Team Leader Retail - Chicago, IL

Job description

A mutually rewarding experience.

Work. Realize your ambitions. And realize there's more to being in business than just making a profit. That's the Mars philosophy. And the opportunity we offer every one of our Associates. An opportunity to take what you do and make it mean more for you, for those around you and for the planet. What you get here is challenging, interesting work. You get the tools you need to do a great job and you get to have the best possible people on your side to help you do it. And at the same time as getting to find ways to do business better today than we did it yesterday and driving a great career, you also get to build a more enlightened business and drive sustainability.

Because it's never just about a single person, a single project or a single brand. It's about how you can grab everything that's within your reach here and use it to pursue mutual, long-term gain. It's about having ideas. And ideals. Being prepared to risk failure because the promise of success means we'll all be a little better off. It's that mix of integrity and ambition that makes Mars such a special place to work. And why working here is always about more than just a job.

About Mars, Incorporated

Mars is a family-owned business with more than a century of history making diverse products and offering services for people and the pets people love. With almost $35 billion in sales, the company is a global business that produces some of the world's best-loved brands: M&M's®, SNICKERS®, TWIX®, MILKY WAY®, DOVE®, PEDIGREE®, ROYAL CANIN®, WHISKAS®, EXTRA®, ORBIT®, 5™, SKITTLES®, UNCLE BEN'S®, MARS DRINKS and COCOAVIA®. Mars also provides veterinary health services that include BANFIELD® Pet Hospitals, Blue Pearl®, VCA® and Pet Partners™. Headquartered in McLean, VA, Mars operates in more than 80 countries. The Mars Five Principles – Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Efficiency and Freedom – inspire its more than 100,000 Associates to create value for all its partners and deliver growth they are proud of every day.

Retail Team Leader – Chicago, IL (Grocery)

The key role of the Retail Team Leader is to build, develop and motivate a competent and enthusiastic field sales team through personal leadership, continual benchmark coaching, and communication of performance standards and achievements against territory key performance indicators (KPI’s). This team is comprised of direct sales associates and in some channels, a 3rd party broker team. The Retail Team Leader is responsible for managing performance, developing capabilities and competencies through coaching and training in field to result in optimal skill level and in-market execution of Mars Wrigley priorities.

This position is accountable to influencing $MM in GSV (varies by channel) and effectively managing all region sales activities and the attainment of the region KPI’s inclusive of direct and in some channels 3rd party associate contributors. The Team Leader must have outstanding people leadership, analytical, and coaching skills to develop an effective and highly motivated field sales team. The incumbent must be able to translate company strategy into an actionable plan for the region, to identify opportunities, prioritize and execute through the team, direct and third party where applicable.

The Team Leader works closely with their Retail Director or Area Manager, and in some channels a 3rd party Retail Operations Manager, as well as 3rd party Regional Supervisors to ensure that all strategies and programs are successfully implemented by the field team.

What are we looking for?

·  Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent work experience
·  3+ years of experience in a customer facing or people management role.
·  Excellent organizational and communication (written and oral) skills.
·  Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel and PowerPoint). 

Nice to Have:

·  MBA – preferred
·  5-10 years of Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) Industry experience.
·  Thorough understanding of the retail environment and consumer products.
·  Demonstrated key account management experience.
·  Demonstrated broker management experience.

What would be your key responsibilities?

·  Hire, develop and manage performance of Territory Sales Managers (TSM’s) to drive sales volume and achieve Perfect Store targets while promoting skills and capability learning to enhance performance in field and create Mars Inc. talent pipeline.
·  Execute national, regional and account specific retail programs designed to achieve quality growth via merchandising impact and optimized assortment.
·  Partner with assigned account teams to help identify, prioritize and cascade priorities and opportunities to achieve channel / retailer priorities and Perfect Store targets.
·  Hold team accountable and coach as needed to ensure successful delivery of company strategies and priorities via in market execution.
·  Spend minimum 60% of time in field, balanced between TSMs and where applicable 3rd party teams, on sales calls to coach, develop and manage individual performance.
·  Cultivate collaborative relationships with higher levels of management (Regional, Market, District, and/or General Managers) to influence in store features and drive incremental GSV in localized markets across a large band of stores depending on channel and location.
·  In some channels, manage dynamic hybrid collaboration between direct and 3rd party teams to foster an engaged salesforce that will efficiently impact retail in store conditions across a multi-visit platform.
·  Perform regular retail audits on in-store conditions as executed by TSM’s and 3rd party (where applicable). Take appropriate follow up action as required.
·  Conduct individual performance reviews with each TSM, and on-going management of functional and personal development for each team member.
·  In some channels, navigate complex challenges to influence and manage a seasonal surge executional budget across region in collaboration with 3rd party surge team to deliver millions of dollars in seasonal sell thru.
·  Communicate company mission, vision and purpose; Hold team accountable for exhibiting the Mars Five Principles.
·  Acts as the point of contact for the broker in the field to identify opportunities and resources for in store related activities.
·  Plans, coordinates and facilitates meetings with the local broker management, TSMs and Mars Wrigley account management to reinforce objectives and priorities.
·  Collaborates with the broker on best in class training of supervisors and retail reps.; provide direction & communication on Mars Wrigley merchandising standards, Mars Best Practices, policies and procedures at retail.
·  Measure, evaluate and enforce expectations for retail conditions and overall Broker performance in the market.
·  Prioritize and balance all field and team responsibilities to ensure appropriate retail plan execution. (i.e., 3rd party management, where applicable, financial measures, team engagement, etc.).
·  Analyze sales data, acting as a resource to assist TSM’s in fact-based selling and cultivate solutions to address sales opportunities.
·  Maintain a team engagement action plan to identify and address engagement opportunities to improve team effectiveness.
·  Perform special projects as assigned by leadership.

What can you expect from Mars?

·  The opportunity to learn, develop and take charge of your own career.
·  An industry competitive salary and benefits package.
·  To be respected and valued.
·  The Five Principles at the center of every decision we make
·  The opportunity to work cross functionally, add value and impact a better world for generations to come.
·  Company vehicle provided.

Mars is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. If you need assistance or an accommodation during the application process because of a disability, it is available upon request. The company is pleased to provide such assistance, and no applicant will be penalized as a result of such a request.

Nearest Major Market: Chicago
Job Segment: Merchandising, Manager, Field Sales, Direct Sales, Retail, Management, Sales