Key Account Manager Grocery and Specialty Toronto ON

We are seeking an experienced, senior-calibre Key Account Manager (Grocery & Specialty) on behalf of our client, a dynamic and growing consumer packaged goods (CPG) company. Our client’s innovative, feel-good consumer brand was built by a passionate team of marketers, product developers, and sales professionals dedicated to creating standout products for everyone

Reporting to the Senior Key Account Cluster Manager, this Toronto-based role leads our client's broker model across strategic grocery and specialty channels in Canada. As part of long-term career progression, the selected candidate must be locally mobile and open to relocating to our client’s head office in Montreal.

Role Positioning & Objectives
You will own end-to-end account management, commercial strategy, pricing, P&L, trade investment, and distribution model execution for major Canadian retail and specialty partners. Acting as the primary point of contact for our client’s broker network, you will guide customer relationships and direct syndicated coverage through a third-party field force to drive sustainable volume, revenue, market share, and profit growth.

Advantages
Compensation: Competitive base salary plus performance bonus incentives.

Retirement: Defined Contribution Pension Plan (DCPP) with employer contributions up to 11% of base salary.

Health & Wellness: 100% employer-paid flexible medical, dental, disability, and life insurance coverage, plus free 24/7 virtual healthcare for employees and dependents.

Time Off & Family Support: Generous vacation allowance, 13 company holidays, and a 100% salary top-up for parental leave (up to 18 weeks).

Work Environment & Growth: Hybrid work model, company-paid iPhone and digital tools, global leadership coaching, mentoring programs, and structured career development.

Responsibilities
Broker & Partnership Leadership: Act as the primary liaison with our client’s broker network to co-create commercial strategies, manage customer relationships, and execute Joint Business Plans (JBPs) across grocery and specialty channels.

Account Strategy: Develop customer-specific growth plans for major national accounts—including Metro, Loblaw, Walmart, Costco, PFG, and key specialty retailers—translating brand and channel priorities into actionable results.

Annual Planning & Trade Investment: Lead annual planning, including pricing, trade terms, promotional calendars, and customer programs to maximize profitable revenue growth and ROI.

Financial & P&L Management: Manage account-level P&Ls, forecasts, budgets, trade spend, deductions, and performance tracking alongside Finance, Revenue Growth Management, Supply Chain, and Customer Marketing.

Route-to-Market & Distribution: Define and operationalize optimal distribution models by customer and channel, aligning broker ways of working and execution standards.

Field Force Execution: Direct third-party syndicated field force coverage, overseeing call cadence, retail priorities, in-store execution, compliance tracking, and issue resolution.

Data-Driven Selling: Leverage customer POS data, syndicated data, shopper insights, and category analytics to uncover growth opportunities, build fact-based selling stories, and lead top-to-top business reviews.

Channel Expansion: Partner with the broker to identify and manage growth across specialty channels, including distributors, on-premise, conventional foodservice, and alternative retail channels.

Qualifications
5–8+ years of progressive experience in CPG sales, customer development, key account management, or national account management (ideally within beverage, FMCG, or regulated consumer goods).

Proven track record managing major Canadian grocery, club, and mass retailers, with direct exposure to Metro Group, Loblaw Group, Walmart, and Costco strongly preferred.

Demonstrated success leading negotiations, delivering JBPs, managing trade spend and P&Ls, and driving in-store execution via brokers and third-party field teams.

Experience building or managing specialty channels (e.g., on-premise, foodservice, specialty retail, health & wellness) is a strong asset.

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Commerce, Marketing, Finance, or a related field (or equivalent progressive commercial experience).

Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint; hands-on experience with Power BI, retailer portals, and syndicated data platforms is strongly preferred.

Strong analytical, negotiation, and executive storytelling skills with the ability to influence cross-functional teams and external partners without direct authority.

Bilingualism (French and English) is required due to regular communication with internal and external stakeholders across Canada and internationally.

Our Client operates across Canada, and globally. This company takes all reasonable means to limit the number of positions in Quebec that require knowledge of a language other than French, and only requires this where it is necessary and its existing bilingual employees are unable to fulfil these job duties.

Based on an assessment conducted by our client, it has been determined that this position requires candidates to be fluent in English (oral and written). In particular, this position will require the employee to:
- collaborate and provide support to other colleagues and business functions located outside of Quebec who do not speak French
- attend essential training, meetings or conferences held outside Quebec, which are presented in English
participate in company-wide Canadian/Global town hall meetings and management information sessions, which are presented in English

Summary
Does this job interest you?
Do not hesitate to send me your resume at : [email protected]

Randstad is Canada's largest employment agency, and each consultant is a specialist in his or her field. Not only will they be able to help you in your job search, they'll also be able to advise you on how to find a job that matches your skills.
As occupational health and safety is one of our top priorities, you'll also have access to our completely free online training.

Randstad Canada is committed to fostering a workforce reflective of all peoples of Canada. As a result, we are committed to developing and implementing strategies to increase the equity, diversity and inclusion within the workplace by examining our internal policies, practices, and systems throughout the entire lifecycle of our workforce, including its recruitment, retention and advancement for all employees. In addition to our deep commitment to respecting human rights, we are dedicated to positive actions to affect change to ensure everyone has full participation in the workforce free from any barriers, systemic or otherwise, especially equity-seeking groups who are usually underrepresented in Canada's workforce, including those who identify as women or non-binary/gender non-conforming; Indigenous or Aboriginal Peoples; persons with disabilities (visible or invisible) and; members of visible minorities, racialized groups and the LGBTQ2+ community.

Randstad Canada is committed to creating and maintaining an inclusive and accessible workplace for all its candidates and employees by supporting their accessibility and accommodation needs throughout the employment lifecycle. We ask that all job applications please identify any accommodation requirements by sending an email to [email protected] to ensure their ability to fully participate in the interview process.