HORECA Sales Manager

Job Summary

The HORECA Sales Manager leads and manages the team of HORECA Account Managers responsible for Mida Food Distributors Inc.s hotel, restaurant, café, catering, commissary and other food service accounts.

The position is accountable for the team's sales performance, account development, customer retention, profitability, collections, and execution of channel strategies. The manager provides direction, coaching, and performance management while coordinating with internal departments to ensure excellent service and sustainable business growth.

Key Responsibilities

• Sales Leadership and StrategyDevelop and implement the overall sales strategy and business plan for the HORECA channel.
• Translate company targets into clear sales, volume, margin, collection, and account-development objectives for each Account Manager.
• Identify priority market segments, territories, product categories, and growth opportunities.
• Prepare annual, quarterly, and monthly sales forecasts and action plans.
• Monitor channel performance and implement corrective actions when targets are at risk.
• Ensure that pricing, discounts, credit terms, and commercial agreements comply with company policies.
• Protect profitability by monitoring margins, promotional spending, customer terms, and cost-to-serve.

Team Management and Development

• Lead, supervise, and motivate the team of HORECA Account Managers.
• Assign accounts, territories, sales targets, and performance objectives based on business priorities.
• Conduct regular coaching sessions, sales meetings, fieldwork, joint customer visits, and performance reviews.
• Train the team on product knowledge, consultative selling, negotiation, account planning, forecasting, and collection management.
• Review individual pipelines, account plans, call reports, and sales activities.
• Hold Account Managers accountable for agreed deliverables and performance standards.
• Identify skills gaps and prepare development or performance-improvement plans when necessary.
• Support the recruitment, onboarding, and training of new Account Managers.
• Build a disciplined, collaborative, customer-focused, and results-oriented sales culture.

Key Account and Business Development

• Guide Account Managers in acquiring new hotels, restaurants, cafés, caterers, commissaries, and institutional customers.
• Review and approve account-development plans for high-potential and strategic customers.
• Maintain executive-level relationships with key customers, including owners, chefs, purchasing heads, and senior decision makers.
• Participate in major presentations, negotiations, business reviews, and contract discussions.
• Support the resolution of sensitive customer concerns and commercial issues.
• Identify opportunities to increase product listings, order frequency, average order value, and SKU penetration.
• Ensure that inactive, declining, or at-risk accounts have appropriate recovery plans.
• Oversee customer retention and ensure continuity of relationships during changes in account assignments.

Performance Monitoring and Reporting

• Track team performance against sales, volume, margin, collection, and new-account targets.
• Review sales pipelines and ensure that opportunities are properly qualified, prioritized, and followed through.
• Monitor daily, weekly, and monthly sales performance by Account Manager, customer, territory, and product.
• Evaluate forecast accuracy and require timely updates from the team.
• Analyze customer buying patterns, product movement, market trends, and competitor activity.
• Submit accurate management reports, performance updates, business reviews, and recommended actions.
• Maintain reliable customer records, price agreements, sales histories, and account documentation.

Collections and Credit Management

• Ensure that Account Managers closely monitor customer credit limits and payment schedules.
• Review aging reports and lead collection efforts for overdue or high-risk accounts.
• Coordinate with Finance regarding credit applications, payment concerns, credit holds, and account exposure.
• Balance sales growth with responsible credit and collection management.
• Escalate significant collection risks and recommend appropriate corrective action.

Cross-Functional Coordination

• Coordinate with Purchasing and Supply Chain to align forecasts with product availability.
• Work with Warehouse and Logistics to support complete and timely deliveries.
• Collaborate with Finance on pricing, credit, billing, deductions, and collections.
• Coordinate with Marketing on product launches, sampling, promotions, trade events, and customer activities.
• Communicate customer requirements and market feedback to the relevant departments.
• Lead internal resolution of service issues affecting strategic HORECA accounts.

Market Development

• Monitor competitor products, prices, promotions, service levels, and market activities.
• Identify emerging food-service trends and recommend suitable products or commercial programs.
• Represent Mida Food at trade shows, food exhibitions, chef events, customer presentations, and industry activities.
• Recommend improvements to the company's product portfolio, customer service, and channel strategy.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Hospitality Management, Food Technology, or a related field.
• At least five years of sales experience in food distribution, food service, FMCG, hospitality, or a related industry.
• At least two years of experience leading Account Managers, Key Account Managers, or a field-sales team.
• Strong knowledge of the HORECA and food-service markets.
• Demonstrated ability to achieve sales, profitability, collection, and business-development targets through a team.
• Established relationships with hotels, restaurants, cafés, caterers, commissaries, or food-service customers are an advantage.
• Strong leadership, coaching, negotiation, presentation, and problem-solving skills.
• Good commercial understanding of pricing, discounts, margins, credit terms, and account profitability.
• Able to analyze sales data, manage pipelines, and prepare forecasts and business reviews.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office, CRM systems, or similar business applications.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.