Regional Sales Manager- Wholesale & Natural Channels

*Candidates MUST reside near Kansas City, KS

Purpose of Position

Cultivate and develop our business, and strategic partnerships, within AWG and SUPERVALU Wholesalers at the HQ, divisional and retailer levels to drive sales and distribution. This position will also be responsible for further expanding our business within the Natural Channel.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead sales efforts within a specific region, driving revenue growth and building strong customer relationships by managing a broker team, developing strategies, and implementing sales plans
• Develop and build relationships throughout your customers’ and brokers organizations, including those in key strategic decision-making positions at headquarter level
• Educate, manage and assess broker performance across key factors and take appropriate actions to ensure outstanding service is provided
• Deliver Distribution, Shelving, Merchandising and Promotional objectives in all assigned customers
• Develop customer level annual business plans to achieve targeted objectives and provide sound recommendations for volume, trade, new items, etc. for each fiscal year
• Manage trade promotions, item level forecasting, customer deductions, damages and G&A expenses within budget
• Analyze, interpret and utilize syndicated data and develop recommendations to address opportunities to drive incremental business based on trends, market conditions, and analytics
• Analyze market trends and competitor activities to identify opportunities and threats
• Learn, understand and fully utilize all retailer/wholesaler databases, systems and internal reporting
• Build strong relationships cross-functionally within internal RANA, including but not limited to – Customer Service, Demand Planning, Category Management, Accounting, Marketing, etc.

Key Skills and Experience

• Minimum of five (5) years consumer packaged goods sales experience in the retail grocery industry. Experience selling refrigerated Deli, Dairy or shorter shelf-life products preferred
• Strong technical and computer skills with high-level ability in Microsoft Office applications and Nielsen/IRI syndicated data
• Proven experience building new and existing relationships with key customers, including those in key strategic decision-making positions at headquarter level
• Experienced in customer business development, trade budget management, sales analysis, and annual business planning
• High degree of self-motivation, discipline and ability to work independently
• Excellent time management, presentation and communication skills (both written & verbal)
• Proficient within Microsoft Office and Excel
• Prior Broker and Category Management Experience a plus

Working Conditions

• Home Office Based, Kansas City, KS or Minneapolis, MN
• Approximately 25-50% travel is required to Home Office (Bartlett, IL), customer and team meetings
• Will report directly to Director, Kroger Team/Central Area

Excited about this role but don’t meet every requirement listed? Studies show that often applicants will self-select out if they don’t check every box. We encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this role or another one of our openings.

About us: Rana is an international Company present in over 60 countries, with a turnover close to $1.5 billion. Founded by Giovanni Rana in 1962, the Company has been led for over 35 years by Gian Luca Rana, CEO and pioneer of the internationalization project that has led the Group to become a leader worldwide in the production and marketing of fresh food products (filled and unfilled pasta, gnocchi, sauces, and ready meals). Rana focuses its investments in the following areas: job creation (our workforce doubled in the last five years) and research and development, with the aim of offering Consumers delicious products made of the highest-quality ingredients. The Rana Group has always made innovation its strength, both in the technological field (with the registration of dozens of product and process patents) and in communication. As a family-owned Company, we are united by strong Values and the aspiration of building a better future for future generations. Ethics and sustainability are the cornerstones of our sixty-two-year history, which have made our business healthy and constantly growing.

Today, Rana has 8 factories (6 in Europe and 2 in the US) and is a large family of 3,500 People. The engines of our continued success will keep being innovation, internationalization, passion and constant search for excellence in everything we do.

Rana is committed to providing a workplace of diversity and inclusion. There shall be no discrimination on the basis of age, disability, sex, race, religion or belief, gender reassignment, marriage/civil partnership, pregnancy/maternity, sexual orientation or any other protected characteristic under applicable law. Decisions related to hiring, compensation, training, evaluating performance, or termination are made fairly. We offer a welcoming and inclusive environment and actively promote equality of opportunity for all with the right mix of talent, skills and potential. We welcome all applications from a wide range of candidates and selection for roles will be based on individual merit alone.

NOTICE TO STAFFING FIRMS, AGENCIES AND EMPLOYMENT VENDORS:

Rana Meal Solutions and its affiliates will not accept unsolicited resumes from third-party recruiters without a signed Fee Agreement in place AND before the resume is inputted into our applicant tracking system. Vendor solicitation should be directed to the Human Resource Department directly; as such, firms that circumvent the required compliant process will be barred from submitting candidates. In the absence of a signed fee agreement AND proper resume submission, RMS does not recognize any claim on a candidate by a third party, will consider unsolicited resumes the property of the company and reserves the right to engage and hire those candidates without any financial responsibility to the third-party vendor.