Key Account Manager - Mass Market Retail

Role purpose:
The Key Account Manager is responsible for managing, growing, and deepening customer relationships across New Zealand MMR retail channels.
 
The role is accountable for end-to-end account management, channel development, commercial execution, and identifying new channel opportunities across a defined portfolio of consumer and home-related products, delivering revenue, gross margin, distribution growth, market share, and strong in-market execution.
 
Working closely with customers and internal teams, the role drives customer value, strengthens long-term partnerships, and supports the achievement of annual budget, forecast, and strategic goals.
 
Customer Account Management
- Manage and grow designated key retail accounts across New Zealand, with clear accountability for customer performance, relationship outcomes, and contract lifecycle retention.
- Develop and maintain strategic account plans aligned to commercial objectives, long-range goals, and customer growth opportunities.
- Build a deep understanding of the MMR channel, including category trends, value drivers, and the competitive landscape, to inform account priorities and customer strategy.
- Build strong customer relationships at multiple levels, map resources to key customer stakeholders, and create clear engagement plans aligned to customer needs, strategic priorities, and re-sign opportunities.
- Deliver a high-quality customer experience by ensuring service delivery meets or exceeds customer expectations and escalating promptly where issues or risks arise.
- Lead business planning discussions, new line reviews, ranging opportunities, and growth proposals with customers to strengthen our position and long-term share of business.
- Actively identify opportunities to strengthen customer stickiness by introducing higher value-added services and leveraging Group capabilities where relevant.
 
Brand and Channel Accountability
- Hold accountability for performance across all brands within retail channels, including sales, gross margin, market share, distribution, customer growth, and channel expansion.
- Identify opportunities to increase sell-in, sell-through, ranging, distribution, and market share across the customer portfolio and support identification of new retail and channel opportunities.
- Identify and help develop channel opportunities across relevant product segments, including home improvement, lighting and electrical, security, heating and cooling, dehumidifiers, fans, and kitchen and household consumer products.
- Support the development and execution of customer and channel strategies that maximise brand presence, promotional effectiveness, and commercial return.
- Work regularly with customers and the Product team to identify product opportunities, optimise ranging, support lifecycle management, and contribute customer insights to product roadmaps and launch plans.
- Support new brand introductions and channel expansion opportunities in line with growth strategy.
 
Commercial Performance and Planning
- Meet or exceed revenue, unit volume, gross margin, distribution, and cashflow targets for assigned accounts and contribute to annual budget and long-range forecast.
- Lead commercial discussions, including pricing, promotions, rebates, claims, and trading agreements, to improve profitability, customer outcomes, and overall account performance.
- Provide regular forecasting, performance analytics, and growth recommendations to support sales planning, S&OP, and decision-making.
- Maintain a pipeline of key opportunities and provide regular reporting on performance, risks, and actions against budget.
- Ensure rebates, discounts, claims, and credits are appropriately governed, commercially justified, and managed in a timely and accurate manner.
- Support improved absolute margin, inventory discipline, and cashflow outcomes through effective planning, stock management, commercially sound decision-making, and timely escalation of blockages or risks.
 
Promotional, Launch and Range Execution
- Coordinate promotional activity, customer programmes, clearance activity, and new product launches across assigned accounts.
- Work with Product, Marketing, Operations, and relevant vendors to support product lifecycle management from product identification and sell-in through to launch, sell-through, review, and market exit.
- Develop launch plans, marketing programmes, forecasts, and sell-through initiatives that support customer and business objectives.
- Monitor performance, provide regular customer and market feedback, and help manage aged stock and obsolescence risks across the product portfolio.
- Ensure customer plans are executed accurately and on time, including promotional setup, product availability, launch readiness, and in-market lifecycle activity, while identifying and escalating operational or vendor issues that may create risks or missed market opportunities.
 
Operational and Cross-functional Collaboration
- Partner with Product, Marketing, Finance, Operations, Purchasing, and Logistics teams to support strong customer service and end-to-end execution.
- Contribute to forecasting, S&OP, and inventory planning by sharing customer insights, demand updates, and launch expectations.
- Help manage supply, aged stock, service delivery, and execution issues by identifying risks early and working across teams to resolve them quickly.
- Work collaboratively with wider Pacificomm and MillCorp Group resources to support new opportunities, stronger customer outcomes, and overall business growth.
 
Health and Safety
- Follow all health and safety procedures and support a safe working environment for self and others.
- Identify, report, and help manage workplace risks and hazards as soon as practicable.
 
Experience
- 5+ years' experience in key account management, sales, or customer relationship management within retail, distribution, FMCG, consumer products, or a similar commercial environment.
- Experience leading commercial negotiations, ranging discussions, and promotional planning with retail partners.
- Experience developing and executing customer account plans that deliver revenue growth, distribution expansion, and improved product performance.
- Experience working closely with Product, Supply Chain, Operations, and related teams to support product availability and successful market execution.
- Experience identifying and developing new retail opportunities and distribution channels.
- Experience managing multi-SKU product portfolios and analysing sales performance to drive commercial outcomes.
Skills and Capabilities
- Strong commercial acumen, with the ability to understand pricing structures, margin drivers, promotional investment, and customer profitability.
- Highly developed negotiation and influencing skills, with the ability to build trusted relationships with retail buyers and commercial partners.
- Strong analytical capability, able to interpret sales data, category performance, and promotional results to inform customer strategy.
- Ability to develop compelling ranging proposals, category insights, and growth opportunities for retail partners.
- Strong planning and organisational skills, able to manage multiple customer priorities and promotional cycles.
- Excellent stakeholder management skills, able to work effectively across sales, product, supply chain, and operations teams.
- Strong communication and presentation skills, with the ability to clearly articulate commercial opportunities and account strategies.
Person Profile
- Commercially driven with a strong interest in retail dynamics, category growth, and customer partnerships.
- Comfortable operating in a fast-paced FMCG environment where responsiveness and execution are critical.
- Relationship-oriented, with the ability to build long-term trust with customers and internal stakeholders.
- Proactive and opportunity-focused, able to identify and pursue new distribution and growth opportunities.
- Results-oriented with a strong focus on delivering revenue growth, distribution expansion, and customer success.