Hawai'i 'Ulu Co-op Sales & Marketing Director
Start Date: May 2024
Position Title: Sales & Marketing Director
Location: Hawaiʻi State; Oʻahu preferred; interisland travel required.
About the Position: HUC is seeking a full-time Sales & Marketing Director to lead the co-op’s sales team and help grow its revenues. This person will work closely with the CEO to establish objectives and high-level strategies, and will supervise a number of other sales team members to execute goals. The Sales & Marketing Director will play a critical role in helping to scale the co-op as a whole, including through improving systems, processes and procedures to facilitate a growing business model with over 160 farmer-members and counting. This person will be expected to cultivate positive, long-lasting customer relationships across diverse market segments including manufacturing, foodservice, and grocery, and build a positive and productive work culture in the department. The ideal candidate is a strategic, creative team player with a passion for Hawai‘i agriculture and indigenous crops.
Reports to: Co-op CEO
Salary: $68,640 to $83,200 per year with full benefits (see below for details)
About the Organization: Hawaiʻi ʻUlu Co-op (HUC) is a farmer-owned business working to revitalize ‘ulu or breadfruit as a viable crop and dietary staple by empowering farmers as change-makers in Hawaiʻi’s food system. Formed in 2016 with 9 small, diversified growers on Hawai’i Island, HUC has grown to over 160 member-farms on Hawai’i Island, Maui, O‘ahu, and Kaua‘i, and is now the foremost breadfruit farmer organization in Hawai’i. By working together, HUC farmers are able to offer consistent, high-quality ‘ulu products that are delicious, versatile, local, healthy, accessible, and sustainable. The co-op is committed to the revival of ‘ulu to strengthen Hawai‘i’s food security and to the value of mālama ʻāina – care or protection of the earth – by using environmentally responsible production methods. Our vision is a thriving cooperative that sustains and uplifts producers, consumers, and society as a whole.
Essential Functions
Team Leadership & Development
-Direct the sales and marketing team and cultivate a collaborative work environment.
-Recruit, train, and mentor sales and marketing staff, fostering a high-performing and positive culture. Provide guidance, support, and professional development opportunities to team.
-Lead HR actions in the sales and marketing team, including staff evaluations, hiring for new positions, and disciplinary actions or terminations.
-Create effective systems and incentives to motivate sales and marketing team members to help meet company revenue goals, including through refinement of the co-op commission program.
Strategic Planning
-Work in close collaboration with the CEO to establish strategic sales objectives, and to develop and track KPIs and OKRs to ensure these goals are well executed.
-Lead development of the co-op’s annual sales and marketing plan in the last two months of each fiscal year (May - June) to establish baseline and stretch goals for the following year.
-Continually adjust the sales plan or tactics as needed throughout the year based on unexpected constraints or opportunities, including desired product mix or target customer segments.
-Create and maintain sales and marketing department budgets. Allocate resources effectively, monitor expenses, manage vendor relationships, and optimize the return on investment.
-Analyze and respond to competitors' strategies and changes in the industry.
Sales Tracking & Reporting
-Submit a monthly sales report to benchmark progress against the annual plan and offer a strategic analysis of goals and next steps to focus-on for the month ahead.
-Communicate regularly with, and inform the operations and membership teams about, desired production goals and sales targets so that everyone is on board for implementation.
-Report on sales KPIs at quarterly staff meetings and on sales OKRs at internal team meetings.
-Present key sales metrics, challenges and opportunities to co-op Board ahead of bi-monthly meetings and to general co-op membership at annual farmer meeting.
Systems Thinking with Cross Departmental Collaboration
-Work productively with the co-op operations and membership departments to align sales efforts with other co-op priorities. Work closely with the Fulfillment Manager and other team members to ensure a seamless customer experience for co-op clientele.
-Participate in the weekly Sales/Operations team meetings to support decision-making on manufacturing targets, raw crop purchasing needs, fulfillment goals, and logistical solutions to execute on sales lined-up for the week ahead.
-Establish an agenda for and facilitate a weekly high-level check-in with the CEO to workshop projects, strategize around key account acquisition and brainstorm next steps towards meeting the co-op’s goals.
-Identify potential barriers to sales and develop creative solutions that will help to bring our products to market (e.g. work out logistical solutions for new buyers, offer bulk purchasing discounts to incentivize larger and/or recurring sales, update annual shipping and distribution policy, etc.)
-Maintain, update, and improve the systems that make the sales department function, including updating SOP’s and sales policies as we innovate and grow.
Customer Relationship Management
-Manage, maintain and improve upon HUC’s customer relationship management (CRM) system using Monday.com or alternate software.
-Consistently grow new relationships and strengthen existing ones with accounts across diverse market segments including chain and independent retailers, food hubs, manufacturers, commercial and institutional foodservice, distributors, and community non-profits.
