Director Of National Accounts in Broadview, Illinois at ARTISAN SPECIALTY FOODS INC

Innovative Food Holdings is a specialty food platform serving leading foodservice, hospitality, airline, retail, and e-commerce customers throughout North America. Our business combines specialty food sourcing, procurement expertise, distribution capabilities, and technology-enabled supply chain solutions to deliver unique products and exceptional service to complex commercial customers. As the Company continues its transformation and growth, this position will play an integral role in expanding strategic customer relationships while helping shape the future of our commercial organization.

Position Summary

Innovative Food Holdings (“IVFH”) is seeking an accomplished commercial leader to accelerate the growth of our national accounts business. This role is responsible for developing new strategic customer relationships while maximizing the value and long-term growth of an existing portfolio of national and regional accounts.

The Director of National Accounts serves as the commercial owner of assigned customers and targeted prospects, leading every stage of the customer lifecycle—from business development and contract negotiations through implementation, execution, growth, and ongoing relationship management.

This is not a traditional account management or customer service position. It is a highly visible leadership role responsible for creating profitable growth, strengthening customer partnerships, identifying new market opportunities, and coordinating cross-functional execution throughout the organization.

The successful candidate will possess exceptional commercial instincts, executive presence, financial acumen, and the ability to build trusted relationships with senior decision-makers. They will thrive in a fast-paced entrepreneurial environment where initiative, ownership, accountability, and results matter.

Position Purpose

The Director of National Accounts is responsible for:

• Growing profitable revenue through new customer acquisition and expansion of existing national accounts.
• Building executive-level customer relationships founded on trust, responsiveness, and business value.
• Leading commercial strategy, pricing, negotiations, and contract management.
• Coordinating internal teams to ensure flawless execution of customer commitments.
• Identifying opportunities to improve customer profitability while delivering exceptional service.
• Serving as the voice of the customer throughout the organization.

Primary Responsibilities

Business Development

• Identify, qualify, and pursue new national account opportunities aligned with the Company’s strategic growth objectives.
• Build and maintain an active pipeline of qualified business opportunities.
• Develop relationships with executive decision-makers, procurement leaders, culinary teams, operations leadership, and supply chain organizations.
• Lead customer discovery meetings, presentations, proposals, and commercial negotiations.
• Develop customized value propositions that differentiate IVFH in the marketplace.
• Successfully convert prospects into long-term strategic customers.

Strategic Account Leadership

• Own a portfolio of strategic national and regional customers.
• Develop comprehensive account growth strategies for each assigned customer.
• Increase customer penetration through new product introductions, expanded distribution, additional locations, and broader service offerings.
• Conduct executive business reviews and strategic planning sessions.
• Serve as the primary commercial contact for senior customer leadership.
• Build long-term partnerships that create sustainable mutual growth.

Commercial Strategy

• Lead contract negotiations and commercial agreements.
• Develop customer pricing strategies that balance competitiveness with profitability.
• Manage Requests for Proposal (RFPs), Requests for Information (RFIs), and customer bids.
• Evaluate pricing opportunities using sound financial analysis.
• Recommend strategic investments to support long-term customer growth.

Financial Performance

• Manage revenue growth, gross margin, and overall profitability for assigned accounts.
• Analyze customer financial performance and identify opportunities for improvement.
• Monitor customer trends, purchasing behavior, and market opportunities.
• Develop annual account plans and revenue forecasts.
• Maintain disciplined pipeline reporting and sales forecasting.

Cross-Functional Leadership

Collaborate closely with:

• Procurement
• Customer Service
• Operations
• Inventory Management
• Logistics
• Finance
• Information Technology
• Food Safety & Quality
• Executive Leadership;

to ensure seamless execution and exceptional customer experiences. This role influences across departments without direct authority and requires the ability to align diverse teams toward common commercial objectives.

Customer Experience & Operational Excellence

• Ensure successful implementation of new customer programs.
• Oversee customer onboarding, product setup, pricing files, and implementation plans.
• Resolve complex customer issues with urgency and professionalism.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives that improve service, efficiency, and scalability.
• Champion operational excellence while maintaining a customer-first mindset.

Market Intelligence

• Monitor competitive activity and emerging market trends.
• Identify opportunities for new products, services, and market expansion.
• Share customer insights that influence company strategy.
• Represent Innovative Food Holdings professionally throughout the industry.

Qualifications

Required

• Proven success winning, growing, and managing national or strategic accounts.
• Demonstrated ability to develop new business while managing complex customer relationships.
• Strong leadership, judgment, accountability, and independent decision-making.
• Experience in business development, complex B2B sales, and commercial negotiations.
• Ability to influence senior executives and lead effectively across multiple functions.
• Strong financial and analytical capabilities, including pricing, margin, and customer profitability.
• Exceptional communication, presentation, relationship-building, and negotiation skills.

Preferred

• Experience managing complex, multi-location, or enterprise customers.
• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Supply Chain, Finance, or a related field, or equivalent relevant experience.
• Experience selling consultative solutions rather than transactional products.
• Experience in foodservice, distribution, manufacturing, hospitality, logistics, consumer products, healthcare, or another complex B2B industry.
• Experience using CRM, ERP, Microsoft Office, Power BI, and business analytics tools.

Work Environment

• On-site role in an office/ warehouse
• Some travel may be required

Full Benefits