National Account Manager (Food Service)

What is Cirkul?

Cirkul is a rapidly growing company on a mission to transform how beverages are developed, distributed, and enjoyed. It’s a new way to hydrate—so much so that 96% of customers say they drink more water with Cirkul!* With over 150 flavor options available without sugar or calories, Cirkul provides customers with a fully customizable, reusable water bottle and cartridge system. Since 2018, millions have dropped sugary soda and energy drinks, and turned up their plain boring water with Cirkul! A full range of products is available at DrinkCirkul.com, and Cirkul is also sold by Amazon, Costco, Walmart, Kroger, and grocery stores nationwide.

*Based on a survey conducted with 3,258 Cirkul Customers

What is this role?

The National Account Manager (Foodservice & Away-From-Home) at Cirkul is responsible for driving growth across key national and regional foodservice, hospitality, workplace, and small-format accounts. This includes large national operators and service organizations such as Aramark, Cintas, and similar businesses, as well as hotels, bars, restaurants, entertainment venues, and other high-volume away-from-home channels.

This role owns both new business development and the expansion of existing partnerships, with a focus on increasing account penetration, distribution, placements, and revenue. You will identify opportunities to bring Cirkul into new locations, programs, and customer environments while developing strategic relationships with operators, procurement teams, distributors, and other key decision-makers.

You will act as the primary point of contact for assigned accounts and prospects, developing account strategies, negotiating programs, and collaborating cross-functionally to bring Cirkul’s innovative hydration platform to more consumers outside of the traditional retail environment.

What does an average day look like?

Driving Results:

Owns revenue, distribution, placement, and account growth targets across assigned foodservice and away-from-home accounts

Develops and executes strategic account plans to drive new locations, increased distribution, and expanded product adoption

Leads customer presentations, business reviews, sales meetings, and negotiations with national and regional accounts

Identifies new business opportunities within large operators, foodservice organizations, distributors, hotels, bars, restaurants, and other small-format channels

Develops programs and solutions tailored to the unique needs of foodservice and hospitality customers

Works with customers and distribution partners to identify opportunities for incremental volume and account expansion

Tracks account performance, identifies gaps, and develops action plans to accelerate growth

Builds compelling business cases using customer, market, and internal data to secure new programs and placements

Negotiates pricing, programs, promotions, and commercial agreements while balancing customer needs with Cirkul's profitability

Taking Ownership:

Operates as the end-to-end owner of assigned accounts and prospects, from initial outreach and strategy through implementation and ongoing growth

Builds and manages sales pipelines, consistently prospecting for new business and expanding Cirkul's presence within existing accounts

Proactively identifies barriers to growth, including pricing, distribution, inventory, operational requirements, and customer adoption

Coordinates with Sales Operations, Supply Chain, Finance, Marketing, and other internal teams to ensure customer commitments are delivered

Manages implementation timelines, customer requirements, product launches, and follow-up activities

Ensures programs are executed consistently across locations and partners

Travels regularly to customer locations, meetings, industry events, and field locations to build relationships and identify opportunities

Making Decisions:

Uses customer insights, financial impact, market trends, and account performance to make informed commercial decisions

Prioritizes opportunities based on revenue potential, strategic importance, and likelihood of success

Determines the best approach to expanding Cirkul within complex organizations with multiple decision-makers and locations

Balances short-term revenue opportunities with long-term account development and penetration

Navigates complex customer organizations, procurement processes, distributor relationships, and operational requirements

Quickly adjusts strategies based on customer feedback, competitive activity, and changing business needs

Cultivating Relationships:

Builds strong relationships with national and regional account decision-makers, including procurement, purchasing, operations, culinary, facilities, HR/workplace, and other relevant stakeholders

Develops relationships at multiple levels within large organizations to create opportunities for broader account penetration

Establishes Cirkul as a strategic partner by bringing innovative ideas, solutions, and insights to customers

Develops strong relationships with foodservice distributors, brokers, and other channel partners when applicable

Represents Cirkul at customer meetings, industry events, trade shows, and other business development opportunities

Identifies customer champions and leverages relationships to expand Cirkul into additional locations, business units, and programs

Instilling Trust:

Consistently delivers on commitments to customers and internal stakeholders

Communicates clearly and proactively regarding performance, timelines, challenges, and opportunities

Provides accurate sales forecasts and maintains visibility into pipeline and account risks

Builds credibility through strong preparation, responsiveness, commercial knowledge, and follow-through

Acts as a trusted advisor who understands the customer's business and proactively brings solutions

Customer Focus:

Develops a deep understanding of each customer's business model, operating environment, customer base, and strategic priorities

Understands the unique needs of foodservice, hospitality, workplace, and small-format customers and adapts Cirkul's approach accordingly

Creates customer-specific presentations, proposals, and programs that demonstrate clear business value

Identifies ways Cirkul can improve hydration experiences for employees, guests, customers, and consumers

Visits customer locations and accounts to understand the customer experience, identify opportunities, and ensure successful execution

Uses customer feedback and field insights to improve programs and identify additional growth opportunities

Continuously looks for ways to make it easier for customers to adopt, scale, and succeed with Cirkul

What background should you have?

7+ years of experience in CPG, beverage, foodservice, hospitality, or related sales

Proven track record of managing and growing national or regional accounts

Experience selling into foodservice, hospitality, workplace, facilities, or other away-from-home channels

Experience working with organizations such as Aramark, Cintas, Sysco, US Foods, Compass Group, Sodexo, hotels, restaurants, bars, entertainment venues, or similar accounts is highly preferred

Strong new business development and prospecting experience with a demonstrated ability to open doors and build a pipeline

Experience navigating complex national accounts with multiple locations and decision-makers

Understanding of foodservice distribution, broker networks, and/or route-to-market strategies

Strong negotiation, presentation, and relationship-building skills

Strong business and financial acumen with the ability to build compelling customer proposals and business cases

Highly organized with the ability to manage multiple accounts, opportunities, and priorities simultaneously

Self-motivated, entrepreneurial, and comfortable operating in a fast-pa