributed in nearly 180 countries. The company includes iconic names like Johnnie Walker, Guinness, Tanqueray, Smirnoff, and Don Julio. Diageo encourages innovation, collaboration, and personal growth among its diverse workforce.

Role Purpose and Scope

The Key Account Manager for Sam's Club and BJs Wholesale Club is responsible for meeting the full-year sales plan within assigned accounts. This includes creating and executing strategic annual plans for these key retail clients. The role involves leading Diageo's sales initiatives at the corporate level, ensuring achievement of net sales value (NSV), profitability, market share, and tactical goals through efficient management of the Spirits and Beer portfolios. Core sales drivers such as distribution, product availability, assortment, pricing, inventory, and execution quality must be optimized for sustainable growth and excellent customer experiences.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and implement account-specific annual strategies focused on distribution expansion, innovation, and execution to drive long-term growth and meet KPIs for Sam's Club and BJs.
• Establish and sustain strong partnerships with each retailer, understanding their business models and priorities to position Diageo as a preferred and trusted supplier that delivers exceptional service and shared value.
• Collaborate extensively with internal teams including Shopper Marketing, Category Management, and Field Teams for Spirits and Beer, as well as distributor partners to ensure unified and superior execution across accounts.
• Maintain frequent engagement with customers, competitors, and consumers, with anticipated business travel comprising 35-45% of work time.
• Ensure excellent execution by coordinating closely with distributors and field teams to fulfill retailer expectations effectively.
• Manage allocated advertising and promotions (A&P) and fixed trade spending budgets, monitor performance relative to targets, and initiate corrective actions to drive sales growth, share, and distribution.
• Lead planning and negotiation with retail buying teams, ensuring alignment with annual operating plans (AOP) and budgetary constraints.
• Track monthly invoices vigilantly to prevent overspending and propose business spending initiatives to leadership to increase sales volume.
• Maintain rigorous accuracy in forecasting, promotional planning, market execution processes, and budget management.

Required Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor's degree is mandatory.
• At least 5 years of progressive sales or account management experience in consumer packaged goods (CPG) or beverage industries.
• Preferred experience includes managing national or regional Club Channel accounts.
• Demonstrated success in meeting or exceeding sales, revenue, profitability, and market share targets.
• Skilled in leading annual negotiations encompassing pricing, promotions, product assortment, and in-store features or displays.
• Experienced in applying key commercial tactics including distribution, pricing strategies, promotions, merchandising, and display programs.
• Proficient in utilizing syndicated market data tools such as Circana and Nielsen for opportunity identification and strategic decisions.
• Strong financial and commercial understanding with expertise in P&L, trade investment management, forecasting, and return on investment (ROI) analysis.
• Familiar with CRM platforms and proficient in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and sales-related planning and reporting tools.
• Willing and able to travel as needed to meet with customers, distributors, and conduct store visits.

Additional Information

Locations: Primarily Bentonville, AR; options available in New York or Florida offices including 3WTC Miami and off-site Florida locations.

Work Environment: Onsite role requiring significant travel approximately 35-45% of the time.

Inclusive Workplace: The company celebrates diversity broadly and strives to create an environment where all individuals feel valued, welcomed, and empowered to contribute regardless of gender, ethnicity, ability, age, sexual orientation, social or educational background, and other identities.

Flexible Working: Flexibility is supported to balance wellbeing and priorities effectively.

Compensation Range: Annual salary spans from $96,000 up to $160,000.

Recruitment Integrity: All recruitment communications come exclusively from @diageo.com addresses. No fees are ever requested during hiring processes.