Area Sales Manager

Smithfield Foods is a leading consumer packaged meats company. We are also the world’s largest pork processor and hog producer, committed to providing good food in a responsible way. We accomplish that by maintaining robust animal care, community involvement, employee safety, environmental, and food safety and quality programs.

This position will support a Sales Director, Regional Sales Manager, or National Accounts Manager in an assigned geographic area for the foodservice channel. The individual will be responsible for establishing and maintaining customer relationships with key customers through daily corporate to corporate contact to communicate pricing, product availability, and order management. The primary responsibility will be introducing and placing new products with customers, acting as a liaison with broker partner, executing organizational initiatives, executing promotional programs and strategies, and driving sales of key items with strategic customers for long-term growth.

Direct Sales Responsibility

• Accountable for achieving budgeted sales of consumer goods to key customers who are within a specific geographic area.
• Liaison with broker partner to drive retail execution at the store level.
• Maintain business with existing accounts for continued growth.

Communications and Product Management

• Maintain current knowledge of Smithfield’s product management and research and development efforts in order to increase sales and satisfy customer requests for new items.
• Develop working relations with personnel at various levels in order to communicate product availability, logistics information, product specifications, and pricing as needed.

Customer Service Issues

Ensure prompt and equitable disposition of customer complaints or problems; this may require communication with corporate headquarters.

Sales Support

Serves as backup for other sales associates as necessary.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree (B. A.) in Business Management or related field with 3-5 years of related food experience or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Preferred understanding of product cuttings (comfort and knowledge of product attributes) and USDA markets as they relate to pricing and availability.
• Must understand the dynamics of the food industry and how the account is positioned in the retail or foodservice channel.
• Excellent communication skills; strong oral and written language skills.
• Must have a solid understanding of customer focused and fact based selling.
• Ability to travel up to 50% of the time.
• Knowledge and experience with Microsoft Office software, Apple software, and SAP.

Physical Demands:

• Occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds
• Specific vision includes close vision and ability to adjust focus.
• Frequently required to sit, use hands to finger, handle, or feel, and talk or hear.

Work Environment:

• Corporate working environment.
• Noise level in the work environment is moderate.