Specialist, Retail Cheese

KeHE Retail Cheese Specialist

At KeHE, we're obsessed with creating solutions, unboxing potential, and serving others – and it all starts with you. As an employee-owned distributor of natural and organic, specialty, and fresh products, we're committed to making a positive impact and scaling our success together. With a culture that fosters development and opportunity, you'll be embarking on a career that's moving forward. When you join KeHE, you're becoming part of a team that is a force for good.

Primary Responsibilities

The KeHE Retail Cheese Specialist supports onsite customer employees with the initial establishment and continued support of an internal cheese shop. This includes ordering products for initial set up and product display, transmitting orders for delivery to the store and setting up display cases by cutting, wrapping, pricing and merchandising products. The Retail Cheese Specialist is responsible for providing customer support to store patrons and making recommendations for cheese pairings, portions and other food compliments while providing training and instruction to customer employees on all cheese monger activities.

• Regular Full - Services an average of 10 stores per week.
• Road warriors
• Requires reliable transportation and valid drivers license
• Must have grocery and deli experience.

Essential Functions

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• 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 headquarter level.
• Educate the customer on what their store needs are based on the trends.
• Support stocking of back stock in cheese and deli to review recommended order writing.
• Deliver 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.
• Refill, reset 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.
• Provide 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
• Comply with established, health and sanitation, and safety policies, procedures and guidelines.
• Handle knives, and cutters to resize cheese products for repackaging or trim products for appearance
• Inspect products for quality using visual and olfactory senses
• Transport products using carts, U-boats, L-boats, or pallet jack
• Communicate with KeHE personnel and Account Executive regarding product discrepancies, product merchandising needs and customer requirements and/or issues.
• Plan and carry out daily schedules according to assigned customer locations. Travel throughout assigned territory, manage timelines to ensure completion of assigned customer and KeHE requirements, and respond to fluctuations in workload to deliver quality customer service according to KeHE standards.
• Unbox vendor goods and disassembles boxes for recycling
• Operate field-based electronic equipment for communications with KeHE team members and others; operate cell phone to communicate with customers, supervisors or coworkers and for electronic timekeeping.
• Operate motor vehicle to travel to and from customer locations throughout assigned territory.
• Attends training and meetings as required to meet customer and KeHE standards.
• Create and transmit orders for product replenishment and other corresponding paperwork in a timely manner, meeting KeHE order deadlines. Verify accuracy of transmission by confirming receipt with KeHE personnel.
• Apply knowledge of product and temperature sensitive protocols when transporting cheese products (cold chain)

Other Duties and Responsibilities:

• Maintain a clean personal work environment.
• Other duties may be assigned to fulfill company objectives and/or job duties and requirements may be changed as needed to meet current and future business needs.

Minimum Requirements, Qualifications, Additional Skills, Aptitude

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities : 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.