Director, Sales – Asia Pacific

 USA based remote with required global travel

COMPANY OVERVIEW

Thai Union Group Public Company Limited is the world’s trusted seafood leader, leveraging its expertise, bringing high quality, safe, delicious and seafood products to customers across the world for over 40 years. We are the world’s largest producer of shelf-stable tuna products, with a global workforce of over 44,000 people who are dedicated to pioneering sustainable and innovative seafood products.

Our commitment to enable “Healthy Living and Healthy Oceans” is realized through initiatives that cover a wide spectrum, from building sustainable ecosystems based on new technologies, through to investments in a number of global startups focusing on functional nutrition. Our SeaChange® sustainability strategy is a key pillar of our sustainability efforts, resulting in our inclusion in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index Emerging Markets (DJSI) for seven straight years and the FTSE4Good Emerging Index for five straight years. In addition, we have been named as one of the world’s highest performing sustainable companies, receiving a Gold Class distinction in the S&P Global Sustainability Yearbook 2021. These recognitions highlight that sustainability is not just integrated across all of our business practices, but has become the way our company does business.

We are dedicated to producing sustainable, convenient, and quality seafood products to help families worldwide lead healthier lives. In addition, we put a high priority on food-tech innovation, which can be seen through our expansion into areas such as alternative protein (including plant-based meats), supplements, and marine ingredients.

OVERVIEW OF ROLE

The Director, Sales  – Asia Pacific is responsible for bringing action to Thai Union’s strategy of developing a revenue stream with the acquisition and penetration of Food Service customers in the USA. They will report to SVP, Global Foodservice and begin as an individual contributor with highly influential impact to more Jr. Team Members.

This role is designed as part of the plan to relaunch Thai Union Food Service footprint globally. Your objectives will be to win accounts with agreed / identified local, regional & global Food Service customers in the identified regions where customers are physically located, or where the customer’s senior teams are based. This global-matrix role will take the “lead country principle” and manage those strategic customer relations in line with GFSI agreed strategy to action. 

This position will be required to develop successful working relationships both at a local level with the global Thai Union Finance, Supply Chain, Marketing, Culinary and Customer Service teams, as well as globally with the GFSI colleagues.

QUALIFICATIONS & KEY COMPETENCIES

• Driving Food Service growth & winning with customers. 
• Owning the regional market assessment for 5 Year Plan (5YP). This will define ‘where to play’ and detail which strategic customers must be prioritized (to win with). 
• Provide regional insights for future TU strategic planning. Role must deliver annual financial sales plan agreed with clear Route to Market objectives. 
• Achieve business accomplishments while consistently demonstrating the Company’s “Big6” behavior values: Humble, Responsible, Innovative, Collaborative, Passionate, and Respectful.
• Inspire and motivate others to increase/align their efforts, even without formal/direct reporting lines into this position.
• Role will be the ‘go to’ knowledge base for all Food Service growth projects, whilst managing day to day tactical business with all identified & agreed local, regional & global customers.                                                                                                         
• Leadership – Provide strategic direction for customer business and internal support functions to develop, implement and execute against the GFS Financial and Marketing Plans.
• Planning – Develop and implement Sales Plans that lead to the attainment of GFSI Financial and GP/Revenue/OP Goals.
• Forecasting and Supply Chain Management – Provide accurate Sales Plans (forecasts) and inventory management. Work to improve supply chain efficiencies that translate to cost savings and exceptional customer service levels.
• Prepare to build out a plan to accelerate growth drivers & document future structural requirements for growth in the 5YP & annual planning cycle.
• Driving Food Service growth & success with customers
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, stand, effectively communicate ( verbally and written), listen, write, type, move around the work environment and reach with arms and hands as needed.  
• Employee is required to operate telephones, computers and other standard office equipment. Employee may, on occasion, be required to lift up to 30 lbs. 
• The employee is required to comply with all company policies, rules and directives, including safe work practices.
• Job responsibilities may fluctuate with business needs and necessitate alterations to job descriptions.

REQUIREMENTS

• Undergraduate degree preferred, or equivalent work experience. 
• Industry exposure –- At least 15 years of experience dealing with local, regional and global Foodservice customers, and at least 10 years of experience in a Senior level sales role.                                                       
• Able to manage complex projects with the customers, local and global teams in a dynamic business environment                                                                                                                                          
• Passion for Food Service / resilient. Deep understanding of “wanted complexity” in the manufacturing process. 
• Must have large MNC training & multi-Category & multi-Country experience. 
• Have some exposure to setting up & working in a new business unit environment. 
• Must have strong customer contract understanding of ‘mutuality clauses’ in order to advise TU in-house counsel or TU’s retained legal advisors when agreeing customer category contracts e.g. McD’s. 
• Have SME agility mind set. Be mature & proactive. 
• Needs to be influential at senior / C-Suite levels with our customers, whilst having the ability to ‘speak the language of Food Service’ at all levels from C-Suite to crew / customer chefs & R&D teams.
• Intermediate computer skills (Microsoft Office Suite, internet research, data familiarity, etc.) 
• Ability to successfully collaborate with various personalities and work styles.
• Managing Ambiguity – Deals comfortably with the uncertainty of change. Able to make decisions  without having the total picture but enough to ensure meaningful  conclusions.
• Value Creation: Customer and Company – Continuously develops and delivers products that create superior experiences for our customers by effectively using the TU capabilities at your disposal.
• Customer Intimacy – Builds mutually beneficial relationships, internally and externally, to position Thai Union as a trusted  partner.
• Business Acquisition – Identify and engage potential and existing customers to generate new business opportunities.
• Sales Business Expertise – Directed by our 2030 Plan, apply financial and business analysis tools to foster strategic mutual partnership with our customers.
• Communication Skills – Articulate thoughts and express ideas effectively using oral, written, visual and non-verbal communication skills, as well as listening skills to gain understanding.
• Project Management – Ability to understand how TU manufacturing processes & minimum volume requirements impact the business. Role must be able to define what TU manufacturing ‘wanted complexity’ vs. ‘unwanted complexity’ is. Role must be able to advise accordingly, to keep up the growth trajectories with agility.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

While performing this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, communicate, usually through talking, hearing, writing and typing. Employee should be able to operate standard office equipment, i.e., telephones, computers, facsimile and copier. The employee is occasionally required to stand and walk, and move or lift to 35 lbs. The employee regularly works in a well-lighted, heated and/or air-conditioned indoor office setting with a moderate degree of noise.

The employee is required to comply with all company policies, rules and directives, including safe work practices.

VALUES

• Collaborative – works well with diverse workforce; communicates professionally with associates and leaders
• Responsible – punctual, proactively communicates status of issues and projects
• Humble – eager to learn new skills, asks for assistance when needed
• Passionate – has a support-mindset; committed to be the best
• Respectful – exhibits behaviors of caring, compassion, honesty, integrity, and fairness
• Innovative — constantly looks for ways to be more efficient and productive; Committed to continuous improvement

A career at Thai Union is a unique experience to grow as a professional and as a person. You will join a global fast-growing, innovative, and entrepreneurial organization deeply committed to its people, its community, and the environment.

Every single one of our employees matter. We are always listening and giving our talent opportunities to grow, develop, and implement new ideas to make a difference. Our focus on corporate social responsibility and sustainability in a creative and dynamic environment, combined with great opportunities to lead progress, is a guarantee you will quickly develop your professional skills within a diverse & inclusive human-centered organization.

Thai Union is committed to providing equality of opportunity. If you require any reasonable adjustments to help support your application, please let us know.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer of Minorities, Females, Protected Veterans, and Individuals with Disabilities.