Business Support Specialist

Business Support Specialist

We are seeking a dynamic Business Support Specialist to work closely with the Sales Team to ensure that our client’s brand marketing and consumer strategies are implemented. This role collaborates with the Sales Team, Suppliers and Retailers to assist with achieving growth objectives. This role is focused on project coordination and administration of key sales tasks.

The Company is one of North America’s leading sales and marketing agencies specializing in outsourced sales, merchandising, category management, and marketing services to manufacturers, suppliers, and producers of food products and consumer packaged goods. The Company services a variety of trade channels including grocery, mass merchandise, specialty, convenience, drug, dollar, club, hardware, consumer electronics, and home centers. We bridge the gap between manufacturers and retailers, providing consumers access to the best products available in the marketplace today.

Essential Responsibilities

- Responsible for executing the following key sales administration tasks accurately and timely:

• Price Changes
• New Item Forms
• Assist with vendor set up.
• Partner with suppliers on PO queries / Late deliveries
• Cash collection, deductions
• Updates to Promotional Grid and dashboards for Business Manager review
• Maintain category hierarchies.
• Ad tracking and sharing with suppliers.
• Manage and track revenue accruals by supplier. 

- Supports the Sales Team with the following:

• Contract management
• Supplier forecasts
• Supplier Collaborative Business Plan updates
• Weekly/Monthly tracker updates
• Category reviews – data pulls and analysis of data.
• Product Development - Managing Product Cuttings and documenting results. 

- Project Coordination

• Facilitates and assists with driving projects through the process, working closely with the Sales Team, and cross functional teams to achieve project milestones within established timeframes.
• Assists the Sales Team on new projects by collecting and organizing all support data (sales data, market insights, trends, competitor reviews, etc.) for new projects enabling quicker turnaround and decision making by the Sales Team. 

- Communication

• Proactively communicates with retailers, suppliers, internal teams and/or third-party teams to ensure objectives are met.

Supervisory Responsibilities

Direct Reports

- This position does not have supervisory responsibilities for direct reports

Indirect Reports

- Does not have direct reports, but may delegate work of others and provide guidance, direction and mentoring to indirect reports

Minimum Qualifications

Education Level: (Required):     Bachelor's Degree    or equivalent experience

Field of Study/Area of Experience: Retail experience is preferential or 2 or more years of experience in accounting, administration would be useful.

 1-3+ Years of experience in similar role, preferably within the retail industry.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Office with a focus on Excel.
• Good written and verbal communication skills.
• Must be accurate and timely with completing work.
• Previous experience in the consumer goods industry is considered a plus.
• Proactive and curious with ability and desire to find the root causes of issues and develop process and methodology to prevent reoccurrences
• Ability to work unsupervised and meet critical deadlines
• Methodical and process driven to ensure milestones are achieved in projects

Job Will Remain Open Until Filled

The Company is one of North America’s leading sales and marketing agencies specializing in outsourced sales, merchandising, category management, and marketing services to manufacturers, suppliers, and producers of food products and consumer packaged goods. The Company services a variety of trade channels including grocery, mass merchandise, specialty, convenience, drug, dollar, club, hardware, consumer electronics, and home centers. We bridge the gap between manufacturers and retailers, providing consumers access to the best products available in the marketplace today.

Essential Responsibilities

- Responsible for executing the following key sales administration tasks accurately and timely:

• Price Changes
• New Item Forms
• Assist with vendor set up.
• Partner with suppliers on PO queries / Late deliveries
• Cash collection, deductions
• Updates to Promotional Grid and dashboards for Business Manager review
• Maintain category hierarchies.
• Ad tracking and sharing with suppliers.
• Manage and track revenue accruals by supplier. 

- Supports the Sales Team with the following:

• Contract management
• Supplier forecasts
• Supplier Collaborative Business Plan updates
• Weekly/Monthly tracker updates
• Category reviews – data pulls and analysis of data.
• Product Development - Managing Product Cuttings and documenting results. 

- Project Coordination

• Facilitates and assists with driving projects through the process, working closely with the Sales Team, and cross functional teams to achieve project milestones within established timeframes.
• Assists the Sales Team on new projects by collecting and organizing all support data (sales data, market insights, trends, competitor reviews, etc.) for new projects enabling quicker turnaround and decision making by the Sales Team. 

- Communication

• Proactively communicates with retailers, suppliers, internal teams and/or third-party teams to ensure objectives are met.

Supervisory Responsibilities

Direct Reports

- This position does not have supervisory responsibilities for direct reports

Indirect Reports

- Does not have direct reports, but may delegate work of others and provide guidance, direction and mentoring to indirect reports

Minimum Qualifications

Education Level: (Required):     Bachelor's Degree    or equivalent experience

Field of Study/Area of Experience: Retail experience is preferential or 2 or more years of experience in accounting, administration would be useful.

 1-3+ Years of experience in similar role, preferably within the retail industry.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Office with a focus on Excel.
• Good written and verbal communication skills.
• Must be accurate and timely with completing work.
• Previous experience in the consumer goods industry is considered a plus.
• Proactive and curious with ability and desire to find the root causes of issues and develop process and methodology to prevent reoccurrences
• Ability to work unsupervised and meet critical deadlines
• Methodical and process driven to ensure milestones are achieved in projects

Environmental & Physical Requirements

Office / Sedentary Requirements

Incumbent must be able to perform the essential functions of the job. Work is performed primarily in an office environment. Typically, requires the abilty to sit for extended periods of time (66%+ each day), ability to hear telephone, ability to enter data on a computer and may require the ability to lift up to 10lbs.

Additional Information Regarding Job Duties and Job Descriptions

Job duties include additional responsibilities as assigned by one’s supervisor or other manager related to the position/department. This job description is meant to describe the general nature and level of work being performed; it is not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required for the position. The Company reserves the right at any time with or without notice to alter or change job responsibilities, reassign or transfer job positions, or assign additional job responsibilities, subject to applicable law.  The Company shall provide reasonable accommodations of known disabilities to enable a qualified applicant or employee to apply for employment, perform the essential functions of the job, or enjoy the benefits and privileges of employment as required by the law.

Any estimate, schedule, or guideline provided to associates in this job description or elsewhere in connection with their jobs is only intended to help describe job duties and for planning purposes.  Regardless of any such estimate, schedule, or guideline, associates must always record all time worked for our company (which includes but is not limited to on-site work time in an assigned store, office, or other work location; required waiting time; administrative time; and work-related travel time).

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this position. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required of associates so classified.

The Company is committed to providing equal opportunity in all employment practices without regard to age, race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, religion, physical or mental disability, or any other category protected by law. As part of this commitment, the Company shall provide reasonable accommodations of known disabilities to enable an applicant or employee to apply for employment, perform the essential functions of the job, or enjoy the benefits and privileges of employment as required by the law.