Sales and Marketing Account Manager

Department: Sales / Business Development
Reports To: [Director of Sales / Operations Director]
Position Type: Full-Time
Location: Carolina CoPacking, LLC

The Business Development & Account Manager is responsible for driving profitable revenue growth through the development of new customer relationships, expansion of existing accounts, and strategic management of key customer partnerships.

This position combines business development, sales, account management, customer relationship management, and commercial strategy within an SQF-certified food manufacturing environment. The individual will be responsible for identifying and pursuing new business opportunities, developing qualified leads into customers, expanding existing accounts, and ensuring customers receive exceptional service throughout the relationship.

The ideal candidate is a highly proactive, results-driven business developer who is comfortable creating opportunities rather than waiting for them. This individual must be able to prospect, build relationships, understand customer needs, develop solutions, negotiate commercial terms, close business, and maintain strong customer relationships after the sale.

A strong understanding of food manufacturing, CPG, co-manufacturing/co-packing, product development, supply chain, production capabilities, food safety, SQF requirements, pricing, and manufacturing economics is highly important to the success of this position.

The Business Development & Account Manager serves as a critical link between the customer and internal teams, including Operations, Production, Food Science, Quality Assurance, Procurement, Finance, Supply Chain, and Customer Success.

• Develop and execute a proactive business development strategy focused on generating new revenue.
• Identify, research, qualify, and pursue prospective customers within the food, CPG, retail, restaurant, and related industries.
• Build and maintain an active sales pipeline using HubSpot or other company-approved CRM systems.
• Conduct consistent outbound prospecting through phone calls, email, networking, referrals, industry events, LinkedIn, and other appropriate channels.
• Develop relationships with decision-makers, including owners, executives, purchasing teams, R&D, operations, supply chain, and procurement professionals.
• Identify companies that could benefit from the company's manufacturing, co-packing, product development, packaging, or related capabilities.
• Develop target-account lists and establish a structured approach for pursuing high-value opportunities.
• Convert qualified leads into customer opportunities and move opportunities consistently through the sales process.
• Take ownership of opportunities from initial contact through qualification, proposal, negotiation, and close.
• Follow up consistently and create urgency to prevent qualified opportunities from becoming stagnant.
• Develop creative solutions when customer requirements do not initially align with current manufacturing capabilities.
• Maintain a strong pipeline sufficient to support company revenue goals.

• Meet or exceed established sales and revenue targets.
• Develop strategies to increase revenue from existing customers.
• Identify opportunities for upselling, cross-selling, additional products, new SKUs, additional production runs, packaging services, and other company capabilities.
• Analyze customer spending and purchasing patterns to identify growth opportunities.
• Develop account-specific revenue growth plans.
• Understand customer profitability and work with leadership to ensure opportunities support company margin objectives.
• Monitor competitive pricing and market conditions.
• Understand manufacturing costs, capacity, minimum order quantities, lead times, labor requirements, materials, packaging, and other factors that impact pricing and profitability.
• Negotiate pricing and commercial terms within company-approved guidelines.
• Protect company margins while remaining competitive in the marketplace.

• Serve as a primary point of contact for assigned customers.
• Build strong, long-term relationships with customers and key decision-makers.
• Conduct regular customer meetings to review performance, satisfaction, upcoming needs, and opportunities for growth.
• Maintain a clear understanding of each customer's business, products, challenges, goals, and future plans.
• Proactively identify potential customer concerns before they become larger issues.
• Manage customer expectations regarding pricing, lead times, production capabilities, product specifications, and delivery schedules.
• Resolve customer issues quickly and professionally while protecting the company's business interests.
• Maintain consistent communication and follow-through on customer commitments.
• Develop strategies to retain key accounts and increase customer lifetime value.

