Team Leader - Target & Club

At Russell Stover, not only do we love chocolate, but we love our jobs! Every day we go to work exhibiting our values of excellence, innovation, entrepreneurship, responsibility, and collaboration. Working at Russell Stover you'll be part of the leading manufacturer of boxed, seasonal, and sugar-free chocolates. For over 100 years, Russell Stover Chocolates, Whitman's, and Pangburn's have been crafted with the finest ingredients to bring happiness to generations. Today, we produce over 55 million pounds of chocolate annually, and our legacy brands can be found in 13 company-owned stores and over 9,000 wholesale accounts. Join our team and let's continue making chocolate lovers happy!

A day in the life...

As a Team Leader, Sales, you will lead the strategic development at Target and Bj's Wholesale. You will be responsible for creating both short and long-term strategies that drive POS, Net Sales, Share, and Gross Profit. You will also work collaboratively with Russell Stover's Sales Strategy, Marketing, Demand Planning, Category Management, and Retail Operations Teams. You will also be responsible for creating best-in-class customer relationships and long-term Joint Business Planning with Target. This position reports to the Senior Director of Wholesale Sales and can be located remotely in Minneapolis, MN or in our Corporate office in Kansas City, MO.

What you will be doing...

• Build and maintain strong day-to-day relationships with Target buyers, analysts, and item specialists
• Lead new item strategy and projects through effective broker management
• Serve as a customer expert, driving growth and achieving company objectives
• Deliver results with a proactive, competitive mindset to grow revenue and brand relevance with strategic accounts
• Negotiate promotional plans using performance analysis, forecasting, and planning insights across seasonal and everyday categories
• Optimize trade spend and budgets to maximize ROI
• Manage projects and timelines effectively, leading cross-functional teams to meet deadlines and expectations
• Develop clear customer objectives and strategic business plans to secure distribution and increase category share
• Create and execute assortment reviews for key customers
• Prepare and deliver compelling new item presentations aligned with current and future goals
• Build annual budgets, manage monthly revenue expectations, and confirm customer commitments
• Leverage consumption data and insights to align with customer strategies and market dynamics

If visiting our manufacturing plants, you will be expected to:

• Adhere to Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) to ensure product quality and maintain compliance with food safety standards
• Complete and follow FSQA training and programs to comply with regulatory requirements, ensure consumer safety, and support the plant's food safety and quality objectives
• Promptly report and take appropriate action on any observed or potential food safety hazards, process deviations, or non-conformities by notifying the designated plant supervisor, in accordance with your role and responsibilities
• Actively contributes to the continuous improvement of the company's Food Safety Culture through engagement and actions aligned with your role

This job posting is not all inclusive and other duties may be assigned.

Do you have what it takes?

(Basic Qualifications)

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent professional experience
• 7+ years of combined experience in sales, category management, and analytics
• Proven account management experience with Target
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite
• Background in Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG)
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to speak, read, and write English fluently, with or without an accommodation.

Do you stand above the rest?

(Preferred Qualifications)

• Experience in the confectionery or salty snacks category
• Deep knowledge of channel strategies and customer dynamics
• Broker management expertise
• Demonstrated leadership both internally and externally
• Strong forecasting accuracy and business planning capabilities
• Hands-on experience with promotional planning and deduction management systems, or proven ability to manage financial aspects of promotional spending, travel, and entertainment expenses, including ROI-based recommendations
• High responsiveness and follow-through with internal and external partners
• Excellent organizational and time management skills
• Advanced analytical and computer proficiency
• Ability to drive account penetration through focused strategies, sophisticated analysis, and compelling presentations

At Russell Stover Chocolates, we don't just accept difference - we celebrate it, we support it, and we thrive on it for the benefit of our employees, our products, and our community. Russell Stover Chocolates is proud to be an equal-opportunity workplace.

We provide equal employment opportunities to all people without regard to race, color, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, religion, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, pregnancy, physical or mental disability, protected medical condition, genetic information, military service, veteran status, or any other status or characteristic protected by law.

Employment by Russell Stover Chocolates is contingent upon I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification, passing the urinalysis drug screen, education verification, and satisfactory reference and background checks.

Make Happy. Work Happy.

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