Vice President of Key Accounts

National Grocery and Large Format Retail
Ascendo Resources

Location and Work Arrangement

Remote within the United States. Candidates may be based in any major U.S. city; proximity to a major airport is preferred.

Organization and Team Overview

Our client is a privately held beverage company backed by institutional investors and expanding its national retail business. The organization combines an entrepreneurial environment with a focus on disciplined execution, retail productivity and profitable growth.

Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer, the VP of Key Accounts will lead the next stage of customer development and work closely with Field Sales, Marketing, Finance, Supply Chain and broker partners.

Role Purpose

Lead growth across national grocery and other large-format retail accounts through direct buyer ownership, distribution expansion and stronger performance within existing stores. This role combines account strategy, team leadership and personal selling, with accountability for the profitability and execution of customer plans.

Key Responsibilities

• Customer ownership: Personally lead headquarters relationships with national grocery chains and priority large-format retailers, including conventional grocery, natural grocery, mass merchants and big-box retailers.
• Account strategy: Build annual customer plans covering assortment, distribution, pricing, promotions, shelf placement, merchandising and new product launches.
• Distribution expansion: Lead buyer presentations, category reviews and negotiations to secure new listings, additional stores and broader assortment.
• Retail productivity: Improve sales within existing stores by addressing availability, assortment, pricing and promotional effectiveness.
• Commercial economics: Own customer forecasts and trade budgets; manage customer terms, gross-to-net sales, margins and account profitability.
• Team leadership: Develop the key account organization and align account managers, broker partners and field teams around customer priorities and execution.
• Cross-functional execution: Coordinate with Marketing, Finance and Supply Chain on retail programs, inventory, launches and customer service.
• CEO partnership: Set commercial priorities with the CEO and build repeatable account planning, forecasting and performance review processes.

Required Qualifications

• Large-format beverage experience: Beverage sales experience, with the majority of the candidate’s commercial career focused on grocery and other large-format retail channels.
• National grocery ownership: Direct responsibility for national grocery headquarters accounts, including buyer relationships, commercial negotiations and customer business planning.
• Account growth: A demonstrated record of winning distribution, expanding existing accounts and improving sales within existing stores.
• Financial command: Practical understanding of customer pricing, trade investment, promotional returns, forecasting, margins and account profitability.
• Hands-on leadership: Experience leading account owners or broker partners while remaining personally involved with major customers.
• Commercial analysis: Ability to use retailer, distributor and point-of-sale data to identify opportunities and make account decisions.
• Entrepreneurial execution: Ability to combine strategic planning with direct selling, independent decision-making and effective cross-functional coordination.

Preferred Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive CPG sales experience, including substantial beverage account responsibility.
• Director or Senior Director experience in key accounts, national accounts or grocery sales, with readiness for broader commercial and team leadership.
• A record of internal promotion, sustained tenure and measurable customer results across multiple retail planning cycles.
• Experience helping an emerging beverage brand expand national grocery and mass retail distribution.

Compensation and Employment Conditions

Base salary: $200,000–$215,000.

Target bonus: 25% of base salary.

Target annual cash: $250,000–$268,750, assuming target bonus payout and excluding equity.

Equity: Participation in an equity plan; grant and plan terms will be discussed during the hiring process.

Employment and travel: Full-time role with approximately 50% travel for customer and business needs.

Career opportunity: Potential progression to Chief Sales Officer as the business scales.

Ascendo is a certified minority owned staffing firm, we welcome and celebrate diversity. Ascendo is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, retaliation, parental status, military service or any non-merit factor.

Ascendo is a certified minority owned staffing firm, and we welcome and celebrate diversity. Ascendo is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, parental status, military service or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law.

Contact information

Christian Kincer