Japanese Beverage Specialist

Job Description

Position: Japanese Beverage Marketing Specialist (Local)

Start Date: xx/xx/xxxx

FLSA Status: Exempt Position Status: Full-Time Part-Time

Union Status: Yes No Shift: Day Night

(Scheduled workdays)

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

(Scheduled work hours)

Start Time: 8:00 AM End Time: 5:00 PM (Hours are subject to change based on the company’s need)

Report To: Rachel Fiekowsky

The Japanese Beverage Specialist works under their Team Leader as an important part of the Japanese Beverage Specialist Team. The appropriate candidate will be passionate & knowledgeable about the alcoholic beverages industry and/or Japanese sake, shochu, craft beers & craft spirits. They will maintain a comprehensive catalog of knowledge on the company’s brands, item details & market positioning, including key market trends & competitor brands. The candidate will be a motivated, ambitious self-starter, an effective communicator, fastidious with follow-up, tenacious, & mindful of the thoughts & needs of their customers & coworkers. They are tasked with year over year sales growth in total revenue, GP, total cases & PODs for the company’s alcoholic beverages category, as well as helping to promote company & brand recognition among clients & consumers.

Responsibilities:

Serves as primary point of contact for all aspects of business with assigned accounts & regions. Supports assigned customers or sales team members & their respective key accounts in any aspects of business in order to reach sales goals

Works to further develop assigned markets by growing market share within each customer & and opening/seeking out new targets & business opportunities both independently & as directed through management

Plan & executes events, promotions, & company/customer education opportunities to increase company beverage sales both inside the specialist’s accounts of direct responsibility & for the alcoholic beverage portfolio overall

Conduct beverage trainings with accounts, both on & off-premises, with appropriate tools to ignite interest, educate, communicate product details and sales techniques, etc.

Works closely with accounts and sales representatives to effectively grow portfolio sales with new placements, replacing discontinued items, setting up new items, communicating special pricing & promotional periods, developing effective staff training and account support programs, and following up with effective marketing in special events

Develops new relationships with on & off premise key accounts & regional chains to help develop portfolio placements through personalized attention

Attends and or organizes industry and company-run trade show events to represent product lineup

Works with sales reps to set individual account meetings

Assists the sales and purchasing departments by providing product and vendor education and advisement, leading in-office educational product tastings, and creating marketing materials in conjunction with the marketing department

Hosts or arranges pairing dinners & tasting events with accounts and vendors

Manages special order requests & allocations for limited production/seasonal items

Responsible for timely collection of invoice payments & proactively investigating & reporting delinquencies for assigned accounts

Maintains & improve relationships with producers & create plans/programs to ensure the success of their products in the market

Monitors growth and/or stagnation of assigned elements of MTC’s alcoholic beverage portfolio & assist the purchasing department in portfolio management

Submit monthly reports on activities, goals, special events, etc., & submit expense reimbursements by or before outlined deadlines.

Effectively manages assigned budget & assess ROI for travel, samples, incentives, market expenses & other costs associated with effective job execution

Maintains & works to improve beverage related sales materials such as shelf talkers, tech sheets, product descriptions, POS, etc.

Helps generate & contribute content for company social media presence

Works to promote educational courses & ensure courses are offered in assigned regions when appropriate for Distributor partners, key accounts & the public

Works with team to develop & execute trade events hosted in New York

Performs other duties as assigned

*Nothing in this job description restricts management’s right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time; This description reflects management’s assignment of essential functions; it does not restrict the tasks that may be assigned*

Qualifications:

Ability to follow verbal and written instructions

Significant experience in the alcoholic beverage industry is required

Prior supplier/regional manager experience a plus

Experience in distributor management & sales is expected but not required for the right candidate

Technological fluency including use of the Microsoft suite is expected

No Japanese language skills are required but demonstrated interest in & knowledge of Japanese culture, cuisine and/or language is a plus

Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite or related software

Basic Knowledge if Japanese food ingredients and industry

Physical Requirements:

Prolonged periods sitting at a desk and working on a computer

Prolonged periods of driving

Occasional travel from market to market is a must

Prolonged periods of standing/walking

Must be able to lift up to 40 pounds at times

Disclaimer Clause:

This job description and specifications are not intended and should not be construed to be an exhaustive list of all job responsibilities, skills or working conditions associated with this job. It is not intended to be an accurate reflection of the principal requirements of the Dispatcher’s position within this capacity.

New York Mutual Trading, Inc, is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The Company seeks to always attract, hire, promote and retain the very best people. Our policy with respect to all decisions affecting terms and conditions of employment is based on merit and is to treat applicants and employees without regard to race, creed, color, citizenship, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, domestic or civil union, or marital status, disability, genetic information, armed forces, and veteran status except where such considerations are bona fide occupational qualifications permitted by law.

The company is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to qualified individuals with disabilities. This may include providing reasonable accommodation where appropriate for an otherwise qualified individual to perform the essential functions of the job. It is your responsibility to notify the Human Resources Department of the need for accommodation.

**In the event that you are hired to work in the position above, all of the above items will be strongly observed during your 90-day probationary period, as well as the duration of your employment here**