Now Hiring - Sales Manager in Philadelphia, PA

Introduction

John Vena Inc. Specialty Produce (JVI) is looking for a Sales Manager to provide management and leadership to our sales group. This person will work with the sales team to develop sales strategies, goals, and direction for the company’s overall sales efforts. The Manager will provide leadership, oversight, and guidance to the sales team. They work in conjunction with the sales and customer service teams, the marketing staff, and senior leadership to develop strategic sales plans, define target markets and key accounts, and develop new sales programs and products. The ideal candidate will have previous experience selling produce and the desire to grow, mentor, and help a sales team succeed.

If you have a passion for building and improving something, being a key part of company growth, and helping a team of professionals reach their potential, we want to hear from you.

About the role

Critical parts of the job

• Use market data to set individual goals and quotas for sales team members and then works with them to meet or exceed those established sales targets for revenue and gross margin.
• Evaluate and review sales and service staff performance against pre-established goals and ensure that targets are achieved by holding regular check-ins with team members to provide feedback and coaching.
• Maintain comprehensive industry knowledge, identify emerging markets, and trends, and stay abreast of competitive intelligence.
• Analyzes and presents sales data to assist the Directors of Sales and Marketing in planning and forecasting.
• Identify and pursue new business development opportunities in the retail, wholesale, and food service sectors.
• Identify knowledge gaps within the sales team and develop plans to close those gaps.
• Serves as a member of the product development team.
• Represent the company at trade shows and meet with customers as needed.
• Facilitate weekly sales team meetings.

This Position will be focused on:

Being a Coach- You will be the leader of the sales team and focus on making them be the best versions of themselves. This role will be there to help them, guide them, and help them realize their goals.

Being the metrics guru- You will be the owner of the sales metrics. You will know where each salesperson, the team, and the company are in terms of sales goals. You will own the analysis and any reporting that may be needed or requested.

Skills, Education & Abilities

The Must Haves

• A self-motivated, service-oriented strategic thinker and doer with the ability and experience to lead a team of sales professionals.
• A curious and inquisitive person who can understand and determine the options for developing and building a world-class sales team.
• Relentless attention to detail and the ability to make decisions and execute their plan.
• Flexible Mindset: Ability to work in a growing organization where business needs and priorities can change quickly.
• Proactive Thinker: Able to manage a high degree of complexity and distill actionable information, able to think both strategically and contribute to developing key sales processes.

• Collaboration and Partnership Capabilities: A thoughtful and talented communicator with the ability to effectively work across the organization in a collaborative manner and partner with teams with differing priorities.
• A genuine desire to learn, grow, make mistakes, and challenge the status quo in how we sell produce.

Qualifications

• High school degree, or equivalent, required. Bachelor’s degree in business or a related field is preferred.
• Minimum of 10 years in sales within the Agribusiness, preferably with experience in fruit, produce, and perishables.
• Previous experience successfully managing, coaching, and mentoring a sales team.

The Nice To Haves

• A high level of computer proficiency and a working knowledge of the Microsoft Office suite of products (Outlook, Word, Excel).

About Us

John Vena Inc. Specialty Produce (JVI) is a family-owned produce wholesaler founded in 1919 supplying specialty fruit, vegetables, and herbs to companies large and small throughout the Northeast region. Our home is in the Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market on Essington Avenue in Southwest Philadelphia.

The produce industry is fast-paced, and we bring a lot of energy to the table to make sure the freshest products are delivered from our partner farms to our food service and retail customers six days a week. Our team is committed to embodying our Values in everything we do:

COMMITMENT TO QUALITY

• We go the extra mile to provide an exceptional experience for our customers.

COLLABORATIVE SPIRIT

• We build long-term relationships with our partners based on respect, trust, and teamwork.

EMBRACE ACCOUNTABILITY

• We act with integrity, accept responsibility, and take ownership of our work.
• We are looking for people that share these Values – and our love of good food – to join our team.

Our diverse, 80+ team members are the most important part of our business and a part of our extended family. To make sure our people and their families are well cared for, we offer:

• Completely free medical and dental coverage for employees AND their family members
• Retirement plans with employer match
• Generous paid holiday and sick time policy
• Years of service rewards
• Employee perks and events

dbreMGLJCt