Cheese Specialist, Retail - North Seattle, WA

Overview

Good people, working with good people, for our common good. Sound good? KeHE-a natural, organic, specialty and fresh food distributor-is all about "good" and is growing, so there's never been a more exciting time to join our team. If you're enthusiastic about working in an environment with a people-first culture and an organization committed to good living, good food and good service, we'd love to talk to you!

Primary Responsibilities

• Supports onsite customer employees with the initial establishment and continued support of an internal cheese shop.
• Orders products for initial set up and product display, transmits orders for delivery to the store, and sets up display cases by cutting, wrapping, pricing and merchandising products.
• Provides customer support to store patrons and makes recommendations for cheese pairings, portions and other food compliments while providing training and instruction to customer employees on all cheese monger activities.
• Regularly services an average of 10 stores per week.
• Requires reliable transportation and valid drivers license.
• Must have grocery and deli experience.

Essential Functions

• Present, sell, and execute all promotional activity to maximize sales and achieve minimal residual quantities.
• Assist in planning and execution of all display programs as designated and developed by the customer, both at store level and corporate headquarters level.
• Educate the customer on what their store needs are based on the trends.
• Supports stocking of back stock in cheese and deli to review recommended order writing.
• Delivers exceptional customer service at all times when communicating with store management, personnel and the public; adhering to customer policies and procedures in compliance with KeHE's standards.
• Refills, resets and merchandise cheese products for display and placement in a way that attracts sales at customer stores and secondary and perimeter locations following "best practices guidelines"; this includes re/wrapping and packaging cheese products.
• Provides instruction to customer personnel in all cheese monger activities.
• Provides sales support and training to customer sales team; assisting their clients by providing product recommendations, pairing suggestions and offering opinions based off of specialized cheese knowledge.
• Complies with established, health and sanitation, and safety policies, procedures and guidelines.
• Handles knives, and cutters to resize cheese products for repackaging or trim products for appearance.
• Inspects products for quality using visual and olfactory senses.
• Transports products using carts, U-boats, L-boats, or pallet jack.
• Communicates with KeHE personnel and Account Executive regarding product discrepancies, product merchandising needs and customer requirements and/or issues.
• Plans and carries out daily schedules according to assigned customer locations.
• Travels throughout assigned territory, manages timelines to ensure completion of assigned customer and KeHE requirements, and responds to fluctuations in workload to deliver quality customer service according to KeHE standards.
• Unboxes vendor goods and disassembles boxes for recycling.
• Operates field-based electronic equipment for communications with KeHE team members and others; operates cell phone to communicate with customers, supervisors or coworkers and for electronic timekeeping.
• Operates motor vehicle to travel to and from customer locations throughout assigned territory.
• Attends training and meetings as required to meet customer and KeHE standards.
• Creates and transmits orders for product replenishment and other corresponding paperwork in a timely manner, meeting KeHE order deadlines.
• Verifies accuracy of transmission by confirming receipt with KeHE personnel.

Minimum Requirements, Qualifications, Additional Skills, Aptitude

• Knowledge of product and temperature sensitive protocols when transporting cheese products (cold chain).

Job Description for Retail Cheese Specialist

The employee must be proficient in written and spoken English and possess basic math skills. The employee must have a high school diploma or equivalent. Basic skill in Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, Outlook and Power Point) is required. Must be Siebel literate within 90 days of hire. The minimum required level of experience is two years in Service Deli knowledge - cheese, deli, perishable goods. The employee must have a valid driver’s license, and maintain a driving record that meets KeHE's standards. The employee must have reliable transportation, and if using a personal vehicle must maintain automobile liability coverage adequate to meet the financial responsibility laws of the state(s) in which the employee operates. The employee must have the ability to work independently or in tandem with customer employee’s applying excellent communication and customer service skills to all interactions. Work Environment: The work environment is indoors. The employee may be exposed to variable temperatures from the two different product climates (dry, cold). The employee is also exposed to temperature variation during travel throughout assigned geographical territory. Vinyl floor covering is typical when working at a customer site. Work Hours: The work schedule is 5 days a week, 8 hours a day. Start times vary. Work hours and shifts are subject to change depending on operating business conditions and needs. The employee may be required to work overtime, holidays or weekends. Physical and Mental Demands: Medium. Exerts 10-20 pounds of force occasionally to move objects and product. This job requires constant standing and walking with frequent use of the upper extremities to reach, handle, grasp and use cutting and wrapping tools and handling product. The employee must know and follow proper health and safety protocols; know and follow KeHE's grooming, hygiene and dress code standards. The application of temperature sensitive protocols when transporting products is a must. The employee also must be able to manage time and multiple competing demands; adhering to schedules and deadlines, maintaining composure in pressure situations.

Equal Employer Opportunity Statement

KeHE Distributors provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits all forms of discrimination and harassment on the basis of race, color, religion or faith, sex, gender, age, ancestry, national origin, mental or physical disability or medical condition, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, military or veteran status, genetic information, or any other category protected under federal, state, or local law. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training as well as the administration of all Human Resources and Talent Acquisition processes.