Sales Operations Specialist

ABOUT THE COMPANY

A food and beverage manufacturer in Monroe Township, New Jersey. It makes branded products and private label lines for supermarket chains and supplies food service customers through national distributors. The company is part of an international group and is growing quickly.

ROLE OVERVIEW

As the company grows, its senior sales leaders are hiring a Sales Operations Specialist to oversee new product launches day to day. You will manage each new business opportunity from the customer's invitation to bid through roughly the first six months after launch.

You will build accurate bid and pricing sheets with finance and purchasing, coordinate with production and operations, and keep launches on track once orders start. On landed accounts you are the day-to-day first point of contact for customer requests such as documentation and certifications, while the sales leaders remain the lead relationship. The work is the same across retail (supermarket chains, mostly private label) and food service (national distributors).

You report to the Senior Vice President of Sales. This role does not include prospecting or lead generation.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

• Manage new business opportunities from invitation to bid through launch: gather customer specifications (product, format, weight, delivery terms) and estimated volumes, and prepare complete, accurate bid documents
• Build pricing and bid sheets by coordinating cost inputs with purchasing, finance and raw materials, then hand the cost sheet to the sales leaders, who set margin and price
• Run each launch through its first six months: track orders and deliveries with operations and logistics, resolve delays with carriers, and hold weekly cross-functional check-ins until the item reaches a steady run rate
• Act as first point of contact on landed accounts for requests such as documentation, certifications, specifications and order questions, keeping the sales leaders informed
• Enter and maintain product specifications and certifications in retailer portals
• Review customer contracts and understand their terms, including rebates, promotions and deductions, and keep contracts, customer records, price lists and account activity organized and accurate (deduction disputes stay with finance)
• Analyze monthly and quarterly performance by customer, area and agent, including customer and item margin, using internal sales data and the company's ERP (SAP, currently being implemented)
• Prepare sales reports, customer and trade presentations, and account performance reports for senior management
• Work with colleagues at the company's plants in Europe and India, mostly by video call and email
• Join customer meetings and trade shows with the sales team as the role develops

WHAT YOU BRING

• 3 to 5 years of practical business experience, for example in an analyst, sales support or sales operations role, ideally in consumer packaged goods
• Strong analytical and math skills, with precision on pricing and bid sheets
• Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint, and comfort using AI tools
• Working use of SAP or another ERP such as Oracle or Microsoft: running queries and extracting data (no postings)
• Ability to read retail and food service customer contracts and understand U.S. grocery contract terms, including rebates, promotions and deductions
• Project management across purchasing, finance, production and raw materials, and the ability to build working relationships across departments
• Highly organized and proactive, with strong time management across multiple priorities, and confident and personable with customers and colleagues
• Ability to work on-site in Monroe Township, New Jersey, five days a week

HELPFUL TO HAVE

• Experience on retail bids or product launches with large supermarket chains such as Kroger or Wakefern, ideally in private label
• Food service experience, including work with national food service distributors
• Food and beverage or CPG experience (food strongly preferred); private label or grocery retail sales support from other categories is also considered
• Understanding of how private label programs work within a retailer's category management