Foodservice Culinary Sales Director at Rise Baking Company

Job Purpose

Serving in a dual role, lead culinary activity and generate new business. Ideate, formulate, test, and showcase food products for discovery, prototyping, and gold standard. Produce craveable treats within the Rise brand portfolio, working collaboratively with internal colleagues across R&D, Sales, Marketing, Operations, and Regulatory. Lead new business development efforts for 3-5 target top 25 restaurant chains.

Essential Functions

• Leverage industry trends and insights to develop menu solutions that fit within Rise capabilities and category strategy
• Lead cross-functional teams through knowledge gathering, brainstorming, and synthesis of whitespace ideas
• Collaborate with Sales, R&D, and Supply Chain to create innovative and on-trend menu items for national account customers
• Work directly with Sales, R&D, and customers to develop innovative products, drive current sales, and fill future pipeline with product opportunities within Rise core capabilities
• Lead customer ideation sessions
• Partner with VP of Sales to build culinary relationships with targeted restaurant chains to uncover and secure new business opportunities; develop, plan, and implement strategic selling plans, qualify customer targets, and achieve sales objectives for these accounts
• Represent Rise professionally during interactions at local and national trade shows, industry events, exhibitions, and meetings with manufacturers, customers, and stakeholders
• Stay informed of competitor offerings
• Support food safety program, quality standards, and legality of manufactured products
• Perform other job-related duties as assigned

Qualifications (Education, Experience, Competencies)

• Degree in culinary arts or related field preferred or equivalent work experience
• Proven experience as an executive chef or in a similar culinary leadership role
• 10+ years of experience and established relationships with the top 25 national restaurant chains
• Strong knowledge of menu development, recipe creation, and flavor profiles
• Creative mindset with the ability to bring innovative ideas to the table
• Proficient computer skills including the ability to fully utilize MS Office products
• Strong critical thinking and problem-solving skills; comfortable with ambiguity and able to pivot quickly, capitalizing on new learning and intuition
• Excellent project management, organizational, and multitasking skills
• Exceptional communication and people skills with the ability to build and maintain relationships at all levels, internally and externally
• Ability to travel frequently throughout the U.S.

California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Washington, D.C. Residents Only:The salary range for this role is $140,000.00 to $190,000.00 annually. Pay is based upon several factors including but not limited to local labor markets, education, work experience, certifications, etc. Rise Baking Company complies with all minimum wage laws as applicable. In addition to your annual salary, Rise Baking Company offers benefits such as, a comprehensive benefits package, annual bonus eligibility, incentive and recognition programs and 401k contributions (all benefits are subject to eligibility requirements). At Rise Baking Company, our people are our finest ingredient.