Sales Manager (southeastern Territory USA)   The Irca Group is an International Leader in high quality finished and semi-finished ingredients for the bakery, pastry, and ice cream markets. With a solid history of over 100 years in the industry, the Group has its headquarters in Italy and a strong global footprint with 23 production sites and over 2000 employees in Europe, the United States and Vietnam.   Our core product categories include chocolate, compounds, chocolate decorations, sprinkles, creams, pastry mixes, gelato ingredients, nuts and candied fruit. The most recent acquisition of Kerry Sweet complements our existing categories with the addition of sweet particulates, chocolate confections, inclusions, variegates and frozen fruit purees.   Through its 8 key brands (IRCA, Dobla®, in2food, Via Degli Orsini, JoyGelato, RaviFruit, Cesarin and Anastasi®) the IRCA Group offers an unparalleled "one-stop shop" approach for delivering quality solutions to all ingredients needs, through a broad range of innovative products. We offer every day and seasonal solutions to 3 macro channels: Gourmet, Food Manufacturing and Consumer Product (Retail). “Extraordinary made simple”.     We are seeking an experienced Sales Manager to grow and develop the eastern territory of the United States. The focus will be to promote our gourmet line of products to regional distribution partners. The ideal candidate will be local to the southeastern market of the US, and will be able to travel and meet with distribution partners who are based in the eastern regions of the US. Additionally, the Sales Manager would focus on developing and implementing sales strategies, identifying new business opportunities, and building strong relationships with current and new customers. It is also important for the candidate to ensure that all sales activities are conducted in accordance with company policies, safety regulations, and BRC standards. This would involve staying up-to-date with relevant regulations and industry standards and ensuring that all sales activities are compliant. The Sale Manager will also inherit a list of current customers and will manage the accounts accordantly. To learn more about our existing products, visit our website here https://americas.ircagroup.com/en   DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: * Establishing and maintaining relationships with industry influencers and key strategic partners such as distributors, retailers, and foodservice operators, to drive sales.  * Act as a liaison between the sales department and other departments such as marketing, production, and finance, to ensure that sales activities are aligned with overall company goals.  * Prepare regular sales reports showing volume, potential sales and areas of proposed growth: This would involve analyzing sales data and preparing reports to provide insights into sales performance and identify areas for growth.  * Plan annual sales budget for the sales team that aligns with overall company goals and objectives.  * Develop and implement new product launch programs working closely with the product development team.  * Prepare regular presentations to customers highlighting new/innovative concepts.  * Keep up to date with current industry trends and maintaining awareness of new products and ideas  * Attend industry trade shows several times annually.   QUALIFICATIONS: * Minimum of 5+ years sales experience, ideally some experience either working for a food Distributer or selling directly to a Distributer   * Experience with gourmet snacking or bakery ingredient sales.  * Possess the ability to lead customer sales meetings, creatively solve problems, and forecast inventory needs  * Keep up to date with current industry trends and maintain awareness of new products and ideas  * Ability to work flexible schedule with large amount of travel, if necessary  * Demonstrate an assertive attitude with a positive approach and outlook  * Exhibit sound interpersonal skills in all interactions with customers, staff and company management  * Should be independent with a balanced team spirit  * Bachelor’s degree (B.A.) from four-year college or university in business administration, sales, or a related field, or four years’ related experience and/or training; or equivalent combination of education and experience.    * Must be willing travel approximately 50% around the North-Eastern Regions of the US.     Irca Group offers career growth opportunities as well as competitive compensation and benefits: Medical, Dental, & Vision, 401(k) matching, Paid Vacation, and Holidays, Employee Education Tuition Reimbursement Program