Regional Sales Manager

Reports to: Vice President, Sales – Green Seed Group

Company Description: 

Green Seed Group NA is a nationally recognized brand accelerator in the food and beverage sector. The business has over 20 years of building great brands in the United States across many categories.

The candidate we seek is a uniquely positioned self-starter with strong planning capability, excellent inter-personal skills to support and build our brands with retailers and nuture relationships with our clients. The ideal candidate will must have UNFI and KeHE distributor experience.

Purpose of role: 

•To accelerate growth across 8-10 brands in the USA through distributor management (UNFI and KEHE) and customer engagement in the Natural and Specialty channels. To be recognized as the undisputed expert on KeHE and UNFI workings.

•Dimensions of role: To galvanize a team of brokers and distributors towards achieving accelerated growth for client brands through growing points of distribution. To establish a strong sales driven relationship with KeHE and UNFI distributors.

Your Key Contributions and Tasks/Accountabilities:

This is not an exhaustive list of task and is not intended to be over prescriptive – different people will have different approaches to their job and the emphasis should be on achieving the outcomes in the best way possible

•Account and Business Plans: Create plans that achieve identified distribution sales growth in small and medium natural / specialty customers. Negotiate agreement of a Joint Business Plan with the customer that delivers business objectives. Manage, measure and improve account sales performance

•Sales Forecasts: Drive the accuracy and delivery of monthly sales forecasts. Ensure rigor in the application of year-end re-forecasts – working with internal Operations, client Supply Chain and Finance

•Promotions: Negotiate and deliver an annual promotional program, ensuring that promotions are communicated, forecasted, delivered and evaluated. Seek client approval no less than 12 weeks out. Delivery within spend budget and promotional guidelines

•Pricing: Establish and maintain the appropriate invoice pricing structure, delivering cost increases as required. Ensure good housekeeping via efficient collection and filing of customer deals to support deductions and pricing

•Performance Reviews: Deliver monthly sales activities to internal team for client Governance Report 

Team Support:

•Lead and motivate a network of brokers through clear communication and direction

•Contribute to team meetings

•Work closely with partners, internal national account managers and support team (Operations, Finance)

Personal Development:

•Identify and agreeing personal development needs

•Take actions to address your personal development needs – being pro-active

•Keep up to date with product/service developments

•Develop technical skills

Your Required Behaviors and Key Measures of Performance:

Behaviors

·Pride in our food and brands

·One team with one goal – we can all make the difference

·Taking time to understand each other’s challenges

·Look for opportunities to support other people in achieving their goals

·Proactively sharing information and learning with others

·Strong sense of accountability

·Being willing to contribute and having flexibility in terms of your approach,

·Seek forgiveness and not permission

·Do what you say you will when you say you will

·Communicate really clearly, simply and timely

.Proactively seek feedback from others

Essential

·Ability and desire to travel 20-30% of work week

·Experience and relationships with KeHe and UNFI distributors

·At least 3 years of sales experience

·Passion for food and the product is essential

·Excellent negotiation and communication skills

·Good presentation skills

Desirable

·Start-up, small business experience

Job Type:

Full-time

Geography:

This role is based in Chicago, and unless travelling to see customers, the expectation is that this role operates 2 days / week out of our office in the Loop area of Chicago

Compensation:

$65K-75k base salary

Strong benefits program (healthcare, 401K matching, work flexibility)