Now Hiring - Calavo Growers, Inc. - Agriculture VP Business Development and Strategy in Moreno Valley, CA

The Vice President of Business Development and Strategy is accountable for driving the comprehensive growth and development of Calavo’s Prepared business. This is a results-driven position that oversees the development of systems and processes to execute growth of the business, track momentum, development of strategies for closing gaps and communicating progress to various teams in the organization. The position will take ownership of category management from raw data to analysis and insight to finally developing an action communication plan that will be disseminated to various teams throughout the organization. This individual will execute and refine future years growth plan, including coordination and execution of growth programs and optimization of the revenue funnel. Partner with New Product Development (NPD) leadership and team to determine trends, customer needs, and areas of growth in the marketplace to take advantage of. S/he will partner with the Sales team to execute and deal with any contracts issues that may arise. S/he will ensure the Prepared Business is delivering and delighting customers to drive growth.

Key Job Initiatives

• SKU optimization coordination across the Sales and Sourcing teams

• Provide a strategic path forward for Deli & Guacamole growth

• Create Fruit diversification strategy (fruit sourcing & processing)

• Identification of channels for growth; leveraging Category Management data and Sales insight

• Evaluate products and businesses using strategic business assessment tools and developing strategies for future initiatives

• Coordinate bi-annual Pricing process by working with the Sales and Finance teams

• Project and tracker management: to include pricing, new products, foods bids, monthly pipeline reviews

• Identification & partnership on potential Mergers & Acquisitions, partnering with cross functional teams such as Finance

• Identification & stewardship of cobranding/licensing opportunities

• Leader for cost savings initiatives, driving efficiency across the business.

Requirements

• Best-in-class collaboration across functions. Confident humility to lead and guide growth working sales, marketing, new product development, operations and finance.

• Ability to analyze current and future market opportunities for Guacamole, Deli products, and Value-Added Fresh Cut Fruits and Vegetables

• Strong communication skills, with abilities to pitch to CEO level

• Strong interpersonal and creative problem-solving skills

• Must be able to prioritize deliverables, analyze data, and thrive as a self-starter

• Enthusiasm to develop professional skills related to business development, operations, sales and marketing.

• Ability to work in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment and cultivate relationships with cross-functional teams

Reports To

• Senior Vice President of Prepared

Qualifications

• 15 or more years’ experience in a business development, sales, or marketing capacity

• Proven track record and related job experiences within the produce industry

• Bachelor’s degree in Business and Marketing or related field is required; Master’s degree preferred

• Proficient in MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint and other computer software programs as needed

Competencies

• Cross functional leadership: ability to lead with humility, drive action across all functions

• Communication skills: articulate plans/vision/guidance; communicate and work across full Calavo enterprise

• Growth experience: success at driving growth, momentum in past roles

• Drive and motivation: insatiable desire to grow and ability to motivate across the organization

• Organizational skills: juggle multiple projects, priorities, functional needs

• Analytic abilities: understand P&L management, analysis around market size/growth, long range planning

Salary Range

The base salary we reasonably expect to pay for this role is: $197,200.00 - $295,700.00

The actual salary for this role will be determined by a variety of factors, including but not limited to the candidate’s skills and experience

Please note that base pay is one important aspect of a compelling Total Rewards package. The base pay range indicated here does not include any additional benefits or cash bonuses that you may be eligible for based on your role and/or employment type.