Customer Business Manager, Midwest

About Square Roots

Square Roots is the technology leader in indoor farming. We create meaningful jobs in modern farming, empowering a new generation of leaders in agriculture. With production farms in Brooklyn, NY, Kenosha, WI,, and Grand Rapids, MI (with more to come in 2022!). Square Roots is on a mission to responsibly bring our locally grown food to people in cities around the world, all year round.

The way we operate our business and operate our farms is better for local communities. Everyone on the Square Roots team—from farmers to engineers, commercial experts to operations specialists—is supported, connected, and empowered to do their best work to help Square Roots achieve its goals as a company. 

About the Role

As the Customer Business Manager, Midwest, you will build and execute our strategy to achieve sales goals with existing partners, and grow our customer base in target markets. You will be relied on to engage and close new business, and develop strong relationships with Square Roots customers. You will work with the Vice President of Sales to hire and train sales team members to create a high performing, customer-centric team.

You will: 

• Accountable for the planning and executing of sales targets with current customers and expanding customer base by building and maintaining strong relationships with key retailers and customer partners; identify new customer opportunities within an assigned list of accounts, retailers, wholesalers, or distributors. The CBM manages relationships with retailers and internal processes to ensure optimal execution of company OKRs.
• Identify and execute against new customer opportunities to continually build our distribution footprint while remaining mindful of production capacity and ROI on DSD-related investments.
• Advance the development and sales growth across retail customers in the Midwest, spanning key classes of trade: grocery, natural/specialty, independants, and eCommerce.
• Support Vice President of Sales to develop forecasts, create sell-in presentations, and execute sales and promotional plans for Whole Foods and other larger corporate retail customers and targets, including but not limited to Fresh Thyme, SpartanNash, and Meijer.
• Address all retailer specific requests/requirements
• Work with the Vice President of Sales to hire and train Sales team members to create a high-performing, customer-centric team.
• Provide direction to Retail Teams on how to implement customer specific plans at store level.
• Ability to penetrate and conduct meetings at the Senior Buyer level with customers
• Ability to travel as needed for customer appointments, etc. Anticipate approximately 40% travel. In compliance with company COVID protocols.
• Consideration given to candidates located in the Midwest. Preferred location in one of our Farm geographies of Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois or Ohio.

You have experience with:

• You are extremely flexible and enjoy a "high-change" environment where priorities can shift from day to day. You have experience with optimizing sales execution across all sales controllables.
• Excellent skills in the following areas: listening, presentation, negotiation, analysis, customer service, selling, communication, organization and problem solving
• At least three years of grocery, natural, and/or speciality account management experience in the food industry.
• Established relationships and demonstrated success working with key retail accounts (i.e. Whole Foods, Fresh Thyme).
• Ability to plan and manage at both the strategic and operational levels. Working knowledge and understanding of Spins/Nielsen, etc. Perishable category experience as a plus
• Proven ability to gain commitment and build strategic work relationships.
• Demonstrated leadership skills with strong ability to coach and develop junior talent.

You'll love working at Square Roots because: 

• We're here to change the food system. You'll have the opportunity to play a significant role in our work at the intersection of technology, farming, and the global food industry - and we're only just getting started. 
• Our team is driven by a shared set of values. These keep us aligned and remind us how to show up every day in the face of growth and ambiguity. Whether you’re working remotely or on the farms,  collaboration, respect, optimism and humility are all embraced, and we seek to empower people at every step. Ask us about the rest!
• Benefits and perks, of course. We're all here first and foremost to play our part in the mission, but medical, dental, and vision coverage, flexible work life culture, and lots of samples of the delicious food we grow certainly do not hurt. 

COVID-19 Vaccine Policy:

New employees are required to be fully vaccinated prior to their start date. The definition of fully vaccinated includes a booster for those that are eligible.

You are considered fully vaccinated if: 

• You have received a full series of the vaccine recently (meaning 2 doses within 5 months for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, or 1 dose within 2 months for Johnson and Johnson). 
• You received your full series over 5 months ago for Pfizer and Moderna or over 2 months ago for Johnson and Johnson, and have also received a booster shot. 

Proof of vaccination is required during the hiring process, and employees will be required to get booster shots as they become eligible to maintain their fully-vaccinated status.  

As federal guidance on booster shots evolves, the definition of ‘fully vaccinated’ may change.  

In accordance with EEOC guidance, if you are not vaccinated or do not intend to be due to medical reasons or deeply held religious beliefs, you may make an accommodation request and Square Roots will make a reasonable effort to accommodate you, subject to the requirements of the role you are applying for. 

Failure to be fully vaccinated by start date without a documented accommodation will result in offer rescindment or termination.