Sales Coach

At International Gourmet Foods (IGF), our mission is to deliver quality service and cultivate community around the table. We’re committed to hospitality, continuous improvement, and making it easy to be an IGF customer.

We are seeking an experienced Sales Coach to lead our Chicago-area sales team, drive strategic growth, and cultivate a quality-obsessed culture. This individual will shape regional sales performance, mentor, and develop team members, and foster strong customer relationships while being deeply attuned to the food industry and IGF’s mission, business processes, and role centers. They will ensure streamlined communication and quick issue resolution, leveraging strong written and verbal communication skills.

Key Responsibilities:

• Collaborate with the department Director to develop and implement strategic plans, policies, and procedures related to KPIs, new territories, targets, and training
• Manage and mentor Culinary Sales Specialists and Associates by reinforcing mission and objectives, conducting joint sales calls, evaluating performance, and supporting personal and professional development
• Handle daily inquiries on behalf of the department, including proactive issue resolution, low-cost executive decisions, prevention-minded corrective measures, and addressing operational and procurement concerns
• Design, develop, and support educational and training initiatives focused on best practices, business conduct, ERP proficiency, product knowledge, vendor understanding, and sales strategy
• Build relationships across departments, maintain awareness of their perspectives, and collaborate cross-functionally to improve communication, coordination, and service quality
• Contribute to the team by performing additional duties as needed

Qualifications:

• Minimum five years of experience in sales or related field
• Minimum three years leadership experience; demonstrated ability to successfully lead and direct a team
• Strong organizations skills and ability to create actionable insights
• Demonstrated commitment to excellent customer service
• Ability to build rapport quickly with internal and external stakeholders
• Proficiency in the Microsoft Office Suite, especially Dynamics, Excel, Forms, Outlook, Planner, SharePoint, Teams, and Word
• Aggressive in identifying opportunities for improvement; strong implementation abilities
• Experience with creating and delivering trainings
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Bachelor's degree in a business-related field (or equivalent combination of education and experience)

Skills and Competencies:

• Leader mentality: ability to create effective objective accomplishment through collaborative engagement with various stakeholders; ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Strong interpersonal skills and effective communicator: ability to work with individuals from diverse cultures, backgrounds, levels, and roles
• Sense of urgency: an ability to work quickly and accurately; ability to prioritize tasks and to delegate them when appropriate
• Persistent problem solver: has a flexible, problem-solving mind-set with good project management skills and time management; solution-oriented
• Detail-oriented: has a keen eye for details without losing sight of the big picture
• Integrity: honest, discreet, and trustworthy; does what is right and necessary
• Curiosity and growth mindset: willingness to learn and grow
• Efficient and organized: able to produce significant output with minimal wasted effort
• Strategic thinker/big picture: effective long-range planning ability and can implement a playbook to achieve operational success

Physical Requirements:

• Must be able to sit and drive for several hours a day and able to walk around to client establishments
• Must be able to bend and lift (at least 40 lb.)
• Requires bending, sitting, standing, walking, use of hands, arms, legs, eyes, and voice

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Classified Title: Culinary Sales Coordinator

Job Posting Title (Working Title): Sales Coach

Targeted Salary Range: $110,000-$150,000

Employee Group: Full-Time

Location: 595 Bonnie Ln, Elk Grove Village, IL 60007

Work Modality: On-Site

Travel Amount: 30%

Benefits:

• Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• 401K
• Paid time off
• Company-paid life insurance
• Short-term disability
• Referral program
• Employee discount
• Health savings account

International Gourmet Foods (IGF) is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $110,000.00 - $150,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Health savings account
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

People with a criminal record are encouraged to apply

Experience:

• Sales: 5 years (Required)
• Leadership: 3 years (Required)

Work Location: In person