von Trapp Brewing Lager Ambassador, CT, NY, RI

JOB TITLE: Lager Ambassador, Connecticut, New York (Westchester County, Duchess County and Putnam County) Rhode Island

SUMMARY DESCRIPTION:

von Trapp Brewing is part von Trapp Family Lodge & Resort, a 2,600-acre resort owned and operated by the von Trapp family. The brewery was created in 2010 by the family that inspired “The Sound of Music.” Based in Stowe, Vermont, von Trapp Brewing specializes in authentic Austrian style lagers and are brewed with pure Vermont spring water sourced from property, with inspiration from “A little of Austria, a lot of Vermont”.

The proud recipients of the 2024 Great American Beer Festival’s “Brewery & Brewery of the Year” award in the 15,001-100,000 barrel category, we are more excited than ever to continue serving high quality, Vermont-made brews across the country.

An important part of our mission is to attract, retain and develop the best talent in the craft beer industry. Our employees take pride in our unique history and award-winning lagers. We value our employees’ teamwork, motivation and professionalism allowing us to share our line of products across our markets. We invite you to explore the career opportunities available to you at our resort/brewery and become part of the von Trapp Brewing team!

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

• Develop strong relationships with the key people at each wholesaler.
• Develop an understanding of how wholesalers work; invoicing, pos ordering, scheduling, accounting practices, reporting, and how the reps and supervisors are compensated.
• Be knowledgeable of vTb’s product pricing and the competition’s pricing.
• Know and understand the product lineup of top competitors in the market.
• Be known as the “preferred supplier” by your distributors.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• This job requires an excellent work ethic, passion for craft lagers, knowledge of breweries and beer styles, and the ability to grow vTb’s business at retail and at the distributor level.
• Be well acquainted with key decision makers in your market.
• This position requires night and weekend work.
• Extensive car travel is required for this position, and a clean driving record.
• The ideal candidate would live in Connecticut.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Grows revenue within assigned territory YOY through increased points of distribution, chain support, managing allocations and inventory in region.
• Account level work for key accounts, new accounts, and national accounts. supporting activities (promotions, staff training, festivals, hand sells) at the account level.
• Plans, manages time, and prioritizes as necessary to align efforts with monthly objectives and company sales goals.
• Develop and maintain display standards at retail stores.
• Develop and maintain distributor relationships while holding them accountable for goals and forecasts through quarterly progress reviews.
• Ensures appropriate inventory levels to achieve market goals and quality assurance freshness and standards.
  • Conduct monthly inventory checks of each distributor's warehouse and report back to supervisor.
• Ensures consistency with all marketing initiatives throughout territory as well as consistency with overall brand.
• Regular communication of wins, challenges, and opportunities to manager
• Execute on an off-premise promotions and occasionally special events that generate vTB brand awareness and consumer sampling that support new distribution.
• Required to update Lilypad after each account visit prior to next call/appointment.
  • vTB standard account visit goal is 40 per week or as defined by supervisor.
• Monitor POS, placements, and product freshness at all accounts.
• Respond to all communications (internal and external) within 24 hours.
  • Includes emails, calls, texts, etc.
  • Timely submission of administrative reports. It is expected that administrative duties take less than a half day of work and the remainder time is spent in different channels of trade.
  • Weekly check ins with supervisor – this is your time to ask questions, gain guidance, and provide feedback from the market/distributor.
  • Any commitments in the trade must be committed within a two-week window such as POS, samplings, wearables, education, etc.
• Punctuality and professionalism matter always; do not be late for meetings, work-withs, scheduled appointments, etc.
  • Time management; must be able to manage time to effectively close out goals and administrative duties.
• Regularly monitor supply, demand, pricing, competitive brands, industry trends, and positive/negative feedback, and communicate findings with manager.
• Bring an energetic, cooperative, proactive, self-motivated attitude.

EDUCATION:

• High School Graduate or Equivalent
• BA preferred.

REQUIREMENTS:

• At least a year of sales experience.
• At least a year of craft beer experience.
• Must work some nights and weekends.
• Valid and clean driver’s record.
• Must live in Connecticut.
• Experience working with or for a distributor.
• Experience with Microsoft office Suite, and the ability to enter, retrieve and interpret data.
• Experience with VIP, Concur, Lilypad, or other craft beer sales software a plus.
• Must be at least 21 years of age.
• Selected candidates must pass a background and driver’s license check.

WORKING CONDITIONS:

• Extensive car travel: average 20,000 miles annually – please work smart, conserve gas and use best practices in the market. Must have reliable transportation and space for items such as cases, kegs, POS, etc.
• Overnight Travel: Trips to Vermont for annual sales meetings and to assist in new or existing markets
• Weekend/ Nights Availability. This will vary depending on the market needs.
• Lifting and moving cases (~35 lbs.) and kegs (~165 lbs.) of product.

AT-WILL EMPLOYMENT:

Employment with von Trapp Brewing Co. may be terminated by either von Trapp or the employee at any time with or without cause or notice.