Sales Manager - Club Stores - Calbee America : Job Details

Who We Are:Welcome to Calbee America Inc. Harvest the Power of Nature.Calbee was founded in Japan in 1949, and quickly grew to become the largest, most well-respected snack food company in the country. In 1970, Calbee America introduced our authentically Asian Shrimp Chips to a brand-new audience in North America, and people couldn't get enough of their irresistibly savory flavors. Today, from our award-winning Harvest Snaps®to our Asian-inspiredTakoyaki Balls you can find many more exciting Calbee offerings in the US, which means there are lots of different ways to enjoy a uniquely delicious, better-for-you snack.

• Over 20 production facilities in 11 countries and regions
• $1.99 Billion in global revenue (*fiscal year 2023)
• Over 4,839 employees (as of March 31, 2023)

Our Mission:Calbee America Inc. offers a wide range of snacks and creative solutions to meet and exceed our customer's needs. Our fun and tasty products are innovative, exciting, and made with nature's goodness; proudly developed, produced, and delivered to our consumers by ONE Calbee family-a united community where we grow together by mutual respect and care.Position Summary:The Regional Sales Manager - Costco U.S.A. Sales is responsible for managing the sales activities of the Costco business for Calbee America Inc. within Eastern and Central U.S. Regions. This position reports to Calbee's Senior Costco Sales Manager and works cross-functionally internally within the CAI Team to develop and execute opportunities to better meet and develop Costco Customer needs within a broad Costco sales strategy.General Position Summary:

• Core responsibility Develop and grows all Costco Departmental product categories sales across multiple regions of Costco in the U.S. within a broad Calbee America - Costco business growth strategy.
• Key responsibilities include developing and executing strategic sales plans, building strong customer relationships, and introducing new products to the market.

Qualifications:

• 5-10+ years of progressive sales experience in Consumer-Packaged Goods with 2+ years of experience selling to Costco at the Corporate and Regional level.
• Experience preferences include:
• Direct company sales responsibility within the grocery (food, produce, conventional / better-for-you snack) CPG industries is highly preferred.
• Education preferences include Bachelor's degree (or Masters degree) in Business, Marketing, or a related field.

Essential Job Functions:

• Develop and execute meaningful long-term brand strategies and supportive tactics to further develop Calbee's Costco business across the company brand portfolio across multiple Regional and National Costco Buying Offices and Departments.
• Strengthen the existing Costco-Calbee relationship to drive volume growth; Increase Calbee Item / SKU counts, Regional/National rotational volumes and anchor incremental brand opportunities.
• Lead Costco Regional Buyer sales meetings as key point of contact and lead presenter.
• Create compelling business case presentations through leveraging products, category, shopper research and other insights drawing from available internal assets.
• Collaborate internally within Calbee's Innovation, Insights and Marketing Teams to provide insight-based direction to introduce new products in support of growth opportunities.
• Plan budgeting, forecasting, and business planning. Analyze customer experience and financial performance to drive optimization.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with multiple CAI Departments within the organization such as Supply Chain Management, Manufacturing, Transportation and Finance.
• Review supply chain forecast weekly with sales team and monthly with Demand Planning group; adjust and communicate forecasts as necessary to relay accuracy.
• Manage all Costco promotional plans and supportive trade expenses (TPD/MVM, Demo, Roadshow, etc.) and continuously analyze effectiveness of promotions. Manage Demo Accrual and schedule demos to efficiently maximize sales.
• Develop and maintain sales training and incentive programs. Recruit, train, and mentor sales personnel.
• Stay current on all relevant Costco-related and Club Channel industry trends through industry events, trade shows, and professional development.

Fiscal Financial Responsibilities:

• Consistently achieve sales goals and profitability optimization while operating within budgetary constraints to contribute to the overall profitability of Calbee's Costco business.
• Develop and recommend annual budget requirements to ensure plans are compelling, financially coherent, feasible and clearly communicated within the organization
• Develop and achieve accurate rolling sales forecasts to optimize production planning and availability; communicate forecasts internally within established Company protocols.
• Continuously initiate profitability optimization targets and actions internally.
• Ensure the effective utilization of Trade Promotion Funds to develop and expand business at Costco; fully document support plans in trade system and ensure timely tracking of deductions.

Food Safety Requirements/Responsibilities:

• Work internally with CAI's QA/QC Team to ensure Calbee's Food Safety and Code of Conduct Audits are current with Calbee facilities.
• Maintain a contemporary and full understanding of Costco Compliance requirements to ensure compliance with all State and Federal OSHA, EPA, FDA, HACCP, and SQF and related regulations pertaining to the Costco business.
• Ensure that any subordinate Calbee Representatives are trained in SQF requirements applicable to their job function.

Requisite Skills, Knowledge and Abilities Overview:

• Action-oriented, entrepreneurial, and adaptable with a focus on operational excellence.
• Proven relationship-building and management skills. Ability to build and maintain strong customer relationships.
• Personally, and professionally motivated to deliver results and get things done. Solid negotiation skills in getting to yes with retail partners.
• Ability to change information into insights for actionable growth. Entrepreneurial spirit and innovative sensibility; energized and passionate about building transformational brands in today's marketplace.
• A true Team Player who can work cross-functionally to achieve results.
• Excellent time management, planning, and change-management skills. Ability to adapt to changing market conditions and implement effective strategies
• Analytical and decisive with the ability to achieve organizational goals. Sharp organizational skills with attention to detail and multitasking ability
• Experience facilitating new item development with a deep understanding of capabilities, profitability, customer requirements, price pack architecture and channel impact. Proven success in launching and selling branded and private label products.
• Excellent communicator with a high degree of comfort in giving and receiving constructive feedback. Strong interpersonal and fact-based selling skills (written and verbal).
• Strong understanding of category management principles.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, PowerPoint, Word).

Location:This role will work remotely with travel as required Regionally and Nationally to adequately support Calbee's Costco business. Some expectations for infrequent travel to Calbee America Headquarters in Fairfield CA, and may require infrequent travel to Calbee facilities in CA and MS.Work Travel, Environment & Physical Demands:

• Frequent travel required 25-40%. Ability to travel up to 40% to visit Costco Regional and National Buying Offices, Calbee HQ and plants; to meet with Company and Sales Management; to attend customer-sponsored charitable events and industry trade shows.
• May occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds.

Other & Miscellaneous:

• Maintain high ethical standards in the workplace.
• Comply with all Calbee America, Inc. Company policies and procedures.
• Maintain a clean and safe work area.

Calbee North America is an equal opportunity employer dedicated to a policy of non-discrimination in employment on the basis of race, color, age, sex, religion, national origin, disability, veteran status, citizenship, ancestry, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital or familial status or any other legally protected status.