Zone Manager - Retail Operations - Retail Sales (Naperville, IL / Grand Rapids, MI)

Hormel Foods•Naperville, IL

About The Position

ZONE MANAGER - RETAIL OPERATIONS - RETAIL SALES (NAPERVILLE, IL / GRAND RAPIDS, MI) HORMEL FOODS CORPORATION To save time applying, Hormel Foods does not offer sponsorship of job applicants for employment-based visas for this position at this time. ABOUT HORMEL FOODS — Inspired People. Inspired Food.™ Hormel Foods Corporation, based in Austin, Minnesota, is a global branded food company with approximately $12 billion in annual revenue across more than 80 countries worldwide. Its brands include Planters ® , Skippy ® , SPAM ® , Hormel ® Natural Choice ® , Applegate ® , Justin’s ® , Wholly ® , Hormel ® Black Label ® , Columbus ® , Jennie-O® and more than 30 other beloved brands. The company is a member of the S&P 500 Index and the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats, was named one of the best companies to work for by U.S. News & World Report, one of America’s most responsible companies by Newsweek, recognized by TIME magazine as one of the World’s Best Companies, and has received numerous other awards and accolades for its corporate responsibility and community service efforts. The company lives by its purpose statement — Inspired People. Inspired Food.™ — to bring some of the world’s most trusted and iconic brands to tables across the globe. For more information, visit www.hormelfoods.com . POSITION SUMMARY: The Retail Zone Manager plays a critical role in executing our DSMPs (Distribution, Shelving, Merchandising, and Pricing). This individual will collaborate with internal stakeholders and external partners to ensure strategic alignment and execution at the retail level. The role requires strong leadership, analytical skills, and the ability to manage communication across multiple retail touchpoints.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience.
5+ years of sales/marketing/sales strategy experience.
Pattern of initiative.
Highly developed interpersonal skills.
Ability to work effectively in a diverse team environment.
Strong persuasive skills.
Strong written and verbal communication skills.
Excellent time management skills.
Ability to work independently.
Applicants must not now, or at any time in the future, require sponsorship for a work visa.
Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States for any employer.

Nice To Haves

Experience managing third-party teams and broker relationships

Responsibilities

Serve as the primary liaison between the Hormel headquarters selling team and the retail selling team to optimize execution.
Build and maintain strong relationships with retail brokers to leverage their expertise to deliver best in class retail execution.
Manage third-party retail selling teams, including selection, training, motivation, and performance management.
Track retail performance through various reporting platforms at the store/SKU level to support execution planning.
Support all aspects of the retail selling process, including:
Lead market evaluations and resulting action plans.
Measure compliance of merchandising plans.
Manage POP (Point of Purchase) execution in stores.
Planning and execution of retail surge projects.
Setting and evaluating third-party broker goals to support major initiatives.
Gathering and sharing market intelligence on competition, pricing, and new product launches.
Creating retail solutions and building rapport with customers at all levels.
Presenting at district and regional sales meetings.