Kinder’s is seeking an experienced Sales Strategy Manager who is passionate about being part of a team of hard-working people focused on bringing the future of flavor to consumers everywhere.

We are a fast-growing company working hard to bring amazing flavor solutions that are as exciting and delicious as they are simple to use to our consumers whether they are experienced cooks or first-timers in the kitchen. We are obsessed with quality and are 100% committed to being the most innovative company in any market we serve. Our mission is to bring awesome flavor to consumers whenever and wherever they are (seasonings, sauces, gravy, marinades, or anything else we can come up with).

We have experienced tremendous growth over the last 5 years, but we think we are just getting started. We love our consumers and are fired up to be part of their flavor journey. And we need more great folks to help us continue to raise the bar for what they think is even possible in their own kitchens.

Today, we have over 100 products sold nationwide at retailers including Costco, Walmart, Sam’s Club, Whole Foods, Sprouts, Kroger, Safeway and many more. While we have been around for over 75 years, we have experienced explosive growth in the last 5 years and are now a top 5 brand in the U.S. in multiple flavor categories including seasoning blends, BBQ sauce, and wing sauce. To keep our momentum rolling, we need more passionate flavor advocates and builders to come and join our team and help us reach every kitchen across the U.S. and maybe even the world.

How you'll have an impact at Kinder’s: The Sales Strategy Manager will play a pivotal role in shaping and driving execution of Kinder’s sales strategy, including development of merchandising, assortment, pricing, and shelving (MAPS) strategies and tactics, in collaboration with the Director of Sales Strategy and Brand Management team, aligned with business and brand objectives.

The Sales Strategy Manager delivers value-added customer insights and serves as the primary Sales liaison between Marketing, Innovation, Finance, Supply Chain, and Field Sales for day-to-day business operations and commercialization projects (“voice of the customer”). They facilitate and oversee execution of Sales plans with key customer teams, working closely with the Director of Sales Strategy, Category Insights, Marketing, Sales Ops, and Trade Finance.

Key Responsibilities of this Role:

Sales Strategy and Planning

• Develop sales strategies and tactics at the customer and channel level that are aligned to Brand strategies and objectives.
• Provide customer/sales perspective to the Brand and Innovation teams in support of the development and implementation of product pipeline.
• Support development and execution of go-to-market strategies for new products, ensuring successful product launch and market penetration.
• Support account planning to identify opportunities, incorporate category and competitive insights, and integrate brand strategies at the customer level.
• Advocate internally for customer and channel specific items and programs.

Category Launch Specialist

• Develop compelling selling stories leveraging brand/shopper plans and syndicated data to support the Sales team in driving distribution and optimizing in store presence.
• Clearly communicate our strategic business objectives, SKU priorities, merchandising guidance, and off shelf merch vehicles to our Sales and Broker teams, while holding them accountable via quarterly reviews and KPI tracking.

Cross Functional Collaboration

• Partner with Field Sales and Sales Ops to drive execution of key Go-To-Market strategies at the channel and account level.
• Collaborate with Trade Finance and Field Sales to optimize promotional activity and trade spend at the channel and customer level.
• Development and presentation of activities and strategies to senior management

What You Bring to the Table:

Position-Specific Skills Required

• Deep understanding of internal selling within a CPG environment, including MAPS, revenue growth management, category insights, shopper marketing and promotional plans.
• Ability to excel in a highly cross-functional and collaborative environment.
• Proven analytical and creative problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work on multiple projects simultaneously; can adapt to a quickly changing market environment.
• Exemplify strong verbal/written communication, work planning, and organization skills.
• Proficiency with MS Office, syndicated data, or other customer specific data measures.

Education / Experience

• Bachelor's Degree required. MBA or advanced degree is a plus.
• 5+ years relevant experience in sales strategy, trade marketing, business development and/or sales planning, preferably in CPG.
• Track record in agile, creative thinking and ability to work with internal cross-functional partners and external customers to translate into business results.
• Experience working in and/or supporting Grocery and Natural channel(s) is a plus.
• Proven strategic thinker excited by a dynamic and high-growth organization.
• Data-driven decision maker with experience developing / communicating business cases and customer-facing selling materials.
• Experience developing sales plans / forecasts including projected trade spend impacts.

Personal Characteristics

• Business builder who owns and drives results.
• Growth mindset with an excitement to learn (and teach).
• Thrive in a dynamic, lean, and agile environment.
• Self-starter who takes initiative and speaks their mind.
• Excited to be part of a fast-moving team with the ability to be a leader and a follower.
• Enjoy making decisions and finding ways to say ‘yes’ as often as possible to impactful and important priorities.

Things About the Way We Work

• No two days here are the same.
• We try to be good team members and good communicators, but we don’t live by hierarchy and structure – everyone is a difference maker here.
• We make a lot of decisions in the face of incomplete information – our team embraces ambiguity and tries to make good decisions fast rather than great decisions slow.
• We believe our job is to take smart risk, not to eliminate risk.
• We believe in growing our skills and becoming a better company with more managerial expertise, but we are an entrepreneurial company at heart.
• We aren’t trying to be average – we want to do exceptional things and we are willing to work hard to achieve them.

Location & Travel:

The position will be based out of our 20,000 sq. foot office in Walnut Creek, CA. We strongly believe in the power of culture and community and have a hybrid work structure with 4 days in the office on a weekly basis to encourage collaboration and personal connections that will allow us to better serve our customers and consumer and to have more fun. Fridays are flex days with employees having the opportunity to choose to be either in the office or to work from home based on what makes most sense for them. Some travel will be required for this role on a periodic basis. Typical travel includes industry conferences, trade shows and key customer visits.

Posted On: Friday, December 20, 2024
Compensation: $120,000-$140,000+bonus+equity