Location: Venice, CA
Company Background: We are one of the largest Organic Medjool Date growers in the United States. Our organic farms are based in the sunny Coachella Valley with their HQ based in Venice. Medjool Dates, also known as the king of dates, have been loved and appreciated for centuries for the incredible benefits and luscious taste. Although the Farms have been well established, the initiative to sell and market our own Organic Dates is new. We are a fast growing, healthy food start-up seeking to associate with those who share our passion and energy for spreading the word on the delicious nutritious benefits of Organic Medjool Dates. Unlike many start-ups, we are will funded to fuel our growth.
Description: The Director of Sales will be at the forefront of strategizing, launching and establishing Joolies new suite of value-added products (snack packs, syrups, etc.) in the natural, conventional, mass and club channels. This dynamic role will be at the ground floor of launching a super healthy brand across the US and Canada. You will need to bring a combination of strategic planning experience and a willingness to spend significant time in the trade opening accounts, managing brokers and growing distribution.
Primary responsibilities include creating pricing, promotional and channel strategies, calling on customer accounts directly, and building out and managing a network of distributors, brokers and merchandisers. The position requires strong sales skills and interpersonal dexterity to manage brand performance across the country. The position will report to the Chief Executive Officer of the company and will work closely with the founder and select board members.
Ideally you are co-located with us in the LA area, but the best person could be located anywhere in the US depending on the quality of the candidate.
Responsibilities
- Lead all retail sales efforts, and design a growth strategy to reach nationwide distribution for the company’s CPG product lines.
- Develop pricing, trade, and activation strategies for each product line and major retailer.
- Call on retail accounts directly and build out broker networks.
- Create a culture of success and ongoing business and goal achievement.
- Manage the broker team and resources to deliver profitable growth.
- Manage the use of budgets and sales forecasting tools.
- Manage customer expectations and contribute to a high level of customer satisfaction.
- Define sales processes that drive desired sales outcomes and identify improvements.
- Put in place infrastructure and systems to support the success of the sales function.
- Compile information and data related to customer and prospect interactions.
- Monitor customer, market and competitor activity and provide feedback to company leadership.
- Work closely with marketing to establish successful support, channel and partner programs.
- Manage key customer relationships and participate in closing strategic opportunities.
- Travel for in-person meetings with customers and partners and to develop relationships.
Requirements
- Strong sales experience (5-10 years) with an emerging healthy natural brand (snacking a big PLUS)
- Ideally, the candidate has deep experience building out distribution for new snacking products
- Willingness to travel extensively to meet with retailers and support sales presentations.
- Existing network of buyers at key retailers.
- Sense of positive urgency in executing everyday responsibilities.
- Fluent knowledge of MS Office applications; ability to create good sales decks & sell sheets.
- Strong organizational, communication and inter-personal skills for a fast-paced brand.
- Strong communication ethic in getting back to customers, suppliers and the internal team.
- Strong understanding of customer activation tools and opportunities.
- Ability to act strategically and tactically in the performance of the job.
- Support the company’s leadership with needed information to facilitate decision-making.
- Bachelors of Business Administration in marketing or related field preferred but not required.
Salary: Commensurate with experience
Interested candidates should send an email and resume to [email protected]