Senior Customer Manager - Amazon

Seattle, WA

The Senior Customer Manager role exists to ensure the Amazon business delivers on its objectives. We’re tasked with driving topline growth, improving investment efficiency, and helping the organization reach its yearly financial targets. The person in this role will be our primary owner of day-to-day business responsibilities, including delivering on the aforementioned objectives, as well as the secondary point of contact to the customer as well as leadership. The person in this role will truly own our operation on Amazon.

Minimum Qualifications

• 2 year(s) of experience in selling direct to an eCommerce retailer, preferably in the Consumer Packaged Goods industry 
• In lieu of eCommerce experience, 5-10 years experience direct selling will be considered
• The knowledge, skills, and abilities typically acquired through the completion of a Bachelor's degree program in a related field, or equivalent work experience.
• Successful completion of a drug and background screen

Principal Accountabilities

• Leading Our Operation: Our Amazon business is a fast-changing, dynamic one. There are a large number of stakeholders across our category management, sales planning, supply chain, demand planning, and leadership teams that we work with. There are also several inputs that are different from a traditional account manager role’s, and they all have a material impact on our business. In this environment, process is crucial. An ability to unify our resources, clarify our direction, make difficult decisions, and get the results we need consistently is essential. This person will be tasked with primary ownership of the processes that guide our operation.
• Forecasting Acumen: This person will be the primary owner of our forecast, our call to the leadership team, and the signal we provide to our demand and supply teams. Experience forecasting either a business with 250+ SKU’s, $75MM+ in annual shipments, or a history of forecasting multiple categories will be essential. Additionally, experience building a detailed annual plan will be sought after. Finally, experience with linear regressions, building block forecasting, and risk/opportunity management are a plus.
• Budget Management: This role will require significant trade and shopper budget oversight, with multiple stakeholders that manage a portion of our total budget. Experience with managing investment rate at a large customer or eCommerce retailer will be important.
• Collaboration With Cross-Functional Partners: This role will require meaningful time spent working with internal partners in finance, marketing, sales planning, as well as local team members in category and supply. An ability to build relationships and foster collaboration is crucial.  
• Customer Management: This person should have a history of positive, collaborative customer relationships as well as a willingness to have difficult conversations when necessary.
• Fostering Engagement: This role has a meaningful part of fostering the Seattle office’s overall engagement, and the expectation is that under normal conditions, 80%+ of working hours are spent in office.
• Presentation Skills: Comfort making presentations with small-to-medium sized audiences, as well as to members of senior leadership, are essential and will often be a part of this person’s workload.
• Terms Negotations: This person will play a significant role in annual terms negotiations with Amazon, serving as the secondary point of contact as well as the primary owner of our numbers. Key capabilities we’ll be looking for in this person are negotiation skills and financial acumen.

Key Supporting Competencies

• Effective communication skills - oral, written and listening.
• Ability to contribute within a team environment.
• Influence cross-functionally, especially where direct reporting relationships do not exist
• Create and implement new and/or innovative ways to sell, merchandise and market our products.
• Ability to build trusting relationships and partnerships internally/externally.
• Understands the organization and knows how to use this knowledge to achieve business results.
• Ability to learn continuously - reads trade journals, financial reports, attends seminars.

What can you expect from Mars?

• The opportunity to learn, develop and take charge of your own career.
• An industry competitive salary and benefits package. 
• To be respected and valued.
• The Five Principles at the center of every decision we make
• The opportunity to work cross functionally, add value and impact a better world for generations to come.

About Mars:
Mars is a family-owned business with more than $35 billion in global sales. We produce some of the world’s best-loved brands: M&M’s®, SNICKERS®, TWIX®, MILKY WAY®, DOVE®, PEDIGREE®, ROYAL CANIN®, WHISKAS®, EXTRA®, ORBIT®, 5â„¢, SKITTLES®, BEN’S ORIGINAL® and COCOAVIA®. Alongside our consumer brands, we proudly take care of half of the world’s pets through our nutrition, health and services businesses such as Banfield Pet Hospitalsâ„¢, BluePearl®, Linnaeus, AniCura, VCAâ„¢ and Pet Partnersâ„¢. Headquartered in McLean, VA, Mars operates in more than 80 countries. The Mars Five Principles – Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Efficiency and Freedom – inspire our 130,000 Associates into taking action every day towards creating the world we want tomorrow.

Disclaimer:
Mars is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. If you need assistance or an accommodation during the application process because of a disability, it is available upon request. The company is pleased to provide such assistance, and no applicant will be penalized as a result of such a request.​​​​​​​

Note to Search Firms/Agencies:
Mars, Incorporated and its subsidiaries and affiliates (Mars) do not compensate search firms for unsolicited assistance unless they have a written search agreement with Mars and the requisition is position-specific.  Any resumes, curriculum vitae, and other unsolicited assistance from search firms that do not have a written search agreement or position-specific requisition submitted to any Associate of Mars will be deemed the sole property of Mars and no fee will be paid in the event the candidate is hired by Mars.