Key Account Manager

Opportunity Profile

Location: Northeast United States

Position Title: Key Account Manager

The Opportunity:

This is a high-impact growth opportunity for a proven pressure-sensitive label sales professional to take ownership of one of the company’s most strategically important territories. The Key Account Manager will inherit an existing book of business of approximately $700K, providing immediate revenue responsibility, while being charged with materially expanding that base through new account development across the Northeast.

The territory spans multiple high-density food manufacturing regions and includes mid-to-large food producers, co-packers, and processors operating complex, high-speed packaging environments. While the existing revenue provides a foundation, leadership is clear that the real value of the role lies in growth. The opportunity is to meaningfully scale the territory by consistently adding new customers, expanding penetration within multi-location accounts, and converting prospects that require deep technical understanding of food labeling applications.

Impact in this role is measurable and visible. Territory growth directly influences plant utilization, strategic customer concentration, and the company’s continued expansion in fresh protein and produce markets. Success is reflected not just in top-line revenue growth, but in the quality of accounts landed—customers with recurring volume, multiple SKUs, and long-term partnership potential.

Unlike roles that plateau quickly, this opportunity offers runway. The combination of a sizable geography, an underserved market footprint, and internal sales support creates a platform where a high-performing seller can build a multi-million-dollar territory over time. For the right individual, this role represents a chance to own results, shape market presence in the Northeast, and establish themselves as a core growth driver within a stable, family-owned organization.

The Company:

This is a family-owned and operated label manufacturer with more than five decades of organic growth and a strong reputation in food-focused pressure-sensitive labels, particularly within fresh protein and produce markets. The company’s expertise centers on high-speed packaging environments and complex labeling applications where food safety, compliance, and consistency are critical.

The organization is known for exceptional employee tenure, internal promotions, and a people-first culture. Leadership is accessible, collaborative, and deeply knowledgeable about both manufacturing and customer needs. Rather than operating with rigid corporate silos, the company emphasizes transparency, shared problem-solving, and cross-functional support to ensure customers and sales teams are set up for success.

The Boss:

The role reports into a highly experienced sales leadership team, including a Director of Sales with approximately 40 years at the company and hands-on manufacturing roots, as well as the Executive Vice President of Sales and Sustainability. Both leaders remain directly involved with Key Account Managers and serve as active resources on pricing strategy, materials selection, estimating, and complex customer situations.

Sales leadership is highly accessible and deeply invested in the success of the Key Account Managers. Escalation paths are short, decision-making is fast, and support is hands-on. This is a leadership group that understands the realities of selling labels into demanding food environments and actively partners with sales to win business and protect long-term customer relationships.

The Position:

The Key Account Manager owns and operates a large, geographically diverse Northeast territory spanning Virginia through Maine, with responsibility for both managing an existing customer base and aggressively developing new accounts within the region. While there is an established revenue foundation, the role is intentionally structured to prioritize growth, with day-to-day expectations centered on prospecting, qualifying, and converting new opportunities.

This role is designed around a true “hunter” model. The majority of effort is focused on new business development, while ongoing account maintenance is largely supported internally. Each Key Account Manager is embedded in a dedicated cellular team consisting of a one-to-one pairing with a Sales Coordinator and a Graphic Designer. This structure removes administrative and artwork-related burden from the role and allows the Key Account Manager to concentrate on customer-facing activity, pipeline development, and revenue generation.

From a performance standpoint, success is measured by the ability to expand territory revenue, consistently open new food and fresh protein accounts, and penetrate complex customer organizations that may include multiple brands, facilities, and distribution points. The role regularly engages with mid-to-large food manufacturers and co-packers running high-speed packaging lines, where labeling performance, food safety, and operational reliability are critical decision factors.

The Key Account Manager is expected to be highly visible in the territory, spending significant time in front of customers, conducting plant visits, managing trials, and building long-term relationships with decision-makers. Internally, the role works closely with sales leadership on pricing strategy, material selection, and competitive positioning, ensuring opportunities are pursued aggressively but intelligently.

This is a role for someone who wants ownership—of a territory, a growth plan, and the results that follow. The structure, support, and leadership engagement are already in place; the impact comes from execution.

Essential Functions (Other duties may be assigned):

• Actively prospect and develop new accounts within the Northeast territory
• Grow and expand an existing book of business
• Build relationships with food manufacturers, co-packers, and processors in fresh protein and produce markets
• Conduct in-person customer visits and remain highly visible within the territory
• Collaborate closely with a dedicated Sales Coordinator and Graphic Designer
• Work with sales leadership on pricing, materials, and complex quoting situations
• Navigate multi-location and multi-brand customer structures common in food packaging

Qualifications:

• Proven experience selling pressure-sensitive labels
• Direct experience selling into food, fresh protein, or produce markets strongly preferred
• Demonstrated success in new business development and territory growth
• Deep familiarity with high-speed packaging environments
• Strong understanding of customer complexity in food labeling

Education and Experience:

• Industry experience in labels is required
• Background in food-related packaging environments is critical

Competencies:

• Hunter mentality with strong prospecting discipline
• Relationship-driven sales approach
• High level of territory ownership and accountability
• Ability to work collaboratively in a transparent, team-based culture
• Comfort navigating complex customer organizations

Work Environment:

• Remote, field-based role with significant travel throughout the Northeast territory
• Supported by a highly collaborative internal team structure
• Family-owned culture with high visibility and leadership access

Compensation:

The role offers a competitive base salary with performance-based incentives, a car allowance, and a comprehensive benefits package designed to support long-term employee well-being.