Key Account Manager Jobs in Bridgeport, CT (NOW HIRING)

For nearly 130 years, Abel & Schafer has been a trusted leader in bakery innovation under the KOMPLET brand. Since establishing our U.S. manufacturing facility in Ronkonkoma, NY in 1982, we have grown to serve customers throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean. As we continue expanding our market presence, we are seeking a strategic, results-driven Key Account Manager to lead and grow our supermarket bakery business across key regional and national retail accounts.

If you're passionate about building customer relationships, driving business growth, and bringing innovative bakery solutions to market, we'd love to hear from you.

What You'll Do

As the Key Account Manager, you will be responsible for developing and expanding strategic relationships with regional and national supermarket bakery customers. You will drive profitable growth by selling bakery ingredients, mixes, bases, fillings, and specialty products while collaborating with cross-functional teams to deliver innovative solutions that help customers increase sales, improve quality, and maximize profitability.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and execute short- and long-term sales strategies for assigned supermarket accounts.
• Build and maintain executive-level relationships with Bakery Directors, Category Managers, Procurement, Merchandising, Strategic Sourcing, and Private Brand teams.
• Develop joint business plans with customer bakery leadership.
• Drive annual sales growth, revenue, gross margin, and profitability.
• Lead contract negotiations, pricing strategies, and promotional initiatives.
• Identify opportunities for new product introductions, seasonal programs, premium offerings, and clean-label innovations.
• Coordinate product launches with R&D, Marketing, Supply Chain, Customer Service, and Operations.
• Prospect new business opportunities and create account-specific growth strategies.
• Develop and implement regional route-to-market strategies while building strong distributor partnerships.
• Conduct regular customer visits to strengthen relationships and identify new opportunities.
• Utilize CRM tools to manage customer activities, opportunities, forecasts, and project updates.
• Lead cross-functional teams to support customer initiatives and resolve technical or commercial challenges.
• Prepare annual sales budgets, monthly sales reports, and business forecasts.
• Promote the company's e-commerce platform with existing customers.
• Partner with Finance to establish and manage customer credit terms.
• Manage customer concerns and coordinate timely resolution with internal teams.
• Represent Abel & Schafer at regional and national trade shows.
• Travel approximately 30–50% throughout the assigned territory.

What We're Looking For

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Food Science, or a related field.
• Minimum 5 years of B2B key account sales experience, preferably within the food, bakery, or beverage industry.
• Proven success managing and growing strategic customer relationships.
• Strong business development skills with a true hunter mentality.
• Experience leading cross-functional teams to achieve customer objectives.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, presentation, and relationship-building skills.
• Self-motivated with the ability to work independently.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, including Outlook, Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Teams.
• Valid driver's license with a satisfactory driving record.
• Fluency in English; Spanish language skills are a plus.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience selling bakery ingredients, bakery mixes, fillings, or related food ingredients.
• Understanding of supermarket bakery operations and retail bakery trends.
• Experience working with regional and national grocery retailers.

If you're ready to make an impact with an established global bakery ingredients leader, we'd love to hear from you.