Food Connects is seeking a Sales Manager to lead the Food Hub Sales Team and manage the Food Hubs sales strategy and daytoday sales processes and activities. Their aim is to ensure that the business meets sales and growth targets provides industryleading customer service and generates meaningful returns for the local and regional food vendors that Food Connects represents.

Position Title: Food Hub Sales Manager (FHSM)

Supervisor: Business Development Manager

Employee Status: FullTime Exempt

We value diversity in all forms and strive to have our employment practices reflect that. As such we are an equalopportunity workplace and will not discriminate on the basis of disability or other legally protected categories. If an employee has a disability that makes it difficult to perform their job duties they are encouraged to notify us to engage in a discussion about reasonable accommodations.

About Food Connects

Food Connects is a dynamic and quickly growing nonprofit organization based in Brattleboro VT that delivers regionally produced food as well as educational and consulting services aimed at transforming regional food systems. Founded in 2013 Food Connects (FC) acts as a catalyst for food systems change by connecting the next generation with their food regional farmers with new markets and school chefs with regional food.

The Food Connects Food Hub delivers sourceidentified regional food from over 135 farms and valueadded producers to over 300 wholesale customers located in Vermont New Hampshire and Western Massachusetts. Currently we have vehicles on the road for pickups and deliveries 5 days per week. The Food Hub (FH) is experiencing rapid growth and will be expanding operations infrastructure and delivery schedule over the coming year.

Position Summary

The Food Hub Sales Manager (FHSM) will be responsible for cultivating a team environment that provides the Sales Team members with clear direction ambitious goals attainable targets and ample support in their work. This person will set a positive productive and professional tone while mentoring the Sales Team managing their performance and continuously evaluating and improving internal processes.

To optimize FCs seasonal sales strategy the FHSM is expected to proactively analyze sales data current market conditions sales program opportunities and supply opportunities. This person will provide Food Hub and organizational leadership with regular reports on sales activities to inform higherlevel decisionmaking. This is a crossfunctional management position that reports to the Business Development Manager.

Core Competencies

• Strategic Thinking: The ability to analyze the organizations competitive position by considering market and industry trends existing and potential customers (internal and external) and strengths and weaknesses as compared to competitors.

• Entrepreneurial Orientation: The ability to look for and seize profitable business opportunities; willingness to take calculated risks to achieve business goals.

• Thoroughness: Ensuring that ones own and others work and information are complete and accurate; carefully preparing for meetings and presentations; following up with others to ensure that agreements and commitments have been fulfilled.

• Empowering Others: The ability to convey confidence in employees ability to be successful especially at challenging new tasks; delegating significant responsibility and authority; allowing employees freedom to decide how they will accomplish their goals and resolve issues.

• Attention to Communication: The ability to ensure that information is passed on to others who should be kept informed.

• Managing Performance: The ability to take responsibility for ones own or ones employees performance by setting clear goals and expectations tracking progress against the goals ensuring feedback and addressing performance problems and issues promptly.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

Sales Plan Development & Execution

• Develop and implement Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to monitor and evaluate the collective and individual performance of the FH Sales Team with a strong focus on goal setting.

• Develop own and oversee the FHs sales strategy in collaboration with FH leadership including route/territory plans sales targets metrics and standard reporting.

• Partner closely with the Procurement Team to ensure that Sales activities align closely with supply priorities goals capacity and vice versa.

• Partner closely with the Procurement Team to increase sales of Vermont Certified Organic products.

• Coordinate with the Operations Team to ensure that sales plans and activities align with logistical ability capacity and goals.

• In conjunction with the Procurement Team and Business Development Manager lead development of customer pricing plans for the Sales team based on sales goals target margins and company values.

• Facilitate timely generation of marketing content and other material aligned with Marketing Departments goals and schedule.

• With Business Development Manager review and approve daytoday customerspecific pricing questions.

• Identify and steer the team away from opportunities that carry too much risk or opportunity cost or that conflict with FCs missions goals or values.

• Promotes the growth of local food deliveries by enhancing existing relationships with customers and developing new relationships with prospective customers.

Food Hub Staff Supervision

• Supervise FH Sales Team including managing schedules and timesheets maintaining daily communications and troubleshooting challenges.

• Within the Sales Team cultivate a culture of goal orientation collaboration solutionsfocused and mutual support to retain great people and deliver on FCs mission to build a fair resilient and socially responsible local and regional food system.

