Job Information
LALA US, Inc Retail Operations Leader in Laredo, Texas
The Retail Operations Leader (ROL) position is responsible for all aspects of retail sales relative to the Grocery and Hispanic channels. This position will act as an ambassador who’s focus will be store level selling, business development and operational matters supporting the sales team. The Retail Operations Leader is responsible for establishing and maintaining collaborative relationships with independent retail store management and key customer decision makers as well as identifying and growing new accounts. This role will collaborate with both customers who work direct and who utilize distribution services. The (ROL) will work closely with internal cross-functional stakeholders - Sales, Supply Chain and Customer Service. To be successful in this role, the incumbent will need to be able to quickly identify white space distribution opportunities and deploy strategic selling stories to secure that business.
Responsibilities/Duties:
Retail Development – Explore specific markets to derive white space opportunities and sales volume gaps
Seek out and generate new distribution to accounts through wholesaler opportunities to grow sales
Establish working and evolving relationships with the independent distributors in the specified territory and network to find best in class means of distribution to each account.
Establish and maintain strong relationships with key decision makers across multiple levels of the retail store personnel
Execute distribution, merchandising and promotional priorities against customer expectations
Prepare selling plans with in-depth knowledge of specific retail customers and full product portfolio to influence growth opportunities
Provide real-time feedback / insights on store-level opportunities
Partner with Shopper Marketing to create best “Go to Market” strategies for in-store execution
Execute promotional POS and incremental approved fixtures to drive revenue across all retailers
Remove obstacles in market to ensure service levels meet or exceed customer expectations
Communicate effectively across the organization to deliver results (Sales, Supply Chain, Finance, etc.)
Manage use of resources and technology to share market information and insights with sales and collaborate on executional requisites
Partner with innovation and marketing teams on new product development with the goal of increasing sales and driving new item awareness
Drive speed to shelf on new item innovation
Understand the consumer and retail customer variations across multiple classes of trade (Convenience, Grocery, Hispanic Specialty, Drug, etc.)
Work Experience/Knowledge:
5+ years sales experience in the consumer-packaged goods or food and beverage industry
Proven track record of success growing sales and developing new customers
Experience with wholesalers and distributors is a plus
Dairy experience is a plus
Skills / Other Personal Attributes Required:
Bilingual: Spanish and English (oral, written and reading)
Selling and negotiation skills, conflict resolution, and the ability to influence
Strong organizational and self-structure skills required
Ability to be effective in a result driven, entrepreneurial, fast-paced work environment
Excellent oral and written communication skills
Analytical and decision-making ability
Ability to be self-sufficient and take initiative for new opportunities
Self motivated and effective team member
Proficient in Microsoft Office
Category management/Strategic selling story creation skills a plus
Formal Education:
- Bachelor’s degree is recommended but not required
Working Conditions:
Daily Driving (2+ hours per day)
Travel Overnight Stay 40% (Full Territory Coverage)
Must have Eligible Driver’s License
The ability to lift, carry or otherwise move objects of up to 10 pounds is necessary
Normally works a regular schedule of hours, however hours may vary depending on the project or assignment