POSITION SUMMARY
The Head of Business Development & Foodservice Sales is responsible for leading the business development and sales efforts in the foodservice channel, while working with Product Development to bring to market a product range of cheeses that are entirely made without animals. Reporting directly to the CEO, this role will manage the company’s key accounts and provide strong support for the creation of new sales opportunities with QSR, restaurant chains, institutional accounts, and wholesale distributors. This role will collaborate and coordinate, in a cross-functional approach, with the Operations team and the Marketing team on customer initiatives, projects, products, and establishing priorities to achieve Vertage’s desired results.
RESPONSIBILITIES
With a deep understanding of our products and their various culinary applications, develop an effective strategy to generate leads, drive sales, build market share, and increase brand awareness
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Identify and partner with customers in the foodservice channel at a national level, to drive new distribution, develop solid customer relationships, and maximize sales
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Develop and maintain long-term relationships with targeted foodservice partners, including chains, brokers, and distributors
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Dynamically engage with menu innovation, product development, and supply chain teams of targeted chain customers as needed, and report to internal teams based on their feedback
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Create user-friendly resources and product guidelines that lead to customer acceptance
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Ensure through critical thinking that all the right negotiation tools are leveraged, to obtain success in commercial initiatives and generate positive ROI
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Consistently follow up with sales leads to ensure a successful conversion into orders
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Display strong negotiation skills with our customers to maximize contribution margin for Vertage
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Think creatively to build promotional activities, tailor selling styles, and meet the needs of customers in sales process
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Establish sales forecasts and objectives by projecting expected sales volumes, partnering closely with Operations to ensure production capabilities
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Review and socialize sales reports on a regular basis with the leadership team
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This role will eventually recruit and hire a team of sales managers, and provide them with the necessary leadership & support to generate market leads and close deals
REQUIREMENTS
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8+ years of sales experience, ideally within a refrigerated category
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Strong financial acumen including pricing, P&L, SG&A
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Excellent analytical and problem-solving capabilities
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Ability to influence internal teams and customers to achieve results
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Prior experience as a “hunter” in a foodservice sales rol
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Strong leadership abilities and experience in leading sales resources
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Demonstrated ability to work effectively with cross functional teams
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Strong proven track record in customer lead generation, customer success, collaboration, and sales growth
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Excellent interpersonal (written and verbal) communications skills with a demonstrated ability to work across different cultures and interact with all levels of the organization
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Demonstrated ability of being a dynamic self-starter, to work independently and apply sound judgment to solve complex problems with incomplete and/or ambiguous information
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Proven ability to handle multiple projects at once, work under pressure, apply judgment and ask for aid in prioritizing as applicable
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Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively to resolve issues
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Ability to travel up to 50% in the United States
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Passion for the environment of early stage startups and a do-what-it-takes attitude fit for the ups and downs and twists and turns of the business
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Proficiency in Microsoft Office
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
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Experience in dairy, cheese and or other climate-controlled product
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Experience in manufacturing environment or other supply chain / costing area preferred as well as technical curiosity
COMPENSATION
Competitive compensation, excellent benefits (medical, dental, vision), and the chance to work alongside a passionate team backed by leading advisors in the restaurant and food-tech industries
