What are the responsibilities and job description for the Marketing Associate position at Simmons Prepared Foods?
Purpose of the Position
Provides marketing support for one or more assigned customer key account service team (includes sales team leader, R&D project leader, and marketing manager) within the business segment, helping drive profitable growth while realizing margin, product sales mix balance, and new business strategic development objectives.
Essential Position Responsibilities - This is a Salaried Exempt position
Manages product life cycle for assigned accounts. Manages the timeline for launching new product codes. Monitors and adjusts inventory levels based on forecast data. Assists the sales team with inventory that is not moving. Responsible for code changes and code discontinuations, including transitioning through and cleaning up inventory of ingredients and fresh products. Works closely with Purchasing, Customer Service and Supply Chain departments.
Drives product development and project timelines with a predisposition to swift commercialization. Maintains, updates and monitors project progress via stage gate process. Works with regulatory group, graphics design team (internal and external) and purchasing, and is responsible for packaging system and graphics strategy and implementation. Provides marketing support including program planning and evaluation (post launch), as required. Develops and tracks spending against annual budgets for assigned businesses.
Gains an understanding of economic markets, the marketplace and trends impacting assigned business. Maintains awareness of market cost and pricing driver outlook data (feed grain price levels, component market valuation, supply, competitive proteins, etc). As appropriate, interprets and communicates these to customers.
Maintains and fosters strong communication and relationships across organizations. Works to be an active clearinghouse of ideas, concerns and activity on behalf of the marketing and account team. Is a champion for the business and team. Serves as an idea leader: builds compelling and persuasive business cases to assure alignment, gaining broad-based support for, and resource allocation to, team activities.
Participates as a member of the Team. Participates in the ongoing development, communication and implementation of team concepts, programs and policies; coordinates work to ensure best practices with all team members. Attends appropriate team and customer meetings. As a member of the Team, fosters strong cohesiveness regarding all major issues; e.g., direction, annual plan, budget, policy changes, etc. Accepts responsibility to quickly identify any areas that lack cohesiveness, bringing them to the attention of the team leader and working with the team
in a supportive manner to resolve issues and actively look for ways, and reinforce actions needed, to achieve synergy possible within the larger organization.
Simmons Operating systems principles and objectives: Is familiar with Simmons’ established operating systems (e.g. quality, security, office environment, company policies, LEAN); understands the responsibility to maintain familiarity with the systems and this position’s role in support of these systems - including a consideration of the impact of individual actions on the systems and the responsibility to communicate concerns and improvement ideas.
Performs other duties as necessary in support of business objectives: This position description is intended to guide the activities of the person in this position and is not intended to limit the thinking and creativity of the person as to the work of this function nor is it intended that this describe all the work that may be required of the person in this position.
Physical Activities: Enters and locates information on a computer. Visually verifies information, often in small print. Communicates with Customers, Vendors, or Employees via telephone, in person, and/or electronic mail. May present information to small or large groups. Move about in a manufacturing environment as needed. Move about in an office environment and surrounding property daily. Occasionally lift up to 40 lbs.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): As required by visiting facility.
Travel: Travels domestically to and from multiple facilities or work-sites, possibly requiring overnight stays.
Technical Experience: 0 to 1 year of experience in a Marketing role. Intermediate competency in Microsoft Office.
Industry Experience: Preference for a background in food processing.
Minimum Education: Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing or other relevant Business discipline or 4 years related work experience.
Preferred Education: N/A