Location: Los Angeles or San Diego
Company Background: KonaRed is the leading provider of premium Kona Coffee and related products worldwide. We procure premium estate grown Kona Coffee beans, grown on the Big Island of Hawaii, 2,400 miles from the nearest continent, where the air is pure, the soil is untouched and the rainwater is pristine. Our flagship product line consists of our award-winning RTD Cold Brew Coffee products. For this line, we blend our Kona beans with Nature’s Best Kept Secret®, Hawaiian Coffee Fruit, as well as Fair Trade Certified Colombian beans. We then roast the beans to perfection and slowly steep in cold water. Our proprietary process and ingredients create the smoothest, best-tasting craft cold brew coffee on planet earth. In addition to our award-winning Ready to Drink (RTD) Cold Brew Coffee varieties, we also produce 100% Kona Coffee Beans, Hawaiian Coffee Fruit Juice and nutritional supplements. Our products are sold in major supply chains around the country and online.
Job Description: We are looking for a rising star to lead our West Coast sales efforts as we continue to expand our distribution. The Regional Sales manager will be responsible for designing and executing the strategy to launch and scale our products, and needs 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 marketing and operations teams.
Responsibilities
- Lead all sales efforts on the East Coast across RTD coffee, whole bean coffee and k-cups.
- Develop pricing, trade, and activation strategies for each product line and major retailer.
- Call on retail accounts directly and build out broker networks.
- Create and manage sales and operational processes / systems to support wholesale line.
- Over time, build out an internal sales and merchandising team to support growth.
- Create a culture of success and ongoing business and goal achievement.
- Manage the sales team, operations 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.
- Provide detailed and accurate sales forecasting to facilitate production scheduling.
- 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 for an emerging beverage brand.
- Willingness to travel extensively to meet with retailers and support products.
- Existing network of buyers at key retailers.
- Sense of positive urgency in executing everyday responsibilities.
- Deep working knowledge of the wholesale foods and/or beverage industry.
- 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 owners with needed information to facilitate decision-making.
- Bachelors of Business Administration in finance, marketing or related field preferred but not required.
Salary: Commensurate with experience
Interested candidates should send an email and resume to [email protected]