SUMMARY: 

Provide the operational knowledge, knowhow, leadership, and the management necessary to ensure that your territory has the proper operational controls, administrative and reporting procedures in place, as well as the people in place to effectively grow the organization and to ensure financial strength and operating efficiency. The position accomplishes this by the strategic and tactical direction of the team through a respectful, constructive style, guided by the Strategic Objectives of the Company.  

 

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS, RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES: 

Provide day-to-day leadership and management for your General Managers that mirrors the mission and core values of the company. Ensure adherence to company marketing and purchasing programs as well as serving concepts. Bottom line: Enhance Life One Meal at a Time by executing high quality and dynamic programs.   Primary focus is on financial performance and program execution. Develop with the FSW realistic and accurate financial forecasts. When required, meet with clients to agree on program returns then ensure districts meet those forecasts.  Spend as much time as possible in the operations of your assigned accounts as your primary responsibility is driving the region to achieve sales, profitability, business goals and objectives.   Responsible for tracking and measuring the effectiveness of all operational processes within assigned territory.  Provide timely, accurate and complete information on the operating condition of your region to your VP/SVP weekly.   Be involved in the communication and implementation of organizational growth strategies within territory. Fully implement all operating systems, software, process and procedures so the organization can grow through client recommendation.     Collaborate with the VP/SVP to develop and implement new annual operational plans, processes, and personnel designed to accommodate the growth and financial objectives of the company.   Motivate and lead a high performance General Manager; attract, recruit and retain required members of the management team not currently in place including building leads; provide mentoring as a cornerstone to the management career development program for General Managers.   Build strong client relationships through frequent client interaction within your territory.  Identify client needs; communicate programs progress, operational challenges, and solutions to maintain effective client relationships.   Listen attentively, do not become defensive, be helpful and facilitate positive dialogue. Attend client meetings monthly in the frequency to meet each client at minimum 4x per cycle. Review program performance from a qualitative and financial perspective. Be proactive regarding communication of field related issues or client decisions that will influence stated returns.    Hold territory wide General Manager meetings 3X per cycle. These can be strategically combined with VP/SVP meetings for efficiency purposes. Discuss field issues and solutions, opening and close down procedures, offer new ideas, directions and products to the team. Require the FSD, to submit monthly Dining report each client every month.   Assist sales team, as required on bid tours, identifying operational plans and build outs, existing labor compliments that will assist the Company to meet sales growth targets.  When required attend sales presentations.   Ensure a consistent and equitable administration of human resources policies, procedures and guidelines to facilitate employee relations. Require the same of your FSW’s.   Foster a success-oriented, accountable environment within your territory for General Managers. Become the acknowledged expert on all software and other tools the company goes to market with. Require same of your team.   Visit and inspect 4 accounts per week at minimum with the focus being on underperforming accounts. Visit no more than one account per day. Tour each building within the district during a visitation and go deep on each tour to assess compliance relating to marketing, concepts initiatives as well as HHFKA and training levels of leads and FSW’s. Leave written action lists after each visit. Require same of the General Manager.   Ensure General Manager is strong and motivated.   Ensure marketing and merchandising programs are in place at each site within a district when visiting.   Ensuring menuing is appropriate for level as the POR’s and forecasting is complete for each site visited.   Establish positive relationships with all General Managers and FSW’s. Be available and approachable at all times.   Build team morale by focusing program around the students.   Read bid responses, nutritional requirements and investments upon award for all new accounts within your territory. Work with VP/SVP to craft and manage transition plans including construction from an equipment perspective if required.   Annually, budget with General Managers and renegotiate client returns or seek price increases as necessary.   Work with your General Managers to develop an operation plan for every account, annually.  The plan should include but not be limited to sales improvement plan, marketing plan, labor management, food cost management, training plan.  At a minimum, you should have a plan for the first year of every account (to manage expectations) and in the last year of a contract (to prepare for a successful client retention).  Review and identify Location Manager pay scale.  Ensure the pay is sufficient to attract the person we need to run the business.  If not, advise VP/SVP as necessary.  Identify and replace continually underperforming managers with 3 months of identification.  Facilitate regular communication and site visitation with troubled accounts – communicate progress on improvement plan and meet with client after every visit but no less than weekly.   Champion Dine Central with the onsite operational team.  Work with General Managers to reduce days outstanding (DO) for all receivables.  Develop plan in conjunction with Safety Team and implement safety plan to reduce claims especially in accounts with high loss experience.  Ensure fixed assets are maintained and preserved. Initiate recommendations on purchase of new equipment to drive sales and client retention annually.  

STRATEGIC OBVECTIVES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: 

Financial – Take responsibility for and ensure that financial objectives for your territory are properly developed and achieved.  Communicate early and often if unable to remain on track and develop additional ways to accomplish the financial goal if necessary. 

Team – Use your professional knowledge, logistical and operational skills to build a highly functioning management team at each account within your territory.  Take the lead responsibility and a proactive role for your team’s performance, train or replace as necessary.  

Technology – Take an active role in learning Whitsons software and any other technology necessary for the successful management of your territory.  Use your knowledge/experience and work with the appropriate teams to foster continuous improvement in the functionality of the systems companywide. 

Product – Gain a better understanding of customer expectations.  Ensure menus are centered on participation drivers and not simply compliance driven. Ensure menu offerings are within the budget tolerances set with the team. Quickly identify and communicate issues or concerns centering around real or perceived product shortcomings. Develop ways to quickly identify and correct issues/concerns for continuous product handling improvement.  

 

 

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY: 

This position has overall supervisory responsibility for a predefined