Wholesale Account Manager

Wholesale Account Manager

WHO WE ARE

Metropolis Coffee Company is an award-winning specialty coffee roaster with over 20 years of experience serving coffee lovers everywhere. Based in Chicago, our family-owned company is renowned for sourcing, roasting and packaging sustainable, affordable, and consistent coffee and coffee products for our beloved customers. We strive to embody our slogan “Great Coffee for Everyone!” in everything we do.

WHO YOU ARE

As the Account Manager for our Wholesale business, you are a relationship-driven professional with the commercial instincts to grow a book of accounts and the discipline to keep it well-managed. You love coffee and tea, and you genuinely enjoy the foodservice world; the operators, the distributors, the chefs, the café owners, and the buyers who are passionate about what they pour.

You are an omni-channel seller at heart, but you bring particular strength in specialty cafés, restaurants, and the distributor partners who serve those channels. You are organized, self-directed, and able to manage a portfolio of 60-100 accounts without letting any fall through the cracks.

You see equipment placement as a relationship investment, not just a sale, and you understand that new product introductions are how good accounts become great ones.ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIESincludes the following. Other duties may be assigned.

• Own the existing lifecycle of assigned wholesale accounts across all channels, with particular focus on specialty cafés, restaurants, and the distributors who serve those channels
• Maintain a regular cadence of customer touchpoints. Calls, emails, and in-person visits, where appropriate, are necessary to anticipate needs, surface issues early, and deepen relationships across the book
• Manage distributor relationships as both customers and channel partners: support their sell-through to end operators, provide training and merchandising materials, and coordinate on pricing, programs, and competitive situations
• Identify and execute opportunities to expand footprint within accounts: adding new SKUs, introducing tea programs to coffee-only accounts, upgrading single-origin or seasonal offerings, and converting spot orders into standing orders
• Drive adoption of company-supplied equipment programs (brewers, grinders, espresso machines, dispensers), placing the right equipment at the right margin to grow recurring volume and account loyalty
• Monitor accounts for signs of competitive bids, pricing pressure, or relationship erosion, and respond proactively
• Conduct periodic business reviews with strategic accounts, presenting volume trends, product performance, and growth recommendations
• Coordinate closely with operations, roasting, customer service, and 3rd party service provider teams to ensure on-time delivery, product quality, and resolution of any service issues on equipment
• Partner with the marketing team to deliver merchandising support, training resources, and promotional programs to accounts
• Maintain accurate account records, order history, contact information, and opportunity pipeline in HubSpot, our CRM system of record
• Provide the VP of Sales with regular forecasts, account health reports, and competitive intelligence from the field
• Support onboarding of new accounts handed off from inside sales or VP, ensuring smooth transition and early-stage retention
• Reports to the Vice President of Sales

QUALIFICATIONS

• To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.
• The requirements listed below are representative of the values, skills, and abilities required.
• Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.
• Knowledge and

Skills

• To excel in this role, one must combine genuine commercial instinct with relationship discipline.
• The Account Manager is the face of Metropolis to a portfolio of accounts.
• Outside of industry-specific knowledge, a qualified candidate must exemplify the Core Values of Metropolis Coffee Company:
• Hospitable-Emotionally intelligent, good communicator, thoughtful, and kind
• Teamwork-Completes tasks, shows up, understands the mission
• Passionate-About people, coffee, and Metropolis Coffee Company
• Open-minded-Adaptable, growth-oriented, accepts change, flexible
• Accountable
• Humble, takes ownership, honest, solves problems
• Strives for Excellence & Improvement- “Make it Right,” mentality, try your best, good work ethic, goal oriented, and careful

Education and Experience

High school diploma or general education degree (GED) required; bachelor’s degree a plus, but not required. Two to five years of experience in account management, inside sales, or outside sales is required, preferably in foodservice, beverage, hospitality, or specialty food distribution.

Familiarity with the foodservice channel-particularly specialty cafés, restaurants, and the distributors who serve them is strongly preferred. Track record of retaining and growing existing accounts, with measurable results in reorder volume, account growth, or program expansion.

Commercial

Skills

• Comfort with commercial coffee conversations, pricing, contract terms, equipment placement agreements, and competitive positioning.
• Ability to manage a portfolio of 60-100 accounts in an organized, structured way.
• Self-directed work style with the discipline to plan a week, work the plan, and report results.
• Communication

Skills

• Strong written and verbal communication skills required.
• Ability to be credible with everyone from a café owner to a hotel F&B director to a distributor sales rep.
• Ability to proofread copy for grammar and content.
• Computer

Skills

Proficiency with HubSpot CRM is preferred, as it is our system of record for all account, contact, pipeline, and activity management. Proficient with Apple and Android handheld devices, Microsoft Suite (especially Excel), and Google Suite. Experience with QuickBooks a plus.

Reasoning Ability:

Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out detailed written or oral instructions. Sound judgment in reading customer signals, managing pricing conversations, and knowing when to escalate vs. handle independently.

Certificates, Licenses, Registrations:

Valid Motor Vehicle Operator’s License and a clean driving record required, as the role involves travel to customer sites for visits, business reviews, and relationship-building.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to stand, walk, drive, and reach with hands and arms. The employee is occasionally required to sit; climb or balance; and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.

The employee must regularly lift and/or move up to 50 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move objects over 50 pounds (e.g., demonstration equipment, sample shipments, point-of-sale materials).COMPENSATIONFull-time employment. Base salary $68,000 paid annually.

On-target earnings (OTE) structured as an 80/20 split between base salary and performance-based commission, with commission earned through equipment placement and new product line adoption. Commission terms and quota will be provided in detail as part of the offer. Commissions are paid monthly.

Monthly car stipend of $400 to support travel to customer accounts. Healthcare benefits, 65% subsidized by Metropolis, includes medical, dental, vision, and life insurance. Cell phone stipend. Work computer.

Apply through LinkedIn. Do not email Metropolis staff directly with resumes.