Value-Added Foods Account Manager

The Value-Added Account Manager manages an assigned customer base and prospects new accounts to provide World Class Service fulfilling customer specific goals and Naturipe Foods strategic goals.  Products to be sold include individually quick-frozen berries, purees, berry juice concentrates and more.  

Organizational Relationships

• Supervisor: VP/GM, Value Added Foods

Accountabilities and Responsibilities

• Establishes and maintains professional sales relationships with assigned existing Naturipe Foods accounts and grows these accounts in accordance with the strategic sales plan.

• Understands and clearly communicates customer and Naturipe processed product specifications internally and externally. Able to understand processed product applications and guide customers/product management to utilize products that fit the required application.

• Develops and establishes a new value-added customer base in accordance with strategic sales plan.

• Performs monthly market updates to entire business on the competitive conditions, pricing and anything new in the marketplace.

• Conducts sales calls, monitors sales to identify opportunities in accordance with Strategic Sales Plan.

• Proposes customer visit schedule with meeting purpose and agendas to advance relationship.  

• Prepares and proposes annual sales plan/budget by account by product for review and agreement with VP/GM.  Includes quantity by product, fob price objectives, budget customer visits, special programs or marketing tactics planned to earn loyalty and achieve goals.  

• Executes against the Foods sales plan. 

• Presents and effectively executes company’s marketing initiatives to ingredient and retail trade.

• Provides no less than quarterly evaluations of customers to the VP/GM with recommendations for actions to improve business.  

• Submits pricing and volume requests to VP/GM for approval prior to offering customer.  Submits both offers and acceptances to ensure smooth and effective product flow.

• Acts as the content expert in his/her market and identify opportunities for growth and recommend tactics to achieve goals and/or prospective new accounts to VP/GM.

• Responsible for offering price and volume quotations and to make offers only within department established guidelines.

• Accountable for accurate quote entry (including quantity, price, product, customer, ship to, delivery instructions and any special instructions) into the company system (SAP) and, if needed, the customer system, and monitor status of orders up until confirmed received and/or cancelled. 

• Must promptly handle rejections by assigned accounts, issuing proper notification, department required documentation, and provide customer support to sustain relationship.

• Expected to be aware of the competitive environment and report to manager and team on a real time basis to achieve market leadership.

• Responsible to respond to unexpected supply changes, both long and short, as a team player and to best achieve world class customer service and optimal grower returns.

• Expected to participate in department meetings and conference calls.

• Responsible for cooperating with the accounting department to assure prompt collection of assigned account receivables, and ultimately responsible for the collection of all funds.

• Actions and activity fosters world class service in customer relationships and value-added market leadership

• Provides backup as needed to other Account Managers/Product Managers during their absence.

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience preferred.

• Minimum of 5 years in frozen fruit or vegetable ingredient industry required

• Strong background in commodity sales/trading/sales broker industry preferred.

• Experience in North and South American trading market a plus.

• Ability to act independently and make competent decisions without supervision.

• Must have excellent computer skills with knowledge of MS Office, Outlook and SAP helpful

• Individual must be detail oriented and an effective communicator to others

• Team player, striving for the benefit of the team 

• Travel commitment: up to 25%

• Available after hours

Exempt Position

Location: Remote; preferred location of FL or MI