Title: Sales Manager

Exemption Status: Salaried

Department: Windy City Harvest

Reports to: Director of Operations

Regular Full-time 37.5 hours per week, Monday through Friday; one Saturday a month.

Supervises: Sales Team - direct report.

Position Overview:

Windy City Harvest, the urban agriculture division of the Chicago Botanic Garden, delivers the transformative benefits of growing, consuming, and sharing food locally. Our primary location is Farm on Ogden, a community hub and training center in the North Lawndale neighborhood of Chicago, with 10-plus additional farm sites on the West and South Sides of Chicago. Windy City Harvest grows and distributes 100,000 pounds of produce annually and reaches more than 2,000 participants per year with programs focused on urban agriculture training and community food access. Learn more about Windy City Harvest: chicagobotanic.org/urbanagriculture

The Sales Manager ensures that Windy City Harvest demonstrates an entrepreneurial approach to our work as we train the next generation of beginning farmers in Chicago. The Sales Manager is responsible for the management of the business plan of Windy City Harvest’s social enterprise, including internal and external earned revenue. This role ensures that sales are completed in a timely fashion to maintain a reliable and predictable revenue stream.

The Sales Manager will operate as part of the Windy City Harvest management team to:

• Implement the sales plan that expands our customer base and maximizes revenue.
• Set objectives, monitor performance, and coach the sales team toward successful completion of annual goals.
• Act as liaison between Windy City Harvest and its customers.
• Collaborate with adjacent departments to identify areas to improve the quality of our work.

Responsibilities

In this role you will be responsible for the following:

Sales Management

• Execute the annual sales plan and identify/report unanticipated changes.
• Manage on-site retail store and revenue generating events such as annual plant sale, farm stands, and corporate pop-up markets.
• Present revenue and expense reports and set realistic forecasts for the leadership team.
• Analyze and make recommendations for our inventory, purchasing and selling prices across all vendors.
• Oversee invoicing and tracking of all earned revenue across various Windy City Harvest teams using financial management software and in collaboration with Chicago Botanic Garden’s finance department.
• Manage delivery logistics for buyers of our product.
• Develop and train staff on inventory management.
• Manage harvest and distribution logistics for Windy City Harvest sites.

Staff Management

• Recruit, train, and manage the sales team.
• Design and delegate staff assignments. Identify and provide staff with tools for success.
• Oversee tech-based tools used for inventory management and vending purposes.
• Create and enforce workplace standards and monitor/coach performance toward annual goals.
• Review and approve expenses for sales team through financial management software.

Relationship Management and Communications

• Build and promote strong, long-lasting relationships by partnering with customers and understanding their needs.
• Take a collaborative approach to problem-solving internal and external systems.
• Provide quantitative and qualitative data to our adjacent departments.
• Manage existing relationships and foster new relationships with produce buyers including wholesalers, small community markets, Farm on Ogden retail store, restaurants, CSA, and farmers markets.
• Create social media content and posts regularly and as requested.

Chicago Botanic Garden Values & Behaviors:

Qualifications

Our ideal candidate will have the following:

• Three years of sales experience and two years of supervision experience.
• Ability to identify sale opportunities and comfort with negotiating strategies.
• Bilingual/Spanish speaking preferred.
• Ability to develop, cultivate, and model pillars of a healthy working environment.
• Passionate and motivated by local economies, supporting local businesses, and beginning farmers.
• Adaptable and flexible to change in systems as requested by program needs, community partners, and regulations.
• Excellent customer service skills, able to communicate effectively in verbal and written form, and willing to travel to vendor sites for in-person meetings.
• Familiarity with packing requirements for a variety of sales distribution channels preferred.
• Accounting experience with proficiency in Data Systems, POS systems, QuickBooks, Excel, and Microsoft Office.
• Familiar with Good Agricultural Practices (GAPS). Produce Safety Alliance Grower preferred.
• Detail-oriented, flexible, and able to work independently and as part of a team.
• Excellent communication skills, able to supervise, train, and work with people with diverse backgrounds and skill levels.
• Mission-driven and able to uphold Windy City Harvest values statement.

Physical Demands:

Some requirements for lifting, pushing, or pulling items up to 50 pounds, able to work in all weather conditions and within walk-in cooler temperatures. Frequent sitting, standing, walking, bending, listening, speaking, and keyboarding. Use of office equipment including computers, telephones, copiers, and scanners.

Why Apply?
Come work in a setting that is like no other as you support our mission: We cultivate the power of plants to sustain and enrich life. Take the first step toward being one of the employees who make the Garden one of the treasures of the Forest Preserves of Cook County. Apply today. Please note that applicants who do not meet the required qualifications will not be considered.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and do not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, sex, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, status as a veteran, or basis of disability, or any other federal, state, or local protected class.

Disclaimer: The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this classification. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities and qualifications required of personnel so classified.

In accordance with Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972, Chicago Botanic Garden does not discriminate on the basis of sex in its programs or activities, including in employment or admissions. Please call (847) 835-8264 to contact our Title IX coordinator should you have questions or concerns. Please do not call this number to inquire about job postings or the status of your application, or with solicitations from companies or third-party recruiters.