Culinary Specialist

Position Summary

This is a professional sales position responsible for growing new business with the expectation of achieving assigned business goals while enhancing the customer experience. This will be accomplished through maintaining industry and category specific certification status and direct selling of categories to customers through internal and external business reviews. The culinary specialist is a key role in the team based selling model and as such will be an ambassador for Sysco brand, innovation and Category Management (CatMan) products and will leverage all opportunities to close the sale with customers. This individual will represent Sysco at culinary events and in appropriate organizations in the industry. This position may also be responsible for supervising kitchen assistant(s) or culinary interns. Specialists will prioritize time, targets, and team selling efforts based on market insights and data analytics.

As noted in Sysco’s Leadership Framework; On-target performance includes exhibiting the following framework components; Core Qualities, Shaping the Future, and Delivering Business Results.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute targeted culinary strategies to achieve individual and region annual business goals, delivering profitable sales growth and penetration across categories, specialty segments, and Sysco brand
• Coordinate with Director of Business Resources, leveraging data to identify top opportunities for business reviews
• Collaborate with sales team partners to clearly identify customer challenges, needs, or opportunities and deliver creative and productive solutions to help grow customer business and drive case growth
• Track activities and results, collaborate on opportunities, and champion the team selling process through use of Salesforce (Sysco’s CRM tool)
• Leverage sampling in a solutions-oriented manner to close sales
• Be informed of market conditions and trends, product innovations, and competitors' products, prices, and sales; share information with customers as part of value-added services provided
• Facilitate internal/external food shows, catering and event planning activities
• Coordinate kitchen logistics in support of internal/external culinary events
• Develop and maintain relationships with customers, chefs and sales teams through cooperative participation in local events, culinary competitions, culinary schools and other relevant opportunities
• Advise sales team on product specifications. Serve as an expert on Cutting Edge Solutions/innovation items, Sysco Brand and CatMan products
• Assist with employee training by working with sales to facilitate training sessions and complete demonstrations
• Manage all operations of the test kitchen/culinary center including sanitation, product rotation, laundry service and the organization and upkeep of equipment, displays and the general appearance of the culinary facility.
• Manage test kitchen food and supply costs within budgetary parameters
• Comply with all local and state food safety and health code regulations
• Accompany and respond to regulatory agency kitchen/culinary center inspections
• Provide work direction to additional culinary staff, third party vendors, sanitation staff as necessary
  
  

Qualifications

Education/Experience:

• Minimum: High School Diploma or GED and 3 years executive chef experience in the foodservice industry
• Preferred: Bachelor’s degree or equivalent culinary degree, 3 years of foodservice sales experience
  
  

Knowledge & Skills

• Proficiency in culinary, restaurant operations, and food trends required
• (Internal Certification & External Certification may be required)
• Ability to express information in terms of profit and loss, food cost and expense ratio
• Strong financial acumen and ability to properly plan and execute business plans
• Track record of success in the area of consultative selling and networking
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills and ability to work with and influence a variety of key stakeholders
• Experience building trust with prospective customers and securing new business
• Proactive and self-directed, with the ability to structure a weekly schedule to be successful
• Demonstrated ability to deliver against deadlines and produce high-quality results (accuracy, thoroughness in the deliverables they are producing)
• Excellent organizational and project management skills, including the ability to execute multiple initiatives at the same time
• Strong business and restaurant operations acumen to manage sophisticated customers
• Flexible; readily accepts change; open to new ideas
• Proficiency in basic level math
• Ability to learn the use of proprietary CRM tools for planning and forecasting sales growth
• Proficient in Microsoft Applications Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)
• Understanding of marketing principles, product lines, ordering procedures and Sysco’s credit terms