Director, SQFI Business Development & Sales

FMI•Arlington, VA

31d•Hybrid

About The Position

Primary Purpose: Through development and management of positive, strong relationships with retailers, product supplier sites, Certification Bodies (CBs), and training centers, the Director will promote the Safe Quality Food Institute (SQFI) and drive adoption of SQFI programs while delivering assigned revenue targets towards profitable growth for the SQFI, a global third-party certification standard. This role has two key focuses: (1) strengthening and activating Certification Body partnerships through their business development teams to expand SQFI adoption, and (2) cultivating and nurturing relationships with key accounts to embed SQF certification across their operations to drive measurable adoption, retention, and revenue growth.

Requirements

At least seven to ten years of business development, sales, or customer relations experience within the food/consumer products industry.
Bachelor’s degree in business, sales, marketing, economics, food industry, or another related field.
At least seven years of food industry experience.
Working knowledge of how food safety certification, SQFI programs, and food industry sector operations work (including experience with SQFI and other food industry operations).
Must have a solid understanding of the business development and sales process and dynamics to include generating leads, building relationships, and closing deals.
Must be a quick learner with strong negotiating skills and the ability to sell the SQFI standard in a compelling way.
Previous experience managing the growth and development of other team players.
Must be a strong written and oral communicator who can network within different functions with various levels of leadership and others within our customer base.
Proficiency using Microsoft Office 365 programs including: Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook; knowledge of business analytics tools and CRM information systems (such as Salesforce and HubSpot).
Strong presentation skills are a must.
Superb interpersonal skills, including the ability to quickly build rapport with both customers, FMI employees and other SQFI stakeholders.
Ability to influence and build alignment across diverse stakeholders with strong judgment, tact, and credibility.
Must be a self-starter with a high level of intellectual curiosity, with strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
Must be an organized individual with excellent time and project management skills with an ability to prioritize and accomplish multiple tasks with strict attention to detail and with minimal supervision.
Personal qualities must include drive, determination, flexibility, open-mindedness, and must be a team player.
Ability to use typical business equipment (e.g., computer, telephone, fax, copier machines, video conference, etc.) and a workspace to conduct business meetings without disruption.
Ability to travel up to 40% of the time to partner and customer meetings, trade shows, FMI events, etc. depending on business needs, representing the SQFI team in a personable and professional manner to build relationships with certification bodies and customers.

Nice To Haves

Experience working for a global organization is a plus.
Experience working in a sales environment responsible for meeting (or exceeding) assigned targets is a plus.

Responsibilities

CERTIFICATION BODY GROWTH Partner with the VP to activate Certification Body business development teams to expand SQFI adoption throughout the United States.
Establish joint growth plans with Certification Bodies, setting clear KPIs (e.g., new site registrations, retention, and category penetration).
Monitor Certification Body performance against agreed targets, providing support, insights, and accountability for results.
Own and drive CB and key account growth programs end-to-end setting the operating cadence (check-ins and Business Reviews), coordinating cross-functional execution, removing roadblocks, and delivering results.
KEY ACCOUNT DEVELOPMENT Collaborate with the Vice President to identify, target, and expand relationships with retailers, manufacturers, and brand owners.
Drive measurable adoption of SQFI certification across categories, sites, and regions within key accounts.
Act as a trusted advisor to account stakeholders – strengthening relationships and aligning SQFI’s value proposition with their food safety and quality objectives to support retention and growth.
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT AND STRATEGIC GROWTH Deliver on quarterly and annual KPI targets.
Use CRM (HubSpot) and business analytics to manage pipelines, track performance, and report on KPI progress to SQFI leadership.
Maximize partnership and revenue growth using data to identify opportunities, improve conversion, and deliver consistent performance against adoption, retention, and revenue targets.
Represent SQFI at trade shows, industry forums, and partner events, building brand awareness and growth opportunities.
Prepare and deliver presentations and reports for accounts, Certification Body partners, and senior leadership, linking activities directly to KPI performance.
CROSS-FUNCTIONAL COLLABORATION Partner with Marketing, Finance, Customer Service, and Technical teams to develop campaigns, tools, and resources that enable KPI achievement.
Provide the SQFI leadership team with insights on performance against KPIs and recommendations for accelerating growth.
Support strategic planning and reporting processes with accurate data on Certification Body performance, score-carding and key account outcomes.
Other Job Functions: Other duties and projects as assigned or directed.