The Vita Coco Company, created in 2004 by Michael Kirban and Ira Liran, produces the leading brand of coconut water in the United States with a growing presence around the world. The Vita Coco Company’s brands include the leading coconut water, Vita Coco; clean energy drink Runa; premium canned water, Ever & Ever; and protein-infused water, PWR LIFT.
In 2021, The Vita Coco Company became a publicly traded, Public Benefit Corporation. With a growing portfolio of natural products, The Vita Coco Company has identified its public benefit purpose as creating ethical, sustainable products that uplift communities and do right by our planet by harnessing and protecting nature’s resources.
In 2022, The Vita Coco Company was certified as a B Corporation™ furthering the Company’s commitment toward operating its business as a force for good, while delivering better-for-you products.
Vita Coco is headquartered in New York City with international offices in London and Singapore. The Company is Nasdaq-listed under the ticker symbol COCO.
The Market Development Manager – Barista will have the ability to understand, learn, and navigate the restaurant and coffee space. They will listen to consumers as to what they want for future Barista iterations. Within their territory, they will achieve retail execution goals and are responsible for improving the performance of both barista team and our Distributor partners by amplifying execution in focus markets. They have the personality to work cross-functionally with sales, distributor management, Market Development, and field marketing teams. They will have the ability to speak to consumers as much as retail gatekeepers and distributors understand what is working and replicate it to scale for the market. They will engage with the coffee core demographic and restaurants, smoothie stores, boba shops, and spotting sales opportunities along the way. They will also manage various RTM’s and can route ride, manage targeted trade days, demonstrations to the right accounts, and distributor engagement; to gain the right type of DNA and execution in market.
This role reports directly to the Director of Coffee.
MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES:
1. Plan and prepare:
- Market Development Plan
- Market Blitzes as required
- Action plans to address gaps in performance
- Portfolio management and incubation of innovation
2. Measure and improve
- Execution against all the above
- Display execution
3. People Management
- Potential for future team management including hiring and developing a team of direct reports consisting of Market Development Specialists to manage relationships with important retail outlets
- Guide activity, provide performance feedback, and support in the creation of strengths-based development plans
4. Distributor Management
- Provide the Distributor Management team with consistent communication relating to execution against distribution targets and display programs so they can leverage with Distributors
- Participate in business reviews at the largest Distributors, presenting Retail accomplishments and initiatives
- Facilitate resolution of issues
5. Collaboration and Teamwork
- Forge strong partnerships with other market development and DSD teams as required to deliver on execution and KPI’s.
- Assess the competitive landscape and communicate insights.
QUALIFICATIONS:
- 3-5 years of field sales experience in the food & beverage industry
- Territory management experience
- Distributor management experience
- Ideally have experience leading, managing and holding field Sales employees accountable to goals & KPIs
- Willingness to work flexible hours, including evenings and weekends
- Strong business acumen, relationship management skills, customer focus, and drive for results
- Ability to lift cases of product between 10-35 pounds
- Must have a valid driver’s license
- Must be able to use basic features in MS Office Suite (Outlook, Excel, Word, PowerPoint)
Job Type: Averaging 32-40/hours a week
Hourly Rate: $30.00/hour
At The Vita Coco Company, compensation decisions are dependent upon a variety of factors, which may include, but are not limited to: skill set, experience, education, training, licensure and certifications, knowledge and abilities of the applicant, alignment with market data, and other business and organizational needs. A reasonable estimate of the current pay range for this position is $28-$30/hr. This range may vary for positions that will be performed outside of California, Colorado, Nevada, New York City, Westchester County, NY, Rhode Island, or Washington.
The Vita Coco Company is committed to the principles of equal employment. We are committed to complying with all federal, state, and local laws providing equal employment opportunities, and all other employment laws and regulations. It is our intent to maintain a work environment that is free of harassment, discrimination, or retaliation because of age, race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sex, sexual orientation (including transgender status, gender identity or expression), physical or mental disability, genetic information, marital status, AIDS/HIV status, military service, veteran status, or any other status protected by federal, state, or local laws. The Company is dedicated to the fulfillment of this policy in regard to all aspects of employment, including but not limited to recruiting, hiring, placement, transfer, training, promotion, rates of pay, and other compensation, termination, and all other terms, conditions, and privileges of employment.