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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Retail Client Engagement Manager

💰 $ - $

RetailClient SuccessAccount ManagementOmnichannel

🎯 Role Definition

The Retail Client Engagement Manager is a strategic, client-facing leader responsible for growing and sustaining relationships with retail partners and key accounts. This role blends account management, retail operations, merchandising, and analytics to drive omnichannel sales growth, maximize client satisfaction, and ensure successful execution of promotional and assortment strategies. The ideal candidate partners cross-functionally with marketing, supply chain, category management, e‑commerce, and finance to translate retailer priorities into measurable commercial outcomes.

Key SEO phrases: Retail Client Engagement Manager, retail account management, client engagement, omnichannel retail, shopper insights, retail analytics, client retention, retail sales growth.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Retail Account Manager / Key Account Specialist
  • Client Success Manager in Retail or Consumer Goods
  • Merchandising or Category Analyst with client-facing experience

Advancement To:

  • Senior Client Engagement Manager / Strategic Account Director
  • Head of Retail Partnerships / Director of Retail Sales
  • VP of Client Success / Commercial Director (Retail)

Lateral Moves:

  • Category Management Lead
  • Omnichannel Merchandising Manager
  • Retail Operations Manager

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Manage a portfolio of retail accounts (national, regional, or strategic partners), serving as the primary point of contact for all commercial and operational matters and ensuring alignment between client objectives and company strategies.
  • Develop and execute annual account plans and sales growth strategies that combine retail merchandising, promotions, assortment optimization, pricing, and in-store execution to meet or exceed revenue, margin, and market-share targets.
  • Drive omnichannel programs across brick-and-mortar, e‑commerce, and marketplace channels—coordinating product launches, promotional advertising, digital shelf optimization, and fulfillment alignment to maximize sell-through.
  • Conduct regular business reviews (monthly/quarterly) with retail partners to evaluate performance against KPIs, present sales and margin analysis, identify opportunities, and agree on corrective and growth actions.
  • Own P&L accountability for assigned accounts or programs: forecast revenue, manage promotional spend, reconcile retailer funding, and ensure profitable execution of joint business plans.
  • Translate shopper and market insights into actionable plans—leverage syndicated data (Nielsen, IRI), POS data, customer analytics, and competitive intelligence to inform assortment, pricing, and promotional investments.
  • Negotiate commercial agreements, promotional funding, co-op marketing programs, merchandising terms, and supply chain commitments with retail partners to secure favorable placement and investment.
  • Lead cross-functional implementation of retailer initiatives—coordinate internal teams (marketing, supply chain, operations, finance, legal) to deliver on planograms, marketing creative, pricing changes, and launch windows.
  • Manage in-store execution standards including planogram compliance, display rollouts, promotional merchandising, and retail training programs; perform or coordinate store audits to ensure standards are met.
  • Build and maintain strong executive relationships with retailer stakeholders (category buyers, marketing leads, supply chain managers) to influence growth strategies and negotiate strategic placements.
  • Oversee onboarding and launch of new products and seasonal collections with retailers—create launch calendars, promotional timelines, training materials, and performance measurement plans.
  • Monitor inventory levels, replenishment cadence, and returns processes with retail partners and internal supply chain to minimize out-of-stocks and overstock, supporting optimal in-store availability.
  • Implement and track measurement frameworks and dashboards (sales velocity, conversion, basket size, sell-through, stock-days) using BI tools to drive data-driven decisions and continuous improvement.
  • Lead client retention and renewal strategy—identify at-risk accounts, develop remediation plans, and execute targeted initiatives to improve relationship health and contract renewals.
  • Design and execute retailer-specific marketing and trade activation programs (co-op ads, circulars, loyalty promotions, in-store events) to drive incremental traffic and purchases.
  • Coach and enable retail sales teams, field merchandisers, and distributor partners with training, performance expectations, and feedback loops to improve execution quality.
  • Manage resolution of operational escalations (shipping errors, invoice disputes, chargebacks, merchandising failures) with a sense of urgency and clear root-cause remediation plans.
  • Collaborate with e-commerce and digital teams to optimize product content, imagery, A+ pages, discoverability, and sponsored product campaigns that drive online conversion.
  • Champion process improvements and automation opportunities for account management workflows, reporting, and retailer communications to increase efficiency and scalability.
  • Prepare and present compelling business cases and ROI analyses for new investments, SKU rationalization, or promotional trial programs to internal leadership and retail partners.
  • Track and interpret promotional effectiveness to recommend next-best actions, optimizing promotional cadence, depth, and timing to balance volume and margin.
  • Ensure contractual compliance, promotional accrual reconciliations, and timely recovery of marketing funds; maintain accurate records for audits and financial reporting.
  • Coordinate cross-border or multi-market account strategies for regional retailers, ensuring local market execution aligns with global brand standards and regional priorities.
  • Lead pilot programs and innovation trials with retailers (new formats, merchandising concepts, digital experiences), capturing learnings and scaling successful initiatives.

