COMPANY:

Southwestern based vertically integrated producer and distributor to foodservice.

REPORTS/RELATIONSHIPS:

This position will report directly to the Vice President and lead a team of up to 35.

BASIC FUNCTIONS:

The General Manager directs and coordinates the activities of Center of the Plate (COP) sales to obtain optimum sales and profits. The GM will work closely with senior management, serving as the “Face of the Company,” addressing company issues, ensuring company P&L performance, supporting customer engagement, and facilitating collaboration and coordination between company and support services leadership. The GM will identify and communicate unique customer needs and opportunities for sustainable competitive advantages and champion the development of high-potential individuals within the company.

Specific duties will include, but not necessarily be limited to:

• Lead sales planning and product development of strategic ideas for future growth and sales opportunities.
• Clearly communicate top-level goals and initiatives to the company.
• Work with other broadline leaders and support services leaders to communicate decisions made or to escalate appropriate issues; ensure that root-cause analysis and corrective actions are implemented for any such issue.
• Work with all support services leaders to manage capital budgets and related capital expenditures.
• Participate in regularly scheduled COP company, broadline, and support services leader reviews regarding service-level agreement performance, improvement of service-level agreement processes, and best practices in areas that exist to service the broadline branch.
• Update and prepare forecasts and budgets with comprehensive knowledge of trends, including historical volume, planned events, and seasonal activities, to adjust purchasing forecasts, operational manpower planning, and budgets.
• Organize and identify unique customers’ needs for sustainable competitive advantages.
• Represent the Company as a senior leader to address individual customer situations for the COP company; consult with the appropriate support services leader to ensure any commitments made to the customer will be met.
• Represent the Company as the senior company leader for business reviews.
• Serve as the “Face of the Company” for associate/management meetings, town hall meetings, sales meetings, and charity functions, and assist with the communication of company policies and procedures.
• Execute and ensure deployment of employee feedback processes developed by human resources.
• Mentor and develop company resources to identify high-potential associates, working with the human resources department to assist with high-potential growth and development within the company.
• Manage and regularly meet with executive staff to evaluate performance metrics, financial objectives, and budgets/projections; promote and recognize collaborative team success.
• Review and communicate compliance needs for regulatory or other compliance matters.
• Promote participation in industry, manufacturing, or trade associations in the communities the Company serves.
• Contribute to strategic planning, direction, and goal setting for the organization.

REQUIREMENTS:

• At least three years’ successfully leading large field sales teams with at least eight years’ sales experience related to the foodservice industry, ideally selling COP products.
• Demonstrated business and financial acumen, including P&L responsibility within a smaller company or division of a larger company.
• Ability to work successfully within a highly matrixed structure.
• Passion for new opportunities and innovation; willingness to enthusiastically learn and offer new perspectives and best practices.
• Ability to assimilate into a highly collaborative, partnership-oriented environment that is customer-centric, fast-paced, and growth-oriented.
• Ability to embrace change and thrive in continuously improving systems and infrastructure.
• Excellent communicator, both oral and written.
• Big picture thinker who operates with a center of excellence mindset.
• Bachelor’s degree required; master’s degree preferred.
• Ability to travel up to 50 percent of the time.

COMPENSATION:

Compensation will be commensurate with experience including a competitive base salary, bonus opportunity, and competitive benefits package.