The 'Ulu Co-op Sales & Marketing Director will work closely with the company CEO to establish department objectives and high-level strategies, and will supervise a number of other sales team members to execute goals. The Sales & Marketing Director will play a critical role in helping to scale the co-op as a whole, including through improving systems, processes and procedures to facilitate a growing business model with over 160 farmer-members and counting. This person will be expected to cultivate positive, long-lasting customer relationships across diverse market segments including manufacturing, foodservice, and grocery, and build a positive and productive work culture in the department. The ideal candidate is a strategic, creative team player with a passion for Hawai‘i agriculture and indigenous crops.

Responsibilities:

Team Leadership & Development

Direct the sales and marketing team and cultivate a collaborative work environment.
Recruit, train, and mentor sales and marketing staff, fostering a high-performing and positive culture. Provide guidance, support, and professional development opportunities to team.
Lead HR actions in the sales and marketing team, including staff evaluations, hiring for new positions, and disciplinary actions or terminations.
Create effective systems and incentives to motivate sales and marketing team members to help meet company revenue goals, including through refinement of the co-op commission program.

Strategic Planning

Work in close collaboration with the CEO to establish strategic sales objectives, and to develop and track KPIs and OKRs to ensure these goals are well executed.
Lead development of the co-op’s annual sales and marketing plan in the last two months of each fiscal year (May – June) to establish baseline and stretch goals for the following year.
Continually adjust the sales plan or tactics as needed throughout the year based on unexpected constraints or opportunities, including desired product mix or target customer segments.
Create and maintain sales and marketing department budgets. Allocate resources effectively, monitor expenses, manage vendor relationships, and optimize the return on investment.
Analyze and respond to competitors’ strategies and changes in the industry.

Sales Tracking & Reporting

Submit a monthly sales report to benchmark progress against the annual plan and offer a strategic analysis of goals and next steps to focus-on for the month ahead.
Communicate regularly with, and inform the operations and membership teams about, desired production goals and sales targets so that everyone is on board for implementation.
Report on sales KPIs at quarterly staff meetings and on sales OKRs at internal team meetings.
Present key sales metrics, challenges and opportunities to co-op Board ahead of bi-monthly meetings and to general co-op membership at annual farmer meeting.

Systems Thinking with Cross Departmental Collaboration

Work productively with the co-op operations and membership departments to align sales efforts with other co-op priorities. Work closely with the Fulfillment Manager and other team members to ensure a seamless customer experience for co-op clientele.
Participate in the weekly Sales/Operations team meetings to support decision-making on manufacturing targets, raw crop purchasing needs, fulfillment goals, and logistical solutions to execute on sales lined-up for the week ahead.
Establish an agenda for and facilitate a weekly high-level check-in with the CEO to workshop projects, strategize around key account acquisition and brainstorm next steps towards meeting the co-op’s goals.
Identify potential barriers to sales and develop creative solutions that will help to bring our products to market (e.g. work out logistical solutions for new buyers, offer bulk purchasing discounts to incentivize larger and/or recurring sales, update annual shipping and distribution policy, etc.)
Maintain, update, and improve the systems that make the sales department function, including updating SOP’s and sales policies as we innovate and grow.

Customer Relationship Management

Manage, maintain and improve upon HUC’s customer relationship management (CRM) system using Monday.com or alternate software.
Consistently grow new relationships and strengthen existing ones with accounts across diverse market segments including chain and independent retailers, food hubs, manufacturers, commercial and institutional foodservice, distributors, and community non-profits.
Travel across Hawai‘i as needed to build strategic partnerships and strengthen customer relations. This includes visiting retailers and grocers to ensure shelves are stocked and merchandising materials are used, coordinating in-store product demos, attending sales events, presentations, conferences and tradeshows.

Marketing Management

Work closely with the co-op Marketing Lead to develop consumer outreach and educational materials, sales tools, ordering forms, and other collateral needed to support sales goals. Work with key accounts to create tailored merchandising materials and/or to collect content for marketing.
Collaborate from time to time with contractors to provide sales-related support services, such as graphic design, product photography and videography.
Publish a targeted monthly wholesale newsletter in coordination with the Marketing Lead to support sales goals.
Lead development of company brand and public relations. Ensure consistent messaging, effective lead generation, and brand positioning.
Establish partnerships to increase sales and collaborate with media platforms. Continuously work to identify new marketing opportunities.

Qualifications:

Required Education and Experience

Undergraduate degree or equivalent education/experience.
5 years minimum sales experience in Hawai‘i agriculture, food or beverage sectors, with previous success.
Minimum one-year residency in Hawaiʻi (does not need to be contiguous with employment).
Technical proficiency in Quickbooks Online, Microsoft Office and Google Drive (docs, sheets, slides, forms).

Preferred Education and Experience

MBA or masters-level equivalent degree in business, sales, marketing or other related field.
Knowledge, appreciation, and sensitivity to Hawaiian language and culture.
Familiarity with agroforestry, indigenous crops, sustainable agriculture and/or natural resource management or conservation.
Technical proficiency in SOS Inventory and Monday.com.
Individuals with work and lived experiences that align and complement the organization’s mission and vision.

Hawaiʻi ʻUlu Cooperative

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Sales & Marketing Director