• Work with customers to understand product concepts, specifications, production requirements, packaging requirements, volumes, target costs, and launch timelines.
• Determine whether prospective projects align with company capabilities, capacity, food safety requirements, and financial objectives.
• Coordinate with Food Science and Operations on new product opportunities and manufacturing feasibility.
• Assist customers in developing practical manufacturing solutions.
• Coordinate customer requests for samples, product development, specifications, pricing, and production timelines.
• Prepare proposals, presentations, pricing information, and other customer-facing materials.
• Clearly communicate the company's capabilities and competitive advantages.
• Present solutions based on customer needs rather than simply selling individual products or services.

• Serve as the communication bridge between customers and internal departments.
• Coordinate with Operations, Production, Food Science, Quality Assurance, Procurement, Finance, and Supply Chain to ensure customer requirements can be successfully executed.
• Communicate customer requirements accurately and completely to internal teams.
• Ensure customer commitments are realistic and aligned with manufacturing capabilities.
• Participate in new customer onboarding and new product launch meetings.
• Escalate customer, production, quality, pricing, or delivery issues when necessary.
• Maintain accountability for customer commitments and follow through until issues are resolved.
• Help prevent miscommunication between customers and internal departments.

• Monitor customer orders from receipt through production and shipment.
• Work with internal teams to identify potential delays or issues that could affect customer commitments.
• Communicate changes to customers promptly and professionally.
• Monitor shipment status and assist with resolving delivery issues.
• Ensure customer specifications, purchase orders, pricing, and other requirements are accurately communicated and documented.
• Support resolution of customer complaints and service issues in coordination with Quality Assurance and Operations.
• Maintain accurate customer information and documentation within HubSpot and applicable company systems.

The Business Development & Account Manager must understand that customer commitments cannot compromise food safety, product quality, regulatory compliance, or SQF requirements.

Responsibilities include:

• Maintain a working knowledge of SQF, GMPs, HACCP principles, allergen controls, traceability, sanitation, and applicable food safety requirements.
• Understand how food safety and quality requirements affect customer projects and manufacturing decisions.
• Communicate customer specifications and food safety requirements accurately to internal teams.
• Never make customer commitments that conflict with established food safety, quality, regulatory, or SQF requirements.
• Work with Quality Assurance and Food Science when customer requirements require technical review or approval.
• Ensure customer expectations are aligned with approved specifications and manufacturing capabilities.
• Participate in customer audits, visits, and SQF-related activities as assigned.
• Support the company's food safety culture by reinforcing the principle that food safety and product quality cannot be compromised for sales or customer demands.

• Maintain accurate and current customer and prospect information in HubSpot.
• Track leads, opportunities, proposals, customer communications, follow-ups, and sales activity.
• Maintain accurate sales stages and expected close dates.
• Develop reliable sales forecasts based on actual pipeline activity and customer commitments.
• Provide regular updates regarding pipeline health, major opportunities, risks, and expected revenue.
• Track lost opportunities and identify reasons for lost business.
• Analyze sales activity and conversion rates to improve business development effectiveness.
• Establish and maintain consistent follow-up and reporting practices.

• Monitor food manufacturing, CPG, co-manufacturing, co-packing, packaging, and market trends.
• Identify emerging customer needs and potential new markets.
• Monitor competitors, pricing, capabilities, and positioning.
• Identify opportunities for the company to expand its services or target new customer segments.
• Bring market intelligence and customer feedback to company leadership.
• Identify potential strategic partnerships and business development opportunities.

• Conduct customer visits and facility tours.
• Host prospective customers at the company's manufacturing facility.
• Represent the company professionally at trade shows, industry events, networking events, and customer meetings.
• Develop relationships with industry contacts and referral partners.
• Prepare for customer meetings by understanding the customer's business, products, challenges, and potential opportunities.
• Follow up promptly after meetings and convert discussions into defined next steps.

