American Outdoor Products (AOP) is a 70-year-old company with a celebrated history in the outdoors and culinary worlds. Our brands include Backpacker’s Pantry, Astronaut Ice Cream, Chef Soraya, and Colorado Spice. AOP is an established food manufacturing company with internationally recognized house of brands, located in there’s-almost-too-many-fun-things-to-do Boulder, Colorado. American Outdoor Products was founded in 1971, with the mission of producing memorable food responsibly made. We specialize in freeze dried, innovative foods using unique and premium ingredients, which are distributed both nationally and internationally through natural products and outdoor retailer channels.
We walk the walk, too. Our headquarters is 100% solar powered, we treat people with respect and welcome all walks of life. That’s how good companies behave. AOP seeks great people bent on doing great things and we’re excited to meet you.
Overview: American Outdoor Products is searching for talented sales unicorns to bolster our growing sales team. Passionate Associate Account Managers to help us expand brands like Backpacker’s Pantry, Astronaut Ice Cream, Chef Soraya, and Colorado Spice into new growth areas and endemic retailers alike.
The dream candidate has a rabid love of the outdoors, a love of well-made healthy food, and a desire to turn over every rock, scale every building, and ensure everyone has access to our house of brands in more places, more often. You love people, have a great gift of gab, and experience-developed soft skills to build rapport and tackle tough conversations as they arise.
The role is located in epic, healthy and jaw-droppingly beautiful Boulder, Colorado at American Outdoor Products HQ.
Responsibilities:
- Drive and manage sales/broker relationships within existing accounts and secure new accounts, including government, hospitality, commercial food services, and other non-endemic retailers/wholesalers
- Provide the highest level of customer service
- Process orders, respond to customer feedback/reviews, and onboard new accounts
- Coordinate with marketing to ensure all required sales documentation is updated, current, and completed in an accurate and timely manner
- Work/coordinate with finance and accounting on customer credit issues, past due accounts, and payment delays
- Forecast, manage, and process seasonal orders and work with our eComm team to manage orders and inventory
- Accurate and timely reports on sales initiatives, goals, new accounts, and forecasts
- Continually and efficiently update leadership on progress, industry and category trends that impact our business, and ensure greater clairvoyance around performance and potential challenges
- Coordinate with CFO to analyze and determine best pricing for all levels of customers and update all relevant stakeholders
- Work with marketing to ensure all materials are updated and current and to better integrate with our retailers both online and in-store to promote and grow your brand – this includes promotions, identifying content co-creation opportunities, and campaign amplification
- Rollout, train, and manage new customers on our current systems
- Lead tradeshow planning, scheduling, booth arrangement and set-up, staffing and sampling needs
- Ensure maximum brand visibility and marketability within accounts to ensure greater competitiveness
- Travel for sales meetings, food demos, shop visits, and trade shows
Education and Experience:
- Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent work experience
- Experience within CPG and Outdoor industry a plus
- Minimum of 4 years prior sales experience
Skills & Abilities:
- Excellent organizational skills and time management
- Strong business acumen with attention to numbers and budget management
- Strong communication skills via multiple mediums including in-person, phone, email, virtual meeting platforms, etc.
- Able to manage complexity and multiple priorities simultaneously
- Desire and motivation to role your sleeves up and dig in on projects and see through to completion
- Proficiency in Microsoft applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, etc.) and experience working with inventory management software
- Willingness to travel 5-10% for sales related functions
Please let them know you heard about it from Venture Connect