Regional Sales Manager - Great Lakes Region

With 3.4 billion people in over 190 countries using our products every day, Unilever is a business that makes a real impact on the world. Work on brands that are loved and improve the lives of our consumers and the communities around us. We are driven by our purpose: to make sustainable living commonplace, and it is our belief that doing business the right way drives superior performance. At the heart of what we do is our people – we believe that when our people work with purpose, we will create a better business and a better world. 

At Unilever, your career will be a unique journey, grounded in our, collaborative, and flexible working environment. Our organizational ambition centers around creating workplaces that foster equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging across all aspects of our business. We don’t believe in the ‘one size fits all’ approach and instead we will equip you with the tools you need to shape your own future.

ABOUT FOOD SOLUTIONS  (UFS)

Act like a founder, be part of a Winning team, accelerate your growth, stay ahead of the curve, enjoy the journey: JOIN UFS

Unilever Food Solutions (UFS) is the 2nd largest Business Unit of Unilever, is one of the 3 Power brands of the Foods Business Group, and a global market leader in Food Service. We are an independent Global Business Unit that operates in over 76 countries, and employs ~4000 employees. We have a unique B2B business model focused on serving chefs and our purpose is to free them to love what they do.

We at UFS have a bold and clear ambition and strategy in place for 2030 with a bold ambition on turnover and profitability, by being the best solution provider to our growing operator base. We plan to do this via a product first focus on superiority, by becoming the leader in AI powered Customer experience and by nurturing a Winning culture. We have had a history of delivering with excellence and resilient performance in the past few years. We also strive to stay 3 steps ahead in the industry. For example, our Future Menus Report identifies emerging culinary trends, making us a trendsetter for inspiring innovative solutions for chefs worldwide.

We have a culture of caring deeply not just for our business but also for our people. We foster an entrepreneurial culture built on speed, simplicity, trust, and a deep hunger to grow. Our people thrive on their roles being empowered and end to end - across all functions. We also invest heavily in building future skills and leaders. Our People agenda of Accelerate-Grow-Thriveconsistently helps us lead in employee engagement, with scores exceeding Unilever scores across all dimensions and being one of the most engaged teams at Unilever.

Here, you will continuously learn, unlearn, and relearn, challenging yourself to accelerate your development in an end-to-end business and in end-to-end roles.If you're dreaming of contributing to Unilever’s 2nd largest Business unit, a fast-growing business, where you're empowered so you can play to win and thrive as part of One Team with One Goal, then come and join us!

JOB PURPOSE

The Regional Sales Manager will lead CD resources within the defined geography to achieve growth targets by guiding the team to leverage quarterly operator and distributor initiatives to grow with existing restaurant operators and expand reach to new restaurant operators. This role will require development and execution of annual plans aligned to both the strategic agendas of key accounts and UFS.

WHAT WILL YOUR MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES BE

• As a Regional Sales Manager, you will be responsible to lead the execution of Unilever Food Solutions Customer engagement strategy offline & online with Operators and Trade Partner customers to deliver business growth targets i.e. Turnover, Reach & Penetration. You will  

• Lead, coach and develop a Customer Development team 

• Accountable for leading your team to deliver business target for the assigned Region for Independent Operators, Chains, and Trade Partners 

• Full execution of UFS Annual Operating Plan and quarterly initiatives  

• Lead and train team to expand reach to Regional Restaurant Chains (<50 units) 

• Manage Small Regional Chain accounts and develop sales opportunities at each customer 

• Cultivate relationships with key tier 2 and 3 distributors to better promote Unilever Food Solution’s products 

• Instill team commitment to lead management as a primary driver of business growth 

• Develop business across all field channels within commercial and non-commercial segments

• Lead and train team to partner with restaurant executives and chefs to develop and grow their business 

• Lead and train team to partner with Distributor Partners to accelerate their market growth through training & collaborating with their Sales teams and executing marketing programs. 

• Winning customers across all channels with the appropriate level of trade and resources.   

Trade Distributor Customer 

• Lead the implementation of the Contact Matrix for Key Trade customers with a Squad approach (where possible) for more effective customer management  

• Develop and execute Joint Business Planning (JBPs) with Selected Trade partners including Trade Term agreement, Sell out activities and DSRs & Trade team engagement & KPIs (Sell-out, Reach, Penetration, eCom, Digital Reach etc).  