• Communicate openly and honestly provide continuous feedback recognize jobs well done and help staff members identify opportunities for improvement.

• Receive feedback from supervisees and respond accordingly.

• Perform regular team meetings and oneonone checkins and provide realtime support as needed focusing on cultivating performance and employee health satisfaction and development.

• Lead staff performance reviews on an annual basis or as needed.

• Maintain a safe and healthy work environment by establishing and enforcing organizational standards and adhering to legal regulations.

• Assist with recruiting hiring and training FH staff as needed.

Analysis and Reporting

• Work to analyze understand and communicate market dynamics and sales performance.

• In partnership with the Administrative Team develop and monitor KPIs identify interdepartmental improvement opportunities and work to ensure timely settlement of accounts.

• Analyze and understand sales and performance data regularly and report proactively with any perceived challenges or opportunities for improvement.

Basic Sales Administration

• With Business Development Manager review approve and troubleshoot customer invoices credit requests and credits.

• Maintain all Sales SOPs to be accurate and relevant and foster team alignment around those procedures.

• Troubleshoot FHs sales management and ecommerce software as needed.

• Coordinate customer order minimum schemas and mapping in cooperation with Operations Manager.

• Oversee customer information in NetSuite to ensure data remains current accurate and wellformatted.

Additional Responsibilities

• Fill in for other staff when needed.

• Occasional meetings and events on evenings and weekends (with plenty of advance notice).

• Attend regular oneonone checkins with the FH Business Development Manager to seek and provide proactive and constructive feedback for mutual improvement and the general betterment of the Food Hub.

• Engage in Food Connects annual review process.

• Other duties as needed to assist the Food Hub in fulfilling its mission.

Working Conditions & Physical Demands

Food Connects will make reasonable accommodations to enable individuals to perform the essential functions of their work to the degree we are able to do so.

Work Conditions

• This position is fulltime and exempt.

• The position is based in the Food Connects Food Hub facility in Brattleboro VT.

• The role will require inoffice work 3 days/week with remote work an option for the remaining days.

Schedule

• In general the position is expected to work a 40hour week with work hours falling between MondayFriday 7:00 am6:00 pm

• Some federal holidays (those that fall on Mondays) may require at least parttime work. Adequate advance notice will be provided.

• This position is eligible for compensatory time accrual for worked hours exceeding 40 per week.

Physical Demands

• This position entails extensive use of a desktop or laptop computer sitting or standing at a desk workstation.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• 3 to 5 years experience in one or more of the following types of roles. Some professional experience in the food industry strongly preferred.

• Sales

• Buying/purchasing

• General administration

• Project management

• Excellent communication skills both written and verbal: in person over the phone email text.

• Excellent customer service skills.

• Strong organizational skills and natural proclivity for keeping detailed records.

• Enthusiastic ability to work in a dynamic fastpaced environment.

• Interest in and ability to adapt to changes in evolving business be creative and jump in where needed to optimize operations.

• Cheerful professional presence.

• Strong knowledge of veggies fruits dairy meats valueadded products and other regionallyproduced foods.

• General technical skills with common workplace tools such as: Gsuite Excel Slack Asana and customer relationship management software (CRM).

• Ability to learn and incorporate new tools and technology into a work plan.

• Reliable cell phone. Monthly cell phone reimbursement is rolled into salary.

• At least 3 professional references.

Preferred Qualifications

• Existing relationships with/knowledge of current and potential vendors customers and businesses in VT NH MA and the NE region.

• General knowledge of the sustainable food and agriculture sector.

• General knowledge and relationships with regional logistics and freight providers.

• General knowledge of purchasing regulations for schools institutions and restaurants.

• Experience in small business management and/or business development especially in the food sector.

• Familiarity with the geographical area of our delivery services (Vermont Southern NH and Western Massachusetts primarily).

• Experience with Ecommerce and enterprise resource planning (ERP) software for food sales and distribution.

• Knowledge of basic food safety regulations.

• ServSafe Certified.

Compensation

• Compensation: Annual salary starting at $54080. Negotiable depending on experience.

• A fulltime position has the following benefits after a 90day introductory period:

• Paid time off: vacation sick personal and holiday leave

• Shortterm disability insurance

• Life insurance

• Access to vision and dental insurance

• 15% employee discount on food purchases.

• 2% retirement contribution