Sales Manager - Government Contracts w/Produce

Basic Job Concept:

First and foremost, positively impact people! Our Sales Manager for Government Business will have prime responsibility for the services provided under the DOD & State Government Contracts and for the team administrating contract servicing, fulfillment, renewal and compliance.

Who You Are:

You thoroughly enjoy making people smile and providing a world class customer experience. You are a solutions driven problem solver who seeks to find creative solutions to problems. You embrace and engage your team and utilize your combined knowledge and talents to manage and execute awarded government contracts in a way that benefits the company and our customer partners. You enjoy matching people and produce, helping to promote healthy eating.

General Summary:

At Foster, we are reimagining what it means to provide our Customer’s with not just support, but rather an experience. As such, we are looking for a proven sales leader to help us impact people & communities across our distribution area and liaison with other supporting departments on behalf of our school & government customers. This person should align culturally with our Foster family to bring heart and passion to the table along with knowledge and experience. This role is best those that enjoy working directly with customers, building relationships, anticipating needs before they arise….and making solutional magic!

What You’ll Do:

• Build relationships with existing customers and identify new areas of opportunities to improve their experience.
• Identify new ways to positively impact our culture and community
• Work as an active member of the Sales team to manage the school & government business while maintaining contract compliance and executing contract fulfillment.
• Lead the school & government team in the execution of all school and government contracts.

Job Description:

• Adhere to local, state and federal regulations regarding school nutrition and their application to our contract fulfilment
• Increase sales by promoting customer specific products and assisting with creative menu selections.
• Handle escalated customer concerns with speed and knowledgeable support to achieve optimal satisfaction and maintain long-term loyalty.
• Evaluate current service needs and product satisfaction levels with established customers to improve offerings.
• Improve business productivity by training team members on best practices and protocols.
• Develop and execute strategic initiatives to implement key changes and improvements in business development and sales programs as they relate to school nutrition programs and contracts.
• Lead school and government Account Manager(s) responsible for school orders, school customer service needs, and the timely execution of both.
• Develop short-term and long-term sales objectives and strategic plans to meet market needs and position our company for successful yearly contract bids and renewals
• Oversee annual contract bids and renewals with accuracy while meeting all related dates and timelines
• Monitor all incoming contracts and service agreements for correct pricing and information.
• Create policies and procedures meeting regulatory guidelines and compliance standards.
• Partner with our accounting team members to ensure accurate and timely billing and collections.
• Ensure timely invoicing and credit issuance to government entities to meet contract regulations.
• Meet with key stakeholders in school nutrition leadership at the local and state level to build relationships and trust equity on behalf of Foster.
• Coordinate with Foster departments responsible for executing school nutrition service levels to ensure accuracy and excellence

What You Bring:

• Expert understanding of contract compliance
• Successful cross team collaborator
• Solid business development skills
• Goal & performance oriented
• Effective team management
• Analytical problem solver
• Concise verbal and written communication
• Accurate contract review & implementation skills
• Ability to build strong & effective teams
• Excellent customer service skills
• Strong customer relationship building skills
• 4 year degree or relevant experience
• Understanding of the food/produce industry

Why Foster Caviness?

We are a different company. We work to live and promote a People First mentality through our values of Promoting Trust, being Purposefully Collaborative, being Positively Impactful and doing what we say through Progressive Action. We want to be a supply chain company that creates a legacy helping our people live their best lives and become the best versions of themselves. We champion the underdog, giving opportunities to those that embrace our culture and strive to help us on this journey to be better each day. We service our Military bases with fresh produce, we service our children with quality fruits and vegetables at their schools, and we provide food for a lot of the restaurants you may frequent. But we also believe in being more – being a supply chain solutions company, providing value-added services, and helping others find success through our partnership. We’re your neighbors – we live in the communities we serve and believe in giving back.

What We Offer:

We offer over 120 years of stability, community involvement and innovation. We offer the opportunity to collaborate with some great people, all doing what they can to make us a better company. So as a company, we work to offer a competitive wage and a competitive benefits package. Most of our benefits, including Medical, Prescription, Dental, Vision, Short-Term Disability, Long-Term Disability, Supplemental Employee/Spouse/Child Life Insurance, 401k (with company matching funds) and Paid Time Off (PTO) program, are eligible for enrollment the first of the month following 30 days of employment!

We also offer another special benefit, but eligibility for it takes 1 year – because you must embrace our values and our focus. Our People Helping People benefit allows employees to schedule off 8 hours per year to volunteer for a specific charitable non-profit, and we pay you to do it! We believe in giving back to our communities, and this is just one way we show it!

Thinking about Leadership? We offer our LDP (Leadership Development Program) annually, open to ALL employees no matter their role in the company at no cost.

And our Families Eat First program provides for a full box of produce for each employee, every week. Food brings people together, so why not enjoy some excellent quality produce, free of charge? Just another benefit that makes us different.