Sales Manager (Food)

Our Company: 

Congo Brands is at the epicenter of where consumer demand meets product development. Through brand partnerships with lead influencers, we are afforded an inside look at what consumers truly desire. Congo Brands is a health and wellness brand that sells supplements, fitness snacks, hydration drinks, energy drinks, and more through e-commerce and retail partnerships. Congo Brands houses some of the world’s most noted brands including Alani Nu, Prime Hydration, and 3D Energy. Congo Brands is on pace to become one of the world’s most noted consumer product companies, with revenue growth increasing exponentially year over year. Congo Brand’s goal is to be the go-to ‘Better for You Brand’ for everything from ready-to-drink beverages, snacks, supplements and more.

The Role:
The Sales Manager (Food) will be responsible for building and executing strategic sales plans for major grocery retailers. The Sales Manager (Food) will sell and execute across the Non-Beverage category and leads the development and execution of our Food channel strategy, having accountability for top and bottom-line performance. The Sales Manager (Food) serves as the key stakeholder between retail partners including Wakefern, AHOLD, Weis Market, and others leading all selling activities & driving efforts tied to improving overall sales, gross margin & market share. The Sales Manager (Food) aims to provide category management expertise, partners with our Director of Sales (Food) to shape our new product development strategy with Marketing and R&D, and partners with senior leaders in Finance and Supply Chain to manage budgets and support fill rates. The ideal candidate will partner with Buyers at each retailer on joint business planning, innovation launches, and general management and should have direct experience managing accounts including Kroger, Albertsons, and/or Publix. This individual will be an expert with their retailers, and be able to provide Executive leadership with data, trends, insights, and recommendations to grow sales and profitability (including determining how to drive base and incremental sales (distribution, shelving, pricing, and promotion).) The role reports directly to the Director of Sales, Food (Non-Beverage).

The ideal candidate will have experience selling sports nutrition products (i.e. - sticks, powders, gummies, etc.).

Key Responsibilities:

• Own end to end business plans with our Regional retail customers including but not limited to Schnucks, Woodmans, Dierbergs, Weis Market, AHOLD (All Banners), Wakefern, AWG, Food City, SEG, Tops, Price Chopper, Ingles. 
• Effectively partner with the customer, building rapport at all levels to fully understand their business, the marketplace, and affect positive business growth.
• Achieve sales and distribution goals.
• Achieve promotional revenue objectives by tactic, price point, Drive Period & Selling Event while effectively implementing Kraft Heinz pricing strategies for owned categories
• Work cross functionally to effectively manage execution of all assigned category objectives
• Achieve quarterly and annual sales goals for the Food Sales channel.
• Develop, implement, and achieve national Food sales plans.
• Work within budget guidelines to build sales and meet profitability goals.
• Track sales performance against objectives and informs management of results.
• Develop sales strategies and new-item initiatives for Food accounts.
• Develop account specific promotional plans and programs; track performance, spending and adjust as necessary to maximize ROI.
• Establish and maintain deep business relationships with key national Food retailers.
• Assess retail requirements and partner with Marketing, Finance, Supply Chain, and R&D of unique product requirements, certifications to effectively compete.
• Effectively communicates, collaborates within Sales and cross-functionally, and builds relationships with internal team.
• Develop, manage, and communicate sales forecasts with internal team to inform production.
• Prepare monthly, quarterly, and annual sales reports showing historical sales volume against budget, and areas of opportunity, risk, expansion, and consumer insights.
• Monitor and communicate changes in the competitive landscape.
• Lead cross-functional development of a multi-year growth vision for the Food channel inclusive of distribution, promotion strategy, product and packaging innovation, pricing, and cost savings levers.

Key Skills and Experience Preferred:

• 3-5 years of CPG experience. Sports Nutrition experience is required. 
• Bachelor’s degree with a minimum of 5-10 years of experience in field sales, sales strategy, planning, or category management.
• Direct experience in a Food channel of at least 3-5 years in a field sales capacity, including a top-to-top buyer partnership.
• A proven track record of growing top and bottom-line growth in the Food channel.
• Must be willing to work in an entrepreneurial environment.
• Action oriented with a can-do, positive attitude inspiring other around to adopt a winning attitude.
• Self-motivated, goal driven and willing to start at the ground floor and scale.
• Excellent communication skills (verbal and written); strong analytical and tactical skills.
• Exceptional organizational skills.
• Proficiency with MS Office Suite, with demonstrated mastery of using PowerPoint to create effective sales presentations as well as for data analysis.
• Deep understanding of pricing model and cross-channel interaction/risk mitigation.
• Strong and demonstrated negotiation skills and training.

Benefits & Perks:

• Competitive Salary
• Health/Vision/Dental Benefits
• 15 days of PTO + 8 paid holidays
• 6 weeks paid parental leave
• 401(k) plan with employer match
• Monthly cell phone stipend
• AND SO MUCH MORE!

#PRIME

Congo Brands, LLC. Is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, veteran status, age, or any other classification protected by Federal, state, or local law.