Regional Sales Specialist | Northeast U.S. & Eastern Canada

Roland Foods, LLC; Buffalo (NY); On-site; USD 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Roland Foods, LLC is looking for a Regional Sales Specialist based in Buffalo or surrounding areas. The ideal candidate will have at least 5 years of food industry sales experience and a proven track record in account management. This remote role focuses on driving sales growth with foodservice distributors, managing key accounts, and engaging in business development activities. A strong skillset in communication, organization, and customer relationship management is essential. Competitive salary between $70,000 and $95,000, plus bonuses.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years of account/sales management experience.
• 5+ years of experience in the food industry, especially foodservice.
• Proven ability to travel up to 50% of the time.

Responsibilities

• Direct account management with foodservice distributors.
• Drive business development activities and maintain relationships.
• Support brand promotion through targeted demonstrations and training.

Skills

Account/sales management experience

Food industry experience

CRM proficiency (Salesforce)

Strong communication skills

Technical writing skills

Organizational skills

Education

Culinary Arts Degree or equivalent

Bachelor's Degree

Job description

ABOUT ROLAND FOODS
Roland Foods, LLC, based in New York City, is an importer and distributor of high-quality specialty food products from more than 40 countries. Founded in Paris in 1934 and established in the U.S. in 1939, the Company provides customers with exceptional specialty foods, primarily offered under the Roland brand. The company sells its quality foods across the foodservice, retail, and industrial channels as well as internationally. Foodservice is the heart of the business, with the Roland® brand being one of the esteemed back-of-house brands in the industry. Roland Foods\' is the original purveyor of the world\'s finest flavors and its assortment is unrivalled, with products spanning global cuisine segments: from French Dijon mustard, to Israeli couscous, to Thai fish sauce, to Mexican salsa macha, Roland Foods procures ingredients from the places that make them best. And for this the Roland® brand is synonymous with quality, authenticity and creativity for the consumer and chef alike.

ABOUT THE ROLE
Roland Foods is excited and committed to growing our Foodservice sales team, and we are seeking an experienced and motived sales professional to contribute to the overall growth of a defined regional portfolio with a focus on existing Foodservice Distributor, Chain and National Account customers.

The Regional Sales Specialist (RSS) is a quota carrying sales position that will interact with customer leadership teams, buyers, category managers and other decision makers to drive regional growth with a focus on generating incremental new business. This is a performance-driven role with revenue accountability for target accounts. The ideal candidate demonstrates fundamentally strong sales skills with foodservice sales experience, a results-driven mindset, and a desire to win. Expectations include driving incremental sales in the existing customer base, new customer acquisition, defending existing business, and satisfying customer activities and organizational commitments as needed to create strong partnerships. Additionally, the RSS should be able to effectively manage and initiate cross-functional collaboration with regional sales teams, Revenue Management, Supply and Demand Planning, Category Management, and Marketing departments.

The Roland Foods sales team is dedicated to working across multiple business segments; distributors, local, regional, and nationally positioned end users to maintain current business while driving growth through collaboration focused on solutions, ideas and products. You will work with a dynamic team dedicated to providing the highest quality of products while developing meaningful and strategic partnerships with our valued customers.

Location
Remote position based in the Northeast, U.S. (Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse).

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Direct account management with a focus on foodservice distributors and end-users
• Coordination with local and regional distributors to effectively service operators, maintaining high service levels
• Facilitate quarterly / mid-year / annual business review processes with current customers ensuring consistent contact and follow-up on new business opportunities

Develop strategic partnerships with end-user accounts

• Maintain pricing agreements and renewals with local chain account customers
• Drive business development activities of products with end-users through education, building relationships, and traditional selling efforts
• Support existing business and pursue new placement opportunities with the goal of creating incremental growth through direct and indirect selling activities

Drive unit volume growth and execute regional & organizational initiatives

• Support and promote the Roland Foods\' brand through product demonstrations, trainings, targeted sampling, and end-user engagement
• Document any and all activity around the customer for ongoing reference, performance management, and future internal growth
• Run and facilitate activities in the region to promote the Roland Foods brand, including targeted promotional campaigns, distributor sales meetings and trainings
• Participate in various national & regional trade shows where appropriate
• Execute recipe development and menu ideation
• Introduce new products, enter sample requests, and follow up

Key performance metrics

• Execution of regional business plans to exceed net sales targets
• Individual quota attainment for new opportunity wins
• Individual quota attainment for strategic activity goals and benchmarks
• Quantifiable achievement of self-defined personal goals

QUALIFICATIONS AND SKILLS

Required

• 5+ years of prior account/sales management experience
• 5+ years of experience in the food industry; in particular, hospitality and foodservice
• Strong administrative and organizational skills with experience using a CRM program, preferably Salesforce
• Strong communication and presentation skills in front of groups of all sizes required
• Organized, detail-oriented with strong technical writing skills required
• Ability to travel up to 50% required

Preferred

• Culinary Arts Degree or equivalent
• Previous exposure/integration in the Industrial/Manufacturing segments
• Bachelors Degree

SALARY RANGE

Roland Foods hires exceptional people to perform a wide variety of important functions that contribute to the success of the Company. One of the ways Roland Foods does that is through a competitive compensation package. The base salary for this role will be $70,000 - $95,000.

This role is bonus eligible.

Based on your qualifications, previous experience, and transferrable skills, the Company will determine at its sole discretion, the salary offered.

Roland Foods is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate in hiring or any employment decision based on race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), marital status, ancestry, physical or mental disability, genetic information, veteran status, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, or other applicable legally protected characteristic. Roland Foods considers qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state and local law. Roland Foods is also committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in our job application procedures. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, you may contact us at [e-mail].

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