Pennsylvania Certified Organic (PCO) is seeking a Sales & Marketing Director to join our team. This opening is due to company growth and is a key member of the PCO Leadership Team reporting to the Executive Director.

As the Sales & Marketing Director you will be responsible for seeking new member certification opportunities, as well as developing relationships with current and prospective clients. You will target and meet sales goals to support the overall growth of the organization while staying within the budget you participated in creating and managing. You will also manage/oversee promotion of the company’s products and services to new and existing customers through our website, social media, e-news, and Organic Matters publications. Lastly you will develop strong relationships with organic processors and handlers while collaborating with PCO staff to support these groups.

This position supervises the Lead Specialist.

What you will bring to the table:

• Hands-on experience with developing leads in the food processing and agriculture  industry, meeting budget and sales goals, and utilizing sales techniques to reach out to potential clients through various methodologies.
• Existing Experience/Strong Relationships in the Mid Atlantic and Northeastern US.
• Knowledge of organic food processing and agriculture and commitment to PCO’s values, mission, and vision.
• Proven work experience as a business to business  Acquisition Manager, Salesperson, or similar role with an understanding of sales and marketing performance metrics.
• Strong communication, public speaking, and negotiation skills to identify and cultivate relationships with prospective clients and partners, from first contact to closing deals.
• Proactive self-starter with the ability to work independently while managing time, priorities, and resources to get work completed. Understanding of how to prioritize competing needs.
• Highly proficient in utilizing Google Suite, Microsoft Outlook, Word, and Excel with confidence and efficiency, with the ability to effectively manage emails, create professional documents, and efficiently handle spreadsheets.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Marketing, or related field required; Master’s degree preferred.
• At least five (5) years of experience in agriculture-related sales and/or marketing.
• Fluent ability to use Salesforce with willingness to seek additional training when needed.
• Organic supply chain and/or food industry knowledge, background and/or experience.

Salary range: $95,000 to $120,000 depending on education and experience.

This position is fully remote with regular travel in the Northeast/MidAtlantic region.

PCO is a growing non-profit organization that works with farmers and food producers across the US. PCO provides organic certification services to more than 1600 operations, employs approximately 40 staff, and sub-contracts with around 50 inspectors.  Our staff are dedicated to our vision: A world where agriculture systems prioritize health, ecological balance, fairness and care. and we are committed to a work culture of purpose, caring, and results.

This position will remain open until filled. 

The health and wellbeing of our team members is a top priority at PCO. View our benefits on our website: https://paorganic.org/about/staff/openings/

PCO is an equal opportunity employer and service provider. We do not discriminate with regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, ancestry, political beliefs, union membership, disability (in accordance with the American With Disabilities Act and the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act), veteran status, gender or sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital or familial status, genetic information, and any other characteristic protected by law. We value and encourage all qualified applicants to apply, including Black, Indigenous, and People of Color; members of the LGBTQ+ community; veterans; people with disabilities; and people who have been formerly incarcerated. Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply for opportunities when they don’t feel fully qualified. We are most interested in finding the best candidate, and that candidate may come from a less traditional background. We would encourage you to submit your interest.

Sales and Marketing Director

The newly developed position of Sales and Marketing Director will act as an outside sales representative seeking new member certification opportunities and develop relationships with current and prospective processing and handling operations clients. They will target and meet sales goals to support the strategic growth of the organization within a budget that they will also develop and manage. They will also manage promotion of the company’s products and services to existing and prospective customers through developing and directing strategic use and update of PCO’s website, social media, e-news and Organic Matters publications, graphics, logos, and other promotional products. They will develop strong relationships with organic processors and handlers and collaborate with PCO staff to support connecting these groups.

 Team Statement:

The Sales and Marketing Director is a key member of the PCO Leadership Team, reports to the Executive Director and has the following areas of responsibility:

• Acts as an outside sales representative proactively developing new member certification opportunities and relationships with prospective processing and handling operations. 
• Develops relationships with internal clients and partner organizations to deepen relationships, outreach efforts and referral generation.
• Directs the promotion of PCO’s products and services, including any grants and programmatic offerings, via electronic and print media, in-person events, and other promotional materials.
• Identifies, Researches and Cultivates Strategic new business opportunities

Specific duties

SALES

Collaborates and participates as a member of/with PCO’s Executive and Leadership Team to develop effective growth plans for the organization, including forecasting, drafting, implementing, and overseeing the department’s operating budget.

