National Food Service Sales Manager

National Food Service Sales Manager

Position Overview

Reporting to the Head of Sales, the National Food Service Sales Manager is responsible for identifying potential customers and cultivating new business opportunities through market research, networking, and industry events. Manages the complete sales cycle from prospecting to closing deals, ensuring consistent achievement of sales targets in the Wholesale, Broadline and Food Service sector country-wide. This is a key position requiring the successful candidate to work closely with the sales and marketing operations teams toward meeting our shareholder expectations in terms of growth, returns, customer service and company values.

Major Responsibilities

1. Sales, and Marketing:
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In conjunction with the Head of Sales and working closely with the North American marketing team researches and develops an annual sales plan in concert with developed sales strategies and where appropriate, long term marketing plans.
2. Creates customer specific food service business plans and budgets, ensuring that they are complete, align with the objectives of the organization, and adhere to statutory requirements and are completed on time.
3. Contributes to the planning, development, issuance and delivery of company promotional and sales communications materials ensuring that local requirements around language and messaging are respected.

- Procurement Plan: Working closely with the North American procurement team, reviews and confirms monthly and seasonal inventory replenishment orders in line with the annual sales plan and shifting customer demand, as well, keeps the procurement team aware of any planned and new sales activity that will require additional product.
- Customer & Distribution Relationship Management:

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Maintains and strengthens mutually beneficial, profitable, effective and enduring customer relationships with superior communications, programs, and distribution strategies toward strategic and exclusive/primary supply contracts with our major wholesale and food service customers.
2. In accordance with the strategic objectives of the organization, identifies prospective customers and distribution channels and actively develops relationships with the view to convert into profitable and sustainable business. Maintains continuous contact with designated clients at both the buying and senior management levels and regular contact with select industry counterparts and intercompany peers.
3.





Maintains a strong market intelligence network to keep abreast of competitive activities and customer developments to safeguard the company’s financial and volume interests.

- Logistics and Transportation: Communicates the channels of distribution in conjunction with Transportation and Logistics personnel to ensure timely, reliable deliveries of customer orders. Monitors stocks on hand in regional storage centres maintaining proper inventory levels within corporate guidelines and ensuring proper product rotation.
- Supplier Relations: In addition to regular communications with the procurement and marketing team, communicates regularly with major suppliers to educate and keep an edge and advantage over the competition in terms of current market events and trends.
- Performance Effectiveness:

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Achieves all financial, customer, product, and business goals in the wholesale and food services market in every product line on a monthly and annual basis.
2. Reviews and monitors accounts receivables, ensuring prompt payments are received so as to reduce company exposure to bad debts and to improve cash flow. Ensures that the Head of Sales is kept informed of all pertinent development risks, opportunities, and information relating to the market.
3. Prepares monthly sales reports and general comments on customer’s products versus plan and market activity.
4. In conjunction with the Head of Sales, prepares and undertakes professional development.

- Business Development: Identifies and considers opportunities for business growth and development.





Works with the marketing team to identify and execute new wholesale and Food Service product opportunities. Maintains a network of influencers, stakeholders, and others who may assist in the identification, analysis, validation, and conversion of new business opportunities. Makes recommendations where appropriate to pursue and convert such opportunities.

Success Measures

- Achieves all wholesale, broadline and food service brands and sales, market share, volume, revenue, profit and accounts receivable objectives on a monthly and annual basis, ensuring retention and growth of the food services client base.
- While adhering to company inventory targets,





ensures the successful delivery of food services products within the Company’s approved procurement programs at all times across the country, fully satisfying customer supply needs.
- Evaluate customer business needs and analyze market trends to develop customer-focused new product ideas that penetrate the market and deliver profit margins.
- Assists with transfer of knowledge of centre of plate expertise to others in the Company.

Qualifications & Considerations for the Position

- 10 + years’ experience in national food services sales developing and implementing sales and strategy in a sizeable North American or Global Food Services Industry manufacturer and distributor, where international supply and distribution expertise is an asset.
- Center of the Plate expertise with prior experience with major Food Service, such as Sysco,





Gordon Food Service, and other wholesalers, including broadline is a plus.
- Excellent communication, influencing and negotiation skills.
- Thorough understanding of the food services business including setting sales budgets , creating sales and marketing strategies, and executing forward sales plans.
- Ability to create promotional campaigns across all media and platforms.
- Understanding of the case ready meat processing system to enhance offerings to food service customers.
- Fluency in English.
- Demonstrated skills in sales planning and execution. Displays strong commercial acumen. Analyses key drivers, opportunities, and competitive advantages to develop and execute on strategies to benefit the Company’s business.





Has been able to develop and convert strategic business relationships into valuable business. High degree of expertise in contract negotiation, structuring, setting, and managing sales quota and revenue goals.
- Understands and has appropriate relationships and a track record of securing supply to ensure fulfillment of customer needs.
- Demonstrates professionalism throughout the organization and is a credible and trustworthy person who holds the respect and loyalty of all stakeholders; has tenacity in pursuing goals and ensures that personal goals align with and contribute to attainment of Company goals.
- Is open to and accepts taking on such responsibilities as assigned by the Head of Sales to support achievement of annual and strategic business goals.
- Able to effectively handle the high stress, time and travel demands that come with responsibility as National Food Service Sales Manager for the Lamb Company’s operations country-wide.
- Must have strong Excel skills and knowledge of Presentation and ERP software.