Bilingual Key Account Manager - Ingredients; French​/English

Location:
Toronto or Montreal

About Us:

Welcome to Lactalis Canada! We’re proud to be Canada’s #1 branded dairy company and to be consistently recognized as one of the country’s top employers by Forbes. Our purpose is to enrich and nurture the lives of Canadians by offering the best of dairy from Canada’s favourite dairy brands like Cracker Barrel, Black Diamond, Balderson, Astro and Lactantia. In fact, our products can be found in over 90% of Canadian refrigerators in any given time.

As part of Lactalis Group, the world’s leading dairy company, we remain focused on innovation and quality and are seeking like-minded individuals to join us as we continue our growth journey.

Our flexible hybrid work model accommodates 40% remote work, adapting to the evolving needs of our workforce. Step into a collaborative hub with our revamped office, and enjoy free parking, endless coffee, delicious Lactalis snacks, an on-site gym, and more!

The Key Account Manager manages all aspects of the business relationship with key customers of varying sizes and complexities with the objective of delivering sales and new business development for Ingredients in accordance with the business plan. The position is accountable for establishing Lactalis Canada as the preferred supplier of dairy ingredients.

• Manage all aspects of the sale of dairy ingredients to key customers, including distributors, to deliver volume growth and profit objectives, which includes determining customer product needs, obtaining product approval, negotiating pricing, developing contracts, obtaining, and communicating forecasted volume requirements, and conducting business reviews.
• Develop new Lactalis business with the key accounts and new accounts at both the customer’s purchasing and R & D levels by ascertaining customer’s ingredients needs and proposing solutions from the product portfolio. Liaise and work closely with technical teams on all aspects of product development for the customer, technical documentation, packaging, functionality, and quality requirements of ingredients.
• Ensure domestic customer day-to-day needs are met by managing and coordinating efforts of all other functional areas (Customer Service, Operations, Credit, Logistics), including the resolution of non-routine customer service issues such as quality and delivery.
• Manage the implementation of long-term strategic customer projects such as development of new ingredients or packaging, which involves managing the communication between all internal and customer departments (R&D, Global Sourcing, Supply Chain, Finance, Regulatory Affairs, Corporate Quality and Operations).
• Ensure Lactalis Canada’s position as the leader in dairy ingredients through promoting product line at trade events and seeking opportunities to present technical product information to the customers.
• Ensure communication and alignment with other sales team members and distributors, to foster and encourage collaboration with I&E team and cross functional teams to find synergies for division growth.

• University degree or College diploma, preferably in Food Science, Business or related fields, or relevant experience.
• 7 years’ experience in account management, with a minimum three (3) years experience effectively managing mid-size and full-size food service or ingredient accounts, preferably in the Canadian dairy environment.
• Knowledge of the Canadian milk system.
• Experience with multi-level relationship building.
• Proficient in negotiation and problem solving.
• Ability to perceive and interpret the customers’ requirements/demands and penetrate customer beyond immediate contact to build relationships.
• Ability to think strategically and with depth of comprehension.
• Strong analytical, planning, presentation, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work effectively within a small team environment requiring open sharing of information.
• Ability to balance customer needs with Lactalis Canada’s business focus.
• Professional written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Proficient with standard office computer technology such as Microsoft Office and the…