Associate Key Account Manager

New Pig - Associate Key Account Manager - Onsite - Tipton, PA 16684 + <25% Travel

Dept: Vehicle Fleet & Maintenance | Reports to: Director, Automotive Distribution

The Associate Key Account Manager supports, executes, and actively expands commercial sales across major Vehicle Fleet & Maintenance (VFM) accounts, automotive retail chains, and related retail channels. Key accounts include NAPA Auto Parts (Genuine Parts Company), AutoZone, Advance Auto Parts, as well as cross-over retail opportunities in home improvement and farm/fleet networks such as The Home Depot, Lowe’s, Menards, and Tractor Supply Co.

Based full-time on-site at our Tipton, PA facility, this individual serves as both an operational linchpin and proactive communicator. The role requires an organized professional who can balance high-volume merchant communications with polished customer presentations, line reviews, and end-to-end corporate retail execution (SKU onboarding, planograms, promotional calendars, and customer acquisition).

Key Responsibilities

Account Management, Communication & New Customer Acquisition

Partner with the Director, Automotive Distribution to manage corporate headquarters relationships across automotive and retail accounts, interfacing regularly with category managers, associate merchants, and replenishment analysts.

Manage daily inbound and outbound communication channels, efficiently driving high-volume phone outreach and email workflows with merchant teams, distributor reps, and internal stakeholders.

Proactively research, map, and pursue expansion into prospective retail, commercial distributor, and regional co-op accounts across the automotive, hardware, and farm/fleet sectors.

Monitor vendor performance scorecards, ensuring adherence to on-time in-full (OTIF) targets, order fill rates, and customer routing guides to prevent operational deductions and chargebacks.

Presentation Development & Line Review Preparation

Build compelling, customer-facing PowerPoint presentations for formal corporate line reviews, annual vendor planning sessions, merchant pitches, and quarterly business reviews (QBRs).

Translate POS scan trends, category gaps, and product value propositions into visually engaging, data-backed slide decks that guide buyer decision-making.

Coordinate physical line review materials, mock store planograms, product samples, and custom counter/endcap display concepts.

Item Setups & Master Data Governance

Execute item setup packages within customer-specific vendor portals (e.g., NAPA Connect, retail supplier portals, EDI data catalogs).

Coordinate and verify critical product master data: carton dimensions, product weights, pallet configurations, UPC/GTIN barcodes, pricing tiers, and safety/compliance documentation.

Track product pipelines from initial corporate approval through DC staging to active retail store shelves.

Merchandising, Planograms & In-Store Execution

Assist in developing and evaluating planograms (POGs), clip strips, endcaps, and counter assortments tailored to automotive commercial counters and retail sales floors.

Collaborate with internal trade marketing to develop in-store signage, POP displays, and sell-sheets targeted at both professional mechanics (DIFM) and retail DIY shoppers.

Promotional Planning & Commercial Analytics

Track national promotional schedules, circular insertions, store flyers, and seasonal marketing features across accounts.

Analyze POS scan reports, sell-through velocity, inventory turn, and return rates to uncover category growth opportunities and address slow-moving inventory.

Conduct margin, gross profit, and promotional allowance calculations to ensure commercial programs meet corporate profitability guidelines.

Candidate Qualifications

Required Experience & Skills

Education: Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Supply Chain, or related field (or equivalent practical professional experience).

Work Experience: 3 to 5 years of professional B2B sales, account coordination, or category management experience with a manufacturer or distributor.

Microsoft Office Mastery: Advanced proficiency across the Microsoft Office Suite, specifically:

Microsoft PowerPoint: Strong ability to design professional, customer-ready presentations from scratch with clear narrative flow and graphic structure.

Microsoft Excel: Demonstrated competency with formulas (XLOOKUP/VLOOKUP), Pivot Tables, and margin calculations to evaluate POS scan reports.

Microsoft Outlook: Proven discipline in managing a demanding inbox and maintaining organized customer follow-up cadence.

Communication & Workload Management: High phone and email stamina with the ability to manage high-touch merchant requests, multi-task across accounts, and maintain quick turnaround times.

Corporate Retail Familiarity: Solid understanding of corporate retail mechanisms, including item setup sheets, vendor scorecards, EDI ordering flows, and line review calendars.

Work Location & Travel: Full-time presence on-site at the Tipton, PA facility, with the ability to travel up to 25% for corporate customer visits, line reviews, and trade events.

Preferred Experience & Differentiators

Direct experience interfacing with merchant or replenishment teams at automotive aftermarket headquarters (NAPA/GPC, AutoZone, Advance Auto Parts) or big-box/farm retailers (The Home Depot, Lowe’s, Tractor Supply Co., Menards).

Hands-on familiarity with space planning concepts, planograms (POGs), and retail shelf placement strategies.

Working knowledge of both commercial automotive fleet distribution (DIFM) and consumer retail (DIY) merchandising.