Certified Angus Beef

Director, Japan

Certified Angus Beef LLC (CAB)

Location: This position is located in Japan. Individuals must be based in Japan.

JOB SUMMARY:

This person knows the foodservice and/or retail business and is skilled at relationship building. To be successful in this role, the person will thrive in a rapid-fire environment centered on delivering solutions to varied customers and guiding them to grow their businesses. This person will lead sales, training and training strategies to support each customer, while carving a space for the Certified Angus Beef ® brand (“the brand”) in the market. The ideal candidate is passionate about sales and customer service, loves eating and energizes others through one-on-one and group consultations. This position affords the opportunity for the right candidate to innovate and bring an entrepreneurial spirit to the work.

Essential Functions:

• Implement sales, marketing and educational strategies that increase customer success (i.e. exporters, importers, distributors, restaurants and retailers) in Japan.
• Foster relationships with customers, lead annual reviews with retail and foodservice customers, and maintain a high level of communication with suppliers about product opportunities.
• Evaluate market opportunities and create an annual plan with information on current customers and new accounts centered on delivering the best beef.
• Lead implementation of Certified Angus Beef policies and procedures in the market and offer recommendations where policies can be improved to ensure the brand’s quality and integrity.
• Coach customers by planning and implementing interactive trainings and presentations, both in-person and online, to achieve defined goals for the brand and participants.
• Collaborate with the brand’s marketing and international teams to identify and assist in developing materials specific to the market.
• Support customer success with our in-house beef and meat science experts, the Certified Angus Beef Culinary Center, company educational programs and related trade resources.
• Serve as a liaison with allied trade groups, such as the U.S. Meat Export Federation and U.S. Agricultural Trade Office, and identify their resources to support customers in the market.

• Communicate with company staff at international, marketing and company meetings about market dynamics, opportunities and challenges, events and customer activities, and support the development of international marketing and sales goals.

Travel: Must be willing and able to travel (car, train, airplane), up to approximately 30-40%. Occasionally travel to assistant fellow Certified Angus Beef employees in other Asian markets, such as South Korea, China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Travel to United States approximately two to five times per year with customers and/or for Certified Angus Beef events and meetings. Two initial 2- to 3-week training periods occur at the company’s U.S. office in the first 6 months.

 

Supervisory Responsibilities

This position is not responsible for the supervision of staff.

EMPLOYMENT STANDARDS:

Education/Experience: Any combination of education and experience that would provide the required skill and knowledge for successful performance would be qualifying. Typical qualifications would be equivalent to:

• A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university preferred, or related experience.
• Three to 10 years of progressively responsible experience in the meat industry and sales with foodservice, retail, restaurant and beef industry knowledge.
• Bilingual fluency both in Japanese and English. Additional East Asian language skills are a bonus.
• Individual should be comfortable working in U.S and Asia business environments.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• High level of written and verbal communication skills, organizational planning, teamwork, analytical reasoning and adaptability.
• Understand the dynamics of the food business and how the account is positioned in the retail or foodservice channel.
• Solid understanding of identifying and sharing customer-focused and fact-based solutions.
• Strong critical-thinking, problem-solving and detailed-organization skills and follow-through.
• Self-motivated and able to work within others in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
• Ability to be respectful, approachable and team oriented while building strong working relationships and a positive work environment.
• Modern principles and practices of organization, administration, budgeting and functioning on a high-performance team.
• Proficient use of Windows-based programs (Microsoft Office), the Internet and project management programs, such as Monday.com.

This position could possibly work out of an executive office in Japan.