Sales Director, Costa Coffee - Office Channel

A bit about Costa Coffee…

We’re Costa Coffee, masters of our craft since 1971 when the Costa brothers opened their first Roastery in London. A lot has changed since then. As well as being the UK’s Favorite coffee shop for the last 13 years, we are also present in over 40 other countries across EMENA, APAC, and the Americas. We are on a mission like no other to inspire the world to love great coffee. From our evolving store propositions to our innovative FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods) offering, we’re ambitious, disrupting and owning the coffee technology space, allowing us to provide the best solutions for our customers and partners.

This is all supported by being part of The Coca-Cola Company. If you love coffee, you’ll love us. This is where tastebuds are brought to life. But it’s not all about the coffee. Joining the Costa family is about loving your chance to do a great job alongside brilliant people who make the hard work worth it. And we promise, we’ll make sure you’re always loving your craft.

Position Overview

A Costa Director of Sales represents the world’s leading self-serve coffee system and presents one of the most exciting multi-platform brands in coffee to potential new Customers. You are a pioneer and a game changer on a mission to reimagine coffee experiences in the US.

The purpose of the role is to:

• Build a Costa presence in the Office Coffee space . Negotiate contracts with Compass, Aramark and Sodexo, and their respective GPOs using the Coca-Cola sales team as partners in the process. Manages against these contracts to deliver sales results that outgrow the category 3x and establishes a clear pathway to be the Nations number 2 coffee brand.
• The primary focus is to develop and convert a sales pipeline in the Office Coffee Channel that delivers annual sales and OI targets for Costa US AFH. Ultimately, this role will manage all channels for the Big 3 National Accounts, eg. Healthcare, Education and Office Coffee as well as the OCS channel
• You are accountable for identifying and qualifying potential distributors for OCS. Initially via a geographic based test and then rolling out across the US.
• You will work with Finance on the commercial deals to unlock these new channels, refining the existing structure to balance profit with pace.
• As part of the role you will be required to input to build the OCS ‘platform’. Working with the GM, Marketing and Finance and the Distributors you will build out a saleable platform that covers, machines, POS and training.
• Accountable for the full sales process – identifying customer targets, making customer contacts, developing tailored customer sales presentations consistent with Costa provided tools, presenting to customers, developing sales proposals and converting qualified targets to customers through the negotiation process; all in line with the budget and business KPIs
• You lead a team of direct reports who manage geographic regions and represent the brand with regional contacts and large Customers. These are your executional experts.
• You are responsible for managing new platform pilots and new routes to market for Costa. This will involve leading a cross functional team. You are also responsible for ensuring all pilots, contracts and installations meet Costa requirements related to commercial/financial, brand excellence, quality and safety and adhere to the current delegation of authority.
• Fuel growth for the relevant Costa B2B platforms/ propositions by providing specialist commercial and coffee industry expertise to our Coca Cola NAOU partners and direct Costa Customers in the USA, across the Channels.
• Engage with the largest Customers in the US, and in some cases the World and use Coca-Cola contacts to access C-suite contacts to influence Coffee strategy resulting in pilots for Costa Coffee platforms. Specifically, Compass, Aramark and Sodexo.
• The Director of sales leverages relationships, existing and new, to deliver the Costa AFH agenda within the Customer and coordinating with the other Costa platforms to ensure the Costa brand is executed to the best possible way in the eyes of both the Customer and the Consumer.
• Ensure the US Costa business unit meets the ABP targets by managing our partners, Customers & Distributors, internal and external, to ensure best-in-class customer acquisition through SME support, training & driving the sales process.
• You are accountable for influencing a Customer’s coffee strategy, aligning them to an espresso forward trend. This may involve influencing c-suite Customer teams to amend their Coffee strategy and selling contracts into Customers in various Channels to add experience and pace to progress.
• The role holder needs to have strong strategic and commercial acumen, able to provide impactful thought leadership to senior stakeholders, ideally with previous experience launching a product into a new market or channel.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Marketing, or related field.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in sales, account management, or business development roles within the coffee industry or related FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods) industry. Knowledge of the Hotel/Lodging or office coffee channels would be a distinct advantage .
• A highly entrepreneurial spirit evidenced by driving growth in an agile and leanly resourced business will be key to success.
• Proven track record of success in achieving and exceeding sales targets, driving revenue growth, and building strong relationships with key accounts.
• Deep understanding of the coffee market landscape, including knowledge of industry trends, customer preferences, and competitive dynamics.
• Strong negotiation, communication, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to effectively influence and collaborate with internal and external stakeholders at all levels.
• Strategic thinker with strong analytical and problem-solving abilities, capable of developing and executing complex sales plans and initiatives.
• Ability to work independently, prioritize tasks, and manage multiple projects simultaneously in a fast-paced environment.
• Willingness to travel (~25%) nationally as needed to meet with key accounts, attend industry events, and represent the company.
• Location: Atlanta, GA preferred ; will consider virtual candidates who are within close proximity to major U.S. airport with travel required to meet with key accounts and attend industry events on a national scale.

Functional Skills

• Strong interpersonal skills
• Customer management skills
• Negotiating skills
• Project Management skills
• Clear communicator (written and verbal)
• Consistent and thorough follow-up.
• Positive attitude
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and CRM software.

Skills: New Business Development; Business Development; Strategic Selling; Customer Relationships