Secondary Functions

  • Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory analysis for retailer partners and internal stakeholders to answer business questions and validate hypotheses.
  • Contribute to the organization’s retail client strategy and roadmap by surfacing partner feedback, market trends, and operational gaps.
  • Collaborate with marketplace and e-commerce teams to translate retail data needs into technical requirements and support feature prioritization.
  • Participate in cross-functional project planning, sprint meetings, and agile ceremonies to ensure account initiatives are delivered on time and to scope.
  • Mentor junior account managers and support the development of account playbooks, templates, and best practices for consistent execution.
  • Facilitate retailer training sessions and webinars focused on product knowledge, merchandising standards, and promotional mechanics.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Retail Account Management: Proven experience managing national or regional retail accounts and delivering measurable sales and margin outcomes.
  • Retail Analytics and Reporting: Advanced Excel (pivot tables, LOOKUPs), experience with BI tools (Tableau, Power BI, Looker) and interpreting POS/syndicated data.
  • CRM & Sales Tools: Proficient in Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics, or equivalent CRMs for pipeline management and activity tracking.
  • E‑commerce & Digital Commerce: Familiarity with online merchandising, marketplace platforms (Amazon, Walmart Marketplace), and digital advertising/SEM basics.
  • Category & Assortment Management: Experience in SKU rationalization, space planning, planograms, and assortment strategies to drive category growth.
  • Negotiation & Contracting: Strong commercial negotiation skills including promotional funding, payment terms, and co-op agreements.
  • Forecasting & P&L Management: Ability to develop revenue forecasts, manage promotional accruals, and deliver profitable joint business plans.
  • Data Manipulation & SQL: Basic to intermediate SQL or the ability to partner with analytics teams to query retail datasets and create insights.
  • Project Management: Comfortable managing complex, cross-functional initiatives with competing priorities; experience with project management tools (Asana, Jira, MS Project).
  • Inventory & Supply Chain Coordination: Knowledge of replenishment approaches, lead times, and inventory health KPIs (days-on-hand, stock-outs).
  • Promotional Planning & Trade Marketing: Planning and evaluating trade spend, promotions, and shopper activation programs.
  • POS & Retail Systems: Familiarity with point-of-sale systems, chargeback processes, and retail invoicing workflows.

Soft Skills

  • Relationship Building: Exceptional ability to build and maintain trusted relationships with retail stakeholders and internal partners.
  • Strategic Thinking: Translate market and shopper insights into long-term strategies and pragmatic execution plans.
  • Communication & Presentation: Clear written and verbal communication; ability to craft executive-ready presentations and present business cases.
  • Problem Solving: Structured, data-driven approach to diagnosing issues and recommending corrective actions.
  • Influence & Negotiation: Persuade cross-functional partners and retail stakeholders to secure alignment and drive outcomes.
  • Leadership & People Development: Coach and mentor team members; lead by influence across multifunctional teams.
  • Prioritization & Time Management: Manage multiple accounts and initiatives simultaneously while meeting deadlines.
  • Adaptability: Comfortable operating in fast-paced retail environments with changing priorities and seasonal peaks.
  • Attention to Detail: High standard for accuracy in reporting, promotional compliance, and contractual terms.
  • Customer-Centric Mindset: Deep focus on shopper needs and retailer success as drivers of brand performance.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Supply Chain, Retail Management, or a related field.

Preferred Education:

  • MBA or Master’s in Business/Marketing/Retail Management; relevant professional certifications (e.g., Category Management, Strategic Selling).

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Business Administration
  • Marketing
  • Supply Chain Management
  • Retail Management
  • Economics
  • Data Analytics / Business Intelligence

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

  • 5–10+ years of progressive experience in retail account management, key account roles, category management, or commercial leadership with demonstrable P&L and client-engagement outcomes.

Preferred:

  • 7+ years managing national or strategic retail accounts in consumer packaged goods (CPG), fashion, home goods, or omnichannel retail environments.
  • Experience with large-format and grocery retailers, e-commerce marketplaces, and cross-functional leadership in matrixed organizations.
  • Track record of delivering measurable sales and margin improvements through joint business plans, promotional optimization, and in-store/digital execution.
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