• Engage trade customers to gain alignment for Secondary Sales Data (SSD) partnerships with proof of value addition i.e. Traffic generation towards Trade Webshop via UFS campaigns. 

 Independent Operators & Chains:  

• Coach and develop team to Build & Nurture relationships with Key Chain Customers & Independent Operators & Implement Contact Matrix with a triangle model approach 

• Drive Independent Operator & Chain customers engagement as per defined contact strategy i.e. 80% virtual, 20% F2F via Customer Relationship Management. Use data driven recommendations for reach & Penetration 

• Conduct Virtual Sampling, Ideation, Cooking Demo using culinary knowledge to secure new opportunities or increase volume usage by new menu applications or into existing dishes 

• Implement and execute Customer Business Plan with selected key Chains customers  

Digital, Data & eCom  

• Accountable for Implementation and execution of all UFS digital tools within Territory/Area  

• Continuously enrich UFS customer data for more personalized campaigning  

• Follow up on Leads (based on Marketo Leads scoring & Targeting Model) for 100 engagement & KPI delivery 

• Drive customer digital engagement for UFS Digital platforms & Campaigns (UFS.Com, UFS Academy, Social Media engagement, UFS webinars) 

• Drive digital buying behavior via ecommerce platforms (Webshop/trade Partner Webshop/pure players)  

• Lead category approach for Trade web shop for UFS business growth via joint campaigning with DT marketing & trade teams 

Key Skills

• Strategic Selling skills  

• Impactful Virtual Customer Engagement  

• Full understanding of all Customers & UFS Product solutions 

• Business Insights to Activation Solution Selling  

• Familiarity of UFS CD Cycle 

• Customer Business Planning & Win & Retail 

• Chefman-ship

• Commercial Skills  

• Negotiation Skills  

• Digital & IT skills Including eCom, Salesforce, Marketo 

• Data & Analytical Skills - Ability to use data driven insights for execution 

What You'll Need to Succeed

• 6+ years of working experience in the foodservice industry  with proven track record in sales, preferably in the Foodservice Industry 

• Understanding / experience of use of Digital & Social media in selling. 

• Passion for Food and the OOH industry  a plus

•  Industry knowledge for Trade Customers

What We Can Offer You

Culture for Growth | Top Notch Employee Health & Well Being Benefits | Every Voice Matters | Global Reach | Life at Unilever | Careers with Purpose | World Class Career Development Programs | Check Out Our Space | Focus On Sustainability

Pay: The pay range for this position is $99,760 to $149,640. Unilever takes into consideration a wide range of factors that are utilized in making compensation decisions including, but not limited to, skill sets, experience and training, licensure and certifications, qualifications and education, and other business and organizational needs.

Bonus: This position is bonus eligible.

Long-Term Incentive (LTI): This position is LTI eligible.

Benefits: Unilever employees are eligible to participate in our benefits plan. Should the employee choose to participate, they can choose from a range of benefits to include, but is not limited to, health insurance (including prescription drug, dental, and vision coverage), retirement savings benefits, life insurance and disability benefits, parental leave, sick leave, paid vacation and holidays, as well as access to numerous voluntary benefits. Any coverages for health insurance and retirement benefits will be in accordance with the terms and conditions of the applicable plans and associated governing plan documents

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Unilever is an organization committed to diversity and inclusion to drive our business results and create a better future every day for our diverse employees, global consumers, partners, and communities. We believe a diverse workforce allows us to match our growth ambitions and drive inclusion across the business. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by local, state, or federal law and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability. 

For more information about your Federal rights, please see Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal and Pay Transparency Non-discrimination Provision.

Employment is subject to verification of pre-screening tests, which may include drug screening, background check, credit check and DMV check.

If you are an individual with a disability in need of assistance at any time during our recruitment process, please contact us at NA.Accommodations@unilever.com. Please note: This email is reserved for individuals with disabilities in need of assistance and is not a means of inquiry about positions or application statuses. The Protected Veterans or Individuals with Disabilities AAP narratives are available for inspection by any employee or applicant for employment Monday through Friday during normal business hours at establishment.

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