-Travel across Hawai‘i as needed to build strategic partnerships and strengthen customer relations. This includes visiting retailers and grocers to ensure shelves are stocked and merchandising materials are used, coordinating in-store product demos, attending sales events, presentations, conferences and tradeshows.
Marketing Management
-Work closely with the co-op Marketing Lead to develop consumer outreach and educational materials, sales tools, ordering forms, and other collateral needed to support sales goals. Work with key accounts to create tailored merchandising materials and/or to collect content for marketing.
-Collaborate from time to time with contractors to provide sales-related support services, such as graphic design, product photography and videography.
-Publish a targeted monthly wholesale newsletter in coordination with the Marketing Lead to support sales goals.
-Lead development of company brand and public relations. Ensure consistent messaging, effective lead generation, and brand positioning.
-Establish partnerships to increase sales and collaborate with media platforms. Continuously work to identify new marketing opportunities.
Competencies
-Strategic thinking and planning skills. Able to analyze complex problems and identify creative, data-driven solutions.
-Strong experience in sales.
-Excellent personal and communication skills, both verbally and in writing.
-Team leadership and managerial skills. Excels in relationship building.
-Performance and time management. Able to multitask in a dynamic environment.
-Orientation to detail and continuous learning.
-Skilled with public speaking, both in-person and on zoom.
-Diplomatic and able to work through conflicts.
-Computer proficiency and financial acumen to manage marketing and sales budgets, analyze ROI, and make data-driven decisions.
-Self-motivated and a team player; excited to work collaboratively to enhance sales of Hawai’i agricultural products.
Supervisory Responsibility
This position has two initial direct reports, with additional staff expected to be hired in the sales and marketing team as the co-op continues to scale. The Sales & Marketing Director will be expected to help build the department, hire additional staff as the budget allows, and create/refine job descriptions to optimize team function. The Director may also be the primary point of contact for sales-related contractors hired from time to time.
Work Environment
This position may work remotely the majority of the time, but will be expected to be present occasionally at HUC’s Kona and Hilo facilities and to visit select customers statewide. In addition, this person may be asked to visit member farms, ambassador stores and restaurants, community partner sites, and/or to attend public events, as needed, to collect sales content and to better understand the broader co-op ecosystem.
Physical Demands
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by the staff member to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. While performing the duties of this job, the staff member is regularly required to talk and hear. The staff member will also be required to sit, stand, walk and talk for extended periods of time. The staff member must be able to lift up to 40 pounds, and may occasionally need to squat or climb.
Position Type/Expected Hours of Work
Work demands of this position are year-round, and are expected to average 40 hours per week, 50 weeks per year, as a salaried employee. Daily hours of work are flexible and can be designed with the CEO; typically, five 8-hour days (8am-4pm M-Fri) are preferred.
Travel
This position will be asked to travel inter-island to visit customers and strategic partners, with all travel costs covered by the co-op. In addition, this person will be asked to visit customers on their island of residence in a personal vehicle to build and maintain relationships. In such events, travel costs will be reimbursed at the current GSA rate for use of a POV.
Required Education and Experience
-Undergraduate degree or equivalent education/experience.
-5 years minimum sales experience in Hawai‘i agriculture, food or beverage sectors, with previous success.
-Minimum one-year residency in Hawaiʻi (does not need to be contiguous with employment).
-Technical proficiency in Quickbooks Online, Microsoft Office and Google Drive (docs, sheets, slides, forms).
Preferred Education and Experience
-MBA or masters-level equivalent degree in business, sales, marketing or other related field.
-Knowledge, appreciation, and sensitivity to Hawaiian language and culture.
-Familiarity with agroforestry, indigenous crops, sustainable agriculture and/or natural resource management or conservation.
-Technical proficiency in SOS Inventory and Monday.com.
-Individuals with work and lived experiences that align and complement the organization’s mission and vision.
Other Duties
Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.
Compensation & Benefits
Pay is competitive for sales directors within the Hawaiʻi agriculture sector based on skills, qualifications and experience, and includes medical benefits, a Flexible Spending Account (FSA), and 401(k) as well as 20% off all co-op products. There are also opportunities for commission pay linked to strategic revenue milestones. In addition, through HUC’s partnership with ProService, employees qualify for additional perks including access to great offers from local businesses such as discounted movie tickets or health and fitness deals, as well as Voluntary Insurance options that are portable and can be taken with you should your employment status change.
To Apply
Send resume to Via CL. Application Deadline: Friday, May 17, 2024 at 5pm – However applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis as they are received.
Hawaiʻi ʻUlu Co-op strives to foster a diverse, equitable, and inclusive culture focused on continuous learning and welcomes individuals with work and lived experiences that align with and complement the organization’s mission and vision. The co-op does not discriminate in employment opportunities or practices on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, age, size, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law and is an employment-at-will company. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.