• Develops and oversees a customer service strategy to provide an outstanding certification lead journey that increases prospect to client conversion rate and continuous improvement.
• Maintains and strengthens major brand/partner/referral relationships.
• Explores additional services for clients.
• Leads Salesforce development and serves as a liaison between PCO and Salesforce and/or other external partners ensuring that incoming prospective and new client communication and documents are properly delegated, tracked, and responded to through Salesforce until completed applications are received.
• Identifies prospect needs and sells appropriate organic certification  services; identifies new market segments that will benefit from company products.
• Maintains knowledge on emerging products and services.
• Generates leads through cold calls, emails, and tradeshow/event networking.
• Sets up meetings and presents PCO certification offerings to prospects as needed.
• Develops and maintains lead and new client metrics and evaluation tools to measure performance and optimize services; reports weekly on prospect leads, outreach, progress updates, and sales goals.

EVENTS

• Directs and implements the organization’s advertising and promotional activities.
• Provide advice to management about networking opportunities, acquisition campaigns, trade show presence and advertising themes at these shows.
• Prepare trade show annual plans by researching events, creating an accurate budget campaign and staffing proposals per show, establishing cross-departmental negotiations to solidify the list, and assessing collateral.
• Coordinated  attendance to represent PCO services in trade shows, engaging with prospects during these events and determining which prospects may qualify for special billing and which trade associations or brands will be beneficial partners for PCO.

MARKETING/COMMUNICATIONS

• Analyzes target market information to identify and recommend effective marketing approaches.
• Responsible for developing, planning, and executing strategic marketing plans to support meeting PCO’s sales goals.
• Direct and assist Communications and Executive Coordinator with annual marketing & communications calendar for key print, web, and social media communications from all PCO teams.
• Participate in and provide marketing expertise in cross-organizational meetings, and support various projects, programs, and campaigns.
• Collaborate with the Certification Department staff on prospect messaging and sales content/collateral.
• Directs and manages the Lead Specialist to identify New Client and Lead-related training needs, SOP, guidance docs, and form revisions/additions; creates and revises necessary materials, as assigned.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications:

• Hands-on experience with developing leads in the agriculture and/or food processing  industry, meeting budget and sales goals, and utilizing sales techniques to reach out to potential clients through various methodologies.
• Existing Experience/Strong Relationships in the Mid Atlantic and Northeastern US.
• Knowledge of organic agriculture/food processing and commitment to PCO’s values, mission, and vision.
• Proven work experience as a business to business  Acquisition Manager, Salesperson, or similar role with an understanding of sales and marketing performance metrics.
• Strong communication, public speaking, and negotiation skills to identify and cultivate relationships with prospective clients and partners, from first contact to closing deals.
• Deliver engaging presentations and sales pitches while achieving sales leads and revenue quotas.
• Proactive self-starter with the ability to work independently while managing time, priorities, and resources to get work completed. Understanding of how to prioritize competing needs.
• Critical thinking and problem-solving ability. Consistently overcomes challenges and leverages resources to creatively solve problems. Proposes solutions to issues without much guidance (but isn’t afraid to ask questions). Proactively asks for help, anticipates problems, and course-corrects where needed.
• Highly proficient in utilizing Google Suite, Microsoft Outlook, Word, and Excel with confidence and efficiency, with the ability to effectively manage emails, create professional documents, and efficiently handle spreadsheets.

Desired Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Marketing, or related field required; Master’s degree preferred.
• At least five (5) years of experience in agriculture-related sales and/or marketing.
• Fluent ability to use Salesforce with willingness to seek additional training when needed.
• Organic supply chain and/or food industry knowledge, background and/or experience.

Required Skills/Abilities:

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Thorough understanding of organic market developments.
• Thorough understanding of marketing strategies and practices.
• Excellent interpersonal and customer service skills.
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Strong supervisory and leadership skills.
• Proficient with Salesforce, Microsoft Office Suite or related software.

Supervises: Lead Specialist

Class: Full-time, exempt

Reports to: Executive Director

Physical Requirements / Working Conditions:

• Climate-controlled office environment
• Ability to work for long periods of time in front of the computer
• Physical requirements of occasional lifting of less than 50 lbs and bending
• Moderate travel in the Northeast/MidAtlantic region required

This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by an employee occupying this position. Employees may be required to perform other related duties as assigned, to ensure workload coverage. Employees are required to follow any other job-related instructions and to perform any other job-related duties requested by their supervisor. This job description does not constitute an employment agreement between the employer and the employee and is subject to change by the employer as organizational needs and requirements of the job change.