Account Manager

Why Great Northern

Privately held, Great Northern Instore, a division of Great Northern Corporation, is a Multi-Million Dollar, Designer, Engineering, and Manufacturer of Custom Permanent Point Purchase Displays and Retail Fixtures.

Great Northern is committed to making a difference in the lives of our team members, customers, and the communities in which we live and work. Many of our team members were referred to by their friends and families who are already a part of the Great Northern team.

The Benefits of Great Northern

• Competitive 401K match and a historically generous profit-sharing retirement savings contribution
• Paid Time Off and IL Paid Leave after 30 days of employment
• 9 Paid Holidays
• Medical PPO, Health Savings Account, Dental, and Vision insurance
• Wellness Program
• Life Insurance, Short Term and Long-Term Disability available
• Health Fitness, Safety Prescription Glasses, and Safety Shoes Reimbursement annually
• Tuition Reimbursement available after 1 year of service
• Opportunities to advance your career and compensation level
• Annual increases

Pay/Schedule

Full Time

Base Salary up to three years based on Agreement

Position Summary

This is a consultative business development role that requires a strong understanding of customer needs, category dynamics, shopper behavior, and brand strategy. As customer expectations evolve, GNI is focused on strengthening its value-driven approach by combining market insights, creative thinking, and strategic problem-solving to develop solutions that address customer challenges and support their business objectives.

We are seeking an Account Manager who can build trusted customer relationships, identify new business opportunities, and collaborate with internal teams to develop solutions that deliver value beyond the physical display. The ideal candidate will be comfortable engaging in strategic customer discussions while also managing the details required to bring programs from concept through execution.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Drive new business development and build a strong pipeline across brands, retailers, and consumer categories.
• Develop and maintain strategic relationships with senior-level decisionmakers across marketing, branding, and sourcing.
• Identify new market opportunities, expand existing accounts, and pursue cross-divisional business opportunities.
• Develop customer-specific strategies informed by shopper marketing trends, competitive intelligence, and customer needs.
• Partner with internal teams, including design, engineering, marketing, and manufacturing, to develop customer solutions.
• Lead proposals, presentations, and business cases that demonstrate value and differentiate GNI's capabilities.
• Manage pricing, contract negotiations, forecasting, and profitability in support of business objectives.
• Share market insights, competitive trends, and customer feedback to support business strategy and continuous improvement.
• Travel as needed to develop customer relationships and support business development activities.

Qualifications

• 5–7 years of sales experience in the in-store marketing, point-of-purchase display, or related industry.
• Demonstrated success in new business development, with established customer relationships and a verifiable track record of generating business.
• Knowledge of permanent display materials, manufacturing processes, and production capabilities.
• Strong relationship-building, communication, presentation, and negotiation skills.
• Ability to influence senior-level decision makers and collaborate effectively across functions.
• Strong commercial and financial acumen, including pricing, proposals, and contract negotiations.
• Strategic thinking, sound business judgment, and the ability to translate strategy into action.
• A stable, progressive career history demonstrating professional growth and results.
• Self-motivated, results-oriented, and collaborative, with a willingness to travel as needed.

Physical Requirements

Ability to safely and successfully perform the essential job functions consistent with the ADA, FMLA and other federal, state and local standards, including meeting qualitative and/or quantitative productivity standards.

Ability to maintain regular, punctual attendance consistent with the ADA, FMLA and other federal, state and local standards.

Opportunities for Growth

You will have the opportunity to gain experience, and new skills and acquire new knowledge that can be applied to grow into new positions with higher pay. Furthermore, you can grow your career with Great Northern through advancement opportunities available at our facilities locally and nationally.

Expectation

To be successful your teammates will depend on you to have pride in your work, be on time, work safely, work effectively with others, be optimistic, take ownership of your responsibilities, and look for continuous improvement opportunities.

Great Northern is an equal opportunity at-will employer and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of age, race, religion, color, disability, sex, sexual orientation, or national origin.