Regional Sales Manager- Houston

Overview

Job title: Regional Sales Manager - Houston

Location: Remote - Texas

Terms & Conditions: Full time. International assignment is not available and relocation for local and international candidates is not provided.

Employer: Unilever. This role is part of Unilever Food Solutions (UFS), the 2nd largest Business Unit of Unilever, operating in over 76 countries with ~4000 employees. UFS is a global leader in Food Service with a B2B model serving chefs and operators.

Purpose: The Regional Sales Manager will lead CD resources within the defined geography to achieve growth targets by guiding the team to leverage quarterly operator and distributor initiatives to grow with existing restaurant operators and expand reach to new restaurant operators. This role requires development and execution of annual plans aligned to the strategic agendas of key accounts and UFS.

Seniority level: Mid-Senior level. Employment type: Full-time.

Location context and culture: Unilever emphasizes equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging and a collaborative, flexible working environment.

What You’ll Do / Responsibilities

• Lead the execution of Unilever Food Solutions Customer engagement strategy offline and online with Operators and Trade Partner customers to deliver business growth targets (e.g., turnover, reach, penetration).
• Lead, coach and develop a Customer Development team.
• Accountable for leading your team to deliver business targets for the assigned region for Independent Operators, Chains, and Trade Partners.
• Fully execute UFS Annual Operating Plan and quarterly initiatives.
• Lead and train the team to expand reach to regional restaurant chains and manage small regional chain accounts; develop sales opportunities at each customer.
• Cultivate relationships with key tier 2 and 3 distributors to promote Unilever Food Solutions products.
• Instill team commitment to lead management as a primary driver of business growth.
• Develop business across all field channels within commercial and non-commercial segments.
• Lead and train the team to partner with restaurant executives and chefs to develop and grow their business.
• Partner with Distributor Partners to accelerate market growth through training and collaboration with their sales teams and by executing marketing programs.
• Win customers across all channels with appropriate level of trade and resources.

Trade Distributor & Key Accounts

• Lead the implementation of the Contact Matrix for Key Trade customers with a squad approach (where possible) for effective customer management.
• Develop and execute Joint Business Planning (JBPs) with selected trade partners including Trade Term agreements, Sell-out activities and DSRs, trade team engagement & KPIs (Sell-out, Reach, Penetration, eCommerce, Digital Reach).
• Engage trade customers to align Secondary Sales Data partnerships with proof of value (e.g., traffic generation towards Trade Webshop via UFS campaigns).

Independent Operators & Chains

• Coach and develop the team to build and nurture relationships with key chain customers and independent operators; implement Contact Matrix with a triangle model approach.
• Drive engagement with independent operators as per defined contact strategy (e.g., 80% virtual, 20% F2F) using data-driven recommendations for reach and penetration.
• Conduct virtual sampling, ideation, and cooking demonstrations to secure new opportunities or increase volume usage.
• Implement and execute Customer Business Plans with selected key chains customers.

Digital, Data & eCommerce

• Accountable for implementation and execution of all UFS digital tools within the territory/area.
• Continuously enrich UFS customer data for personalized campaigning.
• Follow up on leads to deliver engagement and KPIs (based on Marketo scoring and targeting).
• Drive digital engagement for UFS Digital platforms (UFS.com, UFS Academy, social media engagement, webinars).
• Drive digital buying behavior via eCommerce platforms (Webshop, trade partner Webshops, and other platforms).

Key Skills

• Strategic selling
• Impactful virtual customer engagement
• Comprehensive understanding of customers and UFS product solutions
• Business insights and activation solution selling
• Familiarity with the UFS CD cycle and customer business planning
• Negotiation, commercial, and data-driven decision-making skills
• Digital & IT skills including eCommerce, Salesforce, Marketo
• Data and analytical skills to use data-driven insights for execution

What You’ll Need to Succeed

• 6+ years of experience in the foodservice industry with a proven sales track record
• Understanding/experience of using digital and social media in selling
• Passion for food and the OOH industry is a plus
• Industry knowledge for trade customers

Compensation & Benefits

• Pay range: $99,760 — $149,640. Compensation considers skills, experience, and other factors.
• Bonus eligible
• Long-Term Incentive (LTI) eligible
• Benefits include health insurance, retirement savings, life and disability insurance, parental leave, vacation and holidays, with plan terms defined by applicable plans.

EEO & Compliance

Unilever is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, protected veteran status, or disability, where applicable by law. Employment is subject to pre-screening tests and background checks. If you require assistance due to a disability, contact [email protected].

Additional information about your rights and applicable protections is available where required by law.