School Nutrition Manager - Georgia in Pendergrass, Georgia at Gold Star Foods

Gold Star Foods is the leading food distributor to K-12 schools in the United States. We are a company devoted to providing our customers with incredible customer service. We know that it is our employees who make the difference! Join our team and find out what it is like to work somewhere where you enjoy getting up for work every day!

POSITION OVERVIEW:

The School Nutrition Manager (SNM) is a business development position managing a current customer base while simultaneously developing and expanding the customer base in the assigned territory. Marketing the Gold Star Foods mission of exceptional service and innovation is the primary responsibility of each SNM. Daily activities include direct customer communication (in-person, virtual meeting environment, email, and phone interactions), collaboration with K-12 customer service, logistics, procurement, and vendors to ensure customer service expectations are met. Daily, weekly, and monthly activities will also include bid management in collaboration with the Gold Star Foods Revenue Management team. The SNM will plan and execute goals and objectives to promote profitably, while strengthening relationships throughout the distribution channel, as well as manage all aspects of the selling process while utilizing approved Gold Star Foods policies and procedures.

Core Objectives:

· Own and execute the Territory Market Tactical Plan

· Drive incremental case growth and budget attainment

· Strengthen retention through structured account management cadence

· Expand pipeline through new account acquisition and category growth

· Serve as the primary escalation point and trusted advisor for assigned accounts

· Deliver education and value-based selling aligned with K12 school nutrition programs

PRINCIPLE RESPONSIBILITIES:

· Under the direction of the EVP of School Nutrition and the Regional Manager (Vice President of Sales), develop and refine account profiles for the key customers within the geographic boundaries of assigned territory. Annual goals and objectives will be developed, and attainable metrics will be agreed upon.

· Customer focus against the execution of sales plans for each key customer on a semi-annual basis. This written plan should encompass strategies for distribution penetration and conversion. Goals and objectives will identify increased opportunities for case movement, leveraging the organizations strengths in market reach through logistics, customer service, innovation, and best practices.

· On high profile opportunities, drive engagement and collaboration between Gold Star Foods sales management, customer service, logistics, bid management, and the customer--to ensure proper communication and sales success is realized.

· Conduct business review evaluations with customer accounts using analytics to create relevant reports and infographics. Clearly communicate and relate the results to the customer. Define strategies for improving customer service and increasing case movement based upon the outcome.

· Interact on a regular basis through verbal and written communication with the EVP of Sales, regional manager (VP), SNM colleagues, K12 customer service, procurement, and Revenue Management team. Communication should focus on market challenges, market opportunities, customer needs, distribution related topics, and relevant business intelligence.

· Utilizing approved Gold Star Foods RFP’s and bid documents, update/confirm vendor challenges. Ensure all potential changes in programs/contracts are communicated to Vice President of Procurement and Vice President of Revenue Management.

· Coordinate new product requests through accepted protocol. Communicate new product/pricing requests to Procurement and Revenue Management in a timely manner.

· Territory Ownership & Strategic Planning (CEO of Territory)

o Develop, maintain, and execute a comprehensive Territory Market Tactical Plan aligned to company growth objectives

o Build and maintain detailed account profiles for all A and B accounts to support strategic planning and procurement readiness

o Conduct Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs) with internal leadership and stakeholders, providing updates on progress, risks, and opportunities

o Analyze territory performance, identify trends, and implement corrective actions to ensure goal attainment

o Maintain full ownership of territory communication, execution, and outcomes

· Account Management

o Execute structured touchpoint cadence for assigned accounts

o Lead business reviews with customers, leveraging analytics and insights to improve service and increase volume

o Proactively identify risks, service gaps, or competitive threats and coordinate resolution

o Serve as the primary relationship owner and escalation contact for all assigned accounts

o Ensure timely communication of Gold Star Foods updates, recalls, and program changes

o Partner with Customer Service (CX) and operations teams to deliver a high-quality, consistent customer experience

· Sales Growth & Pipeline Development

o Achieve territory revenue and case growth targets aligned to annual budget

o Manage and execute the full sales lifecycle, including complex procurement processes

o Lead structured pipeline development, including opportunity qualification and documentation coordinated with the Revenue Management team

o Evaluate procurement outcomes (win/loss) and refine strategy accordingly

o Ensure successful onboarding and implementation of awarded business

· Education & Value Selling

o Plan and deliver educational engagements

o Promote Gold Star Foods’ value messaging, including key initiatives such as Jump Start and operational efficiency programs

o Serve as a subject matter resource on school nutrition trends, USDA Foods, and operational best practices

o Support customers in maximizing USDA Foods utilization and program effectiveness

· Event & Industry Engagement

o Maintain a comprehensive calendar of local, regional, and national school nutrition events

o Actively participate in events by attending education sessions and scheduling 1:1 meetings with customers and prospects

o Complete post-event reporting and identify follow-up actions

o Represent Gold Star Foods professionally within industry associations and consider leadership or volunteer roles

· Plan weekly/monthly calendar utilizing Microsoft Outlook and execute market strategies based on effective planning efforts. Attending meetings as required and providing timely report feedback.

· Maintain accurate CRM records, including account updates, pipeline status, and customer interactions

· Manage individual expense accounts and ensure expenses stay within budget guidelines.

· Represent Gold Star Foods in a professional and positive fashion at various customer conferences, seminars, and meetings.

· Other duties as assigned.

REQUIRED SKILLS:

· Strong consultative selling and account management expertise

· Ability to manage a territory as an independent business unit

· Excellent communication and relationship-building skills

· Strong analytical and strategic planning capabilities

· Ability to navigate complex RFP and procurement environments

· Cross-functional collaboration and leadership skills

· High level of organization, accountability, and follow-through

· Must be proficient in the use of computers for Microsoft: Word, Excel PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams.

· Excellent oral and written communication skills

· Excellent analytical skills

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE:

· Bachelor’s degree preferred.

· 5+ years direct sales experience in the Foodservice Industry (K-12 School segment) is preferred.

· Experience with school nutrition programs (NSLP, USDA Foods) strongly preferred

· Proven track record of achieving sales growth and managing customer portfolios

· Marketing experience is beneficial.

WORKING CONDITIONS AND PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

Field-based role with regular travel throughout assigned territory. Professional office environment. Primary office environment is ambient room temperatures, lighting and traditional office equipment as found in a typical office environment.

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential duties of the job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Individuals may need to sit or stand as needed. May require walking primarily on a level surface for periods throughout the day. Reaching above shoulder heights, below the waist, or lifting as required to file documents or store materials throughout the workday. Proper lifting techniques are required. May include lifting up to 25 pounds on occasion.

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.

EOE M/W/Vet/Disabled

The above duties and responsibilities are essential job functions subject to reasonable accommodation. All job requirements listed indicate the minimum level of knowledge, skills and/or ability deemed necessary to perform the job proficiently. This job description is not to be construed as an exhaustive statement of duties, responsibilities or requirements as the employee may be required to perform any other duties as assigned. In the event of an absence where the teammate cannot perform these duties, the manager will determine who shall perform these duties.

Affirmative Action Statement:

Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States. We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer, and consider qualified applicants without regard to race, color, creed, religion, ancestry, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected factor under federal, state or local law.