Key Account Manager

About the company

An established premium confectionery business in Japan, this organisation brings together high-quality products, strong brand positioning and a focus on creating memorable experiences for consumers. Its work spans a range of retail channels, supported by close partnerships with wholesalers and retailers across the market.

The business values thoughtful collaboration, customer focus and disciplined commercial execution. Teams work across sales, marketing, finance, operations and supply chain to turn shared priorities into effective plans. For an experienced commercial professional, this is an opportunity to contribute to the growth of a premium category, build influential customer partnerships and make a visible impact in a fast-moving consumer goods environment.

What the job entails

As Key Account Manager, you will own the commercial relationship with a major Japanese food wholesaler and develop the wholesaler-led route to market for selected retail customers. Reporting to the Head of Sales, Wholesale Channel, you will shape the account strategy and joint business plan, translating business priorities into annual and seasonal plans for assortment, distribution, promotion and activation.

You will build senior relationships with the wholesaler and coordinate engagement with priority retailers where needed. Leading negotiations and performance reviews, you will develop commercially sound proposals, track commitments and identify opportunities and risks. You will work closely with marketing, finance, planning, operations and supply chain to deliver launches and seasonal activity, while monitoring sales, profitability, distribution and promotional performance. The role calls for clear forecasting, thorough documentation and timely escalation of customer, supply or execution issues.

Key requirements

• 5–8 years’ commercial experience in FMCG, food, beverage or branded consumer goods, including at least three years in key account, wholesaler or distributor management.
• Demonstrable experience managing major wholesaler, distributor or retailer relationships in Japan and delivering profitable growth or distribution expansion.
• Experience leading joint business planning, annual customer negotiations, trade investment and customer-specific promotional or assortment plans.
• Strong understanding of Japanese food and FMCG distribution, including wholesaler, GMS and supermarket operating models.
• Commercial and financial acumen, including trade-spend management, profitability analysis, return-on-investment evaluation and forecasting.
• Ability to analyse sales, distribution, assortment and promotional data, with advanced Microsoft Excel and strong presentation skills.
• Skilled at building senior customer relationships, negotiating effectively and influencing cross-functional teams without direct authority.
• Organised and execution-focused, with the ability to manage competing priorities, deadlines and detailed commercial processes.
• Fluent or native-level Japanese; business-level English preferred.
• A bachelor’s degree in a relevant discipline or equivalent commercial experience. Experience in premium branded goods and relevant sales, category or commercial training would be advantageous.