Position Summary:
The Director of Foodservice and Alternative Channel Sales will have accountability for driving sales within Foodservice (Broadline & K-12) and Alt Channels (Export, Ecommerce, Emerging, and Closeout). The candidate will work with various internal teams and stakeholders to formulate sales strategies and tactics to support our business goals. This is a key sales position reporting to the President of Sales, at Hometown Food Company.
Required Job Responsibilities:
Establish sales objectives by creating a sales strategy and execution plan, specifically by channel.
Ability to grow and manage conventional and natural brands within each channel across multiple temperature classes
Achieve sales objectives by contributing sales information and recommendations to strategic plans and reviews. Prepares and completes action plans and implements approved plans.
Achieve planned results by maintaining and expanding the customer base by building and maintaining rapport with key customers and identifying new customer opportunities.
Achieve sales objectives through monthly maintenance of forecast, preparing an annual budget, scheduling expenditures, analyzing variances monthly, and initiating corrective actions.
Resolve problems, identify trends, determine \sales system improvements, and implement changes when necessary.
Recommend product lines by identifying new product opportunities, surveying consumer needs and trends and tracking competitors.
Foodservice
Manage Foodservice pricing and promotional structure
Develop and expand upon relationships with both operators and distributors within Foodservice industry
K12
Manage K12 pricing structure and annual school bid process
Develop and expand relationships with operators and school districts
Export
Work closely with brokers to enter new markets and optimize existing markets
Maintain and execute against the promotional budget within the export channel
E-Commerce
Manage relationships with Amazon and other ecommerce retailers (Thrive, iHerb, Misfits Market, etc.)
Maintain bottom-line strategy while expanding top-line through partner structure on Amazon
Execute promotional strategy across all ecommerce retailers
Emerging
Catch-all category for non-conventional retailers and distributors
Continue to drive new relationships and grow Hometown’s reach outside conventional channels and customers
Closeout
Work closely with inside sales team to sell short-dated and excess products at the highest possible price
Manage and develop existing relationships to leverage closeout opportunities into everyday business with retailers
Required Sales Skills and Qualifications:
- Motivation for sales.
- Exceptional interpersonal, communication, team leadership and management skills.
- Effective time manager with ability to multi-task.
- Strong planning, organizational, analytical and networking skills.
- High energy level and diligent work ethic.
- Self-starter, can work independently (within company guidelines)
- Ability to thrive in a fast-paced startup or Private Equity environment with an attitude focused on “what’s possible”.
- Track record of success in growing sales, profits and relationships with existing and/or new customers. Skills include:
- Developing and implementing sales strategies that align with company objectives.
- Develop & implement sales plans, specifically by channel
- Building Relationship to deliver results: existing/new retailers & broker network
- Strong communication, presentation, negotiation & closing skills
- Addressing customer concerns and resolving problems that could affect sales & profit goals.
- Recommend product enhancement to improve the sales potential of each customer & align with company sales objectives.
- Sales planning.
- Forecast Management and S&OP Process capabilities.
- Strong understanding of trade spends and promotional strategy.
- Customer focus
- Building relationships: Developing relationships with customers, distributors, and other key industry personnel
- Industry and product knowledge
- Basic computer skills: Experience working with Microsoft Office Suite - Word, Excel, Power Point.
EDUCATION / EXPERIENCE:
- A minimum of 5 years’ sales experience in the food & beverage industry.
- Direct sales experience within some or all of Foodservice and Alt Channel Sales
- Basic supply chain experience.
- Bachelor’s degree required - Marketing or Business Management preferred.
OTHER REQUIREMENTS:
Ability and willingness to travel 75% of the time.
