Customer Account Lead II

OVERVIEW

NAR Regional Grocery aims to win through executional excellence, differential retailer partnerships, and collaboration with operating unit partners. We are winning by elevating our influence across a diverse set of customers, with a focus on differential growth across key strategic retailers. We cultivate and inspire the next generation of agile and accountable business leaders with opportunities for total portfolio management and people leadership in role while developing general management capabilities. We compete effectively with a focus on prioritization, simplification, process efficiency, and we leverage our enterprise capabilities to lead our retailers into the future. Our teams cultivate a culture of inclusion, belonging, and continuous learning.

We're seeking a strategic and agile Customer Account Lead II to support and grow our businesses with the U.S. Military (DeCA). This role combines strong customer leadership with trade planning expertise and is ideal for someone eager to deepen their general management skillset, flex both strategic and executional muscles, and lead through influence and collaboration. You'll oversee a business of ~$90MM in RNS, manage a direct report + a broker network, and collaborate with internal teams to deliver strong results across NAR Sales.

In this role you will be responsible for supporting the US Military business. You will get exposure to the unique go to market strategy of DeCA (Defense Commissary Agency) and manage the broker team who calls directly on the customer. You will operate with a high level of autonomy and get strong leadership experience as you develop and communicate plans through the broker. You will be responsible for providing analytic trade planning support, giving you the opportunity to influence both internally and externally. You will directly manage a small team (1 direct report) while getting additional management exposure as you work with the broker team. You will also get the opportunity to travel to U.S. Military Bases for commissary visits!

The required locations for this role are Minneapolis, MN, Philadelphia, PA, or Norfolk / Richmond, VA, with relocation assistance available to these 4 locations.

Our people are at the heart of what makes General Mills great - it's why people join and stay. When we connect, co-create, collaborate, and celebrate together, it strengthens our relationships and increases trust. To Win Together, we need to be together, physically and virtually. To do that effectively, we need to think about connecting with intentionality - the moments both big and small, in-person, virtual, and hybrid.

Given that collaboration is critical to the success of our team members, our teams, and our business, the expectation for this role will be to work in the office on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays each week (if there is a General Mills Office local to your location). Our policy allows flexibility for the reality of business and personal schedules. Monday and Friday are flexible regarding your work location.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

Customer Leadership & Business Strategy

• Lead customer relationships with DeCA (Military)
• Manage trade and customer plans, including a unique go-to-market model via DeCA.
• Develop and execute customer business plans, gaining support for new items and corporate initiatives
• Partner with internal stakeholders to drive growth via customer-aligned promotions, innovation, and merchandising strategies.

Trade Planning & Execution

• Maintain accurate planning/spend info within trade systems and leverage it to guide decision-making
• Recommend and implement trade programs that align with General Mills strategies and customer needs
• Lead analytics and insights to optimize trade investment, including pricing, display, and distribution performance

Leadership & Development

• Directly manage 1 internal team member + an external broker network for Military
• Model Engaging Leader behaviors-fostering an inclusive team culture, embracing a learning mindset, and demonstrating personal accountability
• Travel to Military bases and customer HQs to strengthen field-level insights and relationships

Analytics & Problem Solving

• Leverage syndicated and internal data (e.g., Nielsen, IRI, CPM) to uncover business-driving opportunities
• Apply category management principles to influence display, shelf presence, and product distribution
• Use internal systems such as Trade Planner, Distribution Planner, and Merch Return Report to inform decisions

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree required
• 2+ years of experience in sales, trade planning, account management, or category management
• Strong analytical capabilities; experience working with Nielsen, IRI, or similar data sources
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and GMI internal tools
• Driver's License

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• 3+ years of relevant industry experience
• Prior people management experience
• Knowledge of GMI systems (Trade Planner, SRM, etc.)
• Willingness to commit 24 months to the role

ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS

• Travel required (10%) for customer meetings and base visits
• Applicants for this position must be currently authorized to work in the United States full-time. General Mills will not sponsor applicants for this position for work visas

We exist to make food the world loves. But we do more than that. Our company is a place that prioritizes being a force for good, a place to expand learning, explore new perspectives and reimagine new possibilities, every day. We look for people who want to bring their best - bold thinkers with big hearts who challenge one other and grow together. Because becoming the undisputed leader in food means surrounding ourselves with people who are hungry for what's next.