National Account Manager (Retail)

National Accounts Manager (Retail)Montreal, QC  The opportunity: Are you a seasoned sales leader and people manager in the building materials industry with experience developing strong national channel or head office retail relationships? Our client is seeking a National Account Manager to lead a team which supports and develops a major national retail relationship. A core focus of the role will be aligning and collaborating with both regional leadership teams and functional leadership teams to provide an exceptional customer experience for a large, national channel partner while driving solid business results for our client. Roles & Responsibilities:Emphasize and strengthen our client's position as a long-term channel partner of the highest value by working collaboratively with all company functions to ensure the execution of sales and marketing initiatives and deliver a high degree of customer service. Build customer intimacy through a strong understanding of customer needs, soliciting regular feedback and supporting ongoing, proactive communication with store operations leadership.Leverage market insights to increase market share, influence preference and create demand with the customer. Ensure alignment of strategy and business objectives with the customer's needs.  Lead and coordinate execution of all sales initiatives for the customer and track metrics for success on initiatives.  Manage product portfolio for the retail channel through continual investigation and analysis to drive business improvements for the customer. Collaborate with the national retail team to help create the annual business plan and related strategies, objectives, targets and metrics. Deliver quarterly and annual financial results that meet or exceed the annual financial budget. Work closely and collaboratively with the Product Management Team by providing customer feedback on new products. Support a culture, people management practices and work environment that encourages a high-performing, collaborative,  highly engaged and diverse workforce.Qualifications: Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Business, Commerce, or a related field, or equivalent work experience required. Bilingualism in French and English is required. The role is based out of Montreal, Quebec (hybrid position)  Minimum 5 years of previous professional experience in all aspects of sales management, including growth strategies, distribution channel management, account development, and business planning and working at a national level Minimum of 3 years selling into a retail head office enivorment Proven strong knowledge of retail and/or wholesale sales principles, methods, practices, and techniques.  Previous experience in dealing and communicating effectively with senior team leaders. Demonstrated ability to manage large customer and supplier partnerships. Ability to conduct high-quality, persuasive presentations and facilitate meetings. Previous industry experience within retail, building products, interior finishing, construction, architecture, interior design, or other related fields is an asset. Able to travel (25-30%), including overnight travel. Staffing and Recruiting