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Food Science, Supply Chain, or a related field preferred.
• 3–5+ years of experience in business development, sales, account management, customer success, or commercial development.
• Experience in food manufacturing, CPG, co-manufacturing, co-packing, private label, or a related industry strongly preferred.
• Proven record of generating new business and achieving or exceeding sales goals.
• Demonstrated experience managing a sales pipeline from prospecting through close.
• Experience managing and growing key customer accounts.

• Highly proactive and self-directed approach to generating new business.
• Strong prospecting and lead-generation skills.
• Ability to identify decision-makers and develop relationships at multiple levels within an organization.
• Strong closing and negotiation skills.
• Ability to overcome objections and move opportunities forward.
• Ability to create urgency and maintain momentum throughout the sales cycle.
• Strong commercial judgment and understanding of revenue and profitability.
• Ability to recognize opportunities where others may see only customer problems.

• Understanding of food manufacturing and production processes.
• Understanding of CPG and customer supply chains.
• Ability to understand product specifications, production requirements, packaging, ingredients, and manufacturing limitations.
• Working knowledge of SQF, GMPs, HACCP, food safety, quality, and regulatory requirements.
• Ability to communicate effectively with technical and operational teams.
• Understanding of manufacturing capacity, lead times, minimum order quantities, pricing, and production constraints.

• Proficient in HubSpot CRM or comparable CRM software.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office, including Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
• Ability to analyze sales, customer, pricing, and account-performance data.
• Strong forecasting and reporting skills.
• Ability to use data to make informed business decisions.

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
• Customer-focused while maintaining strong business judgment.
• Highly organized and able to manage multiple opportunities simultaneously.
• Strong follow-through and accountability.
• Excellent negotiation and problem-solving skills.
• Comfortable having difficult conversations and managing customer expectations.
• Strong sense of urgency.
• Detail-oriented.
• Adaptable and comfortable in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
• Confident communicating with customers, executives, production employees, and technical personnel.
• Demonstrates integrity and follows through on commitments.

Success in this position will be measured through both new business development and account growth, including:

• New qualified leads generated.
• New customer opportunities created.
• New customers acquired.
• New revenue generated.
• Sales pipeline value and pipeline growth.
• Lead-to-opportunity and opportunity-to-customer conversion rates.
• Revenue growth from existing accounts.
• Customer retention.
• Customer profitability and margin performance.
• Sales forecast accuracy.
• Customer satisfaction.
• Timeliness of customer follow-up.
• CRM accuracy and utilization.
• Successful new product/customer launches.
• Strategic account growth.

• Fast-paced food manufacturing environment requiring frequent interaction with production and operational teams.
• Regular customer interaction by phone, email, video conference, and in person.
• Ability to visit customer locations and manufacturing facilities.
• Occasional travel for customer meetings, trade shows, industry events, and business development activities.
• Must be comfortable working in and around food manufacturing environments and following all required GMP, PPE, safety, and food safety requirements.

• Occasional travel to customer locations, industry events, trade shows, and other company locations.
• Ability to host and participate in customer facility visits.
• Ability to work flexible hours when customer or business needs require.
• Valid driver's license and reliable transportation.
• Must maintain confidentiality regarding customer information, pricing, recipes, specifications, and company business information.

The Business Development & Account Manager is expected to own the commercial relationship with assigned customers and prospects.

This position is not simply responsible for responding to customer requests. The individual is expected to actively create opportunities, develop relationships, identify revenue potential, pursue new business, close opportunities, grow existing accounts, and protect customer relationships.

The successful candidate will consistently:

Hunt for New Business • Build Relationships • Create Opportunities • Drive Revenue • Close Deals • Grow Accounts • Protect Margins • Solve Problems • Follow Through • Represent the Company Professionally

The position requires a balance of sales urgency and operational discipline. Customer commitments must be realistic, profitable, and achievable within the company's manufacturing, quality, food safety, and SQF requirements.

Above all, the Business Development & Account Manager is expected to contribute directly to the company's growth by turning relationships and opportunities into profitable, long-term customer partnerships.