Job Description:
Title: Independent Sales Team Lead
Locations: Franklin, TN; Bentonville, AR; Phoenix, AZ; Cincinnati, OH
All applicants must have permanent legal authorization to work in the United States. Mars does not sponsor employment visas for this role.
This position is not eligible for relocation benefits
The Independent Sales Team Lead is tasked with building, leading and engaging a diverse team of sales associates to drive profitable growth within a vast portfolio of Independent Specialty customers, including direct and indirect (via distributors). The Sales Team Lead will work with their direct reports to develop and maintain a mutually beneficial working relationship at the V.P. Merchandising, Senior Buyer & Buyer levels. They will possess and maintain a working knowledge of each customer's strategic direction, being able to translate that knowledge into mutually beneficial business plans for both Mars and the retailer. They must have a strong understanding of the financial measures of their assigned Mars product to manage and drive profitability and financial accountability of the business.
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What are we looking for?
- Bachelor's degree or equivalent degree in a field of study related to the job
- 10+ years' experience in Consumer-Packaged Goods sales
- Advanced knowledge of trade management
- Exposure to Panel and Scan Syndicated Data (IRI or Nielsen)
Preferred Qualifications
- Master's degree in Business/Marketing
- Category management experience
- People management
- Ability to lead large customer initiatives with measurable impact on business
- Uses analytics to drive decision making
- Demonstrates enterprise mindset and ability to embrace role in portfolio
- Multiple retailer and/or cross-functional roles/experiences
- Experience successfully driving customer initiatives cross-functionally and internally
- Experience developing team engagement plans
- Experience building robust development plans (current and future roles) and succession planning
- Leverages constructive feedback approach with team members
- Demonstrates enterprise mindset on talent development and calibration
- Demonstrates ability to select, analyze and integrate consumer/shopper, customer and category information to deliver business solutions
- Demands high energy, assertive leadership skills, an aptitude to resolve complex problems, understand market dynamics and employ strong decision making skills.
- Understands the roles and importance of vendor relationships and manages vendors to provide business solutions that address stakeholder's needs and improve the company's competitive position
- Effectively plans and manages major business projects and activities that directly support key unit goals
What will be your key responsibilities?
- Develop robust development and objective plans, drive engagement and ensure team is clear on priorities and objectives across the business.
- Represent Sales on Specialty leadership team to establish goals and priorities, and to provide strategic direction for the total business.
- Set strategic vision and manage the sales team to deliver established goals and priorities.
- Lead the team in development and communication of sales initiatives and related action plans that deliver account objectives - including: trade/customer P&L management, promotional activity and effectiveness, customer management and negotiation, and internal positioning
- Act as the sales key liaison to both the merchant teams, as well as internal sales stakeholders in MPC.
- Lead the team to create and deliver best practice presentations which not only attain customer objectives, but provide future opportunities as well.
- Lead cross functional collaboration within MPC and at customers to guide best in class collaboration across supply chain, customer service, category management, and marketing
- Demonstrates enterprise mindset to assist in MPC wide initiatives and to deliver enterprise objectives and portfolio goals.
What can you expect from Mars?
- Work with over 140,000 diverse and talented Associates, all guided by the Five Principles.
- Join a purpose driven company, where we're striving to build the world we want tomorrow, today.
- Best-in-class learning and development support from day one, including access to our in-house Mars University.
- An industry competitive salary and benefits package, including company bonus.
Mars is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. If you need assistance or an accommodation during the application process because of a disability, it is available upon request. The company is pleased to provide such assistance, and no applicant will be penalized as a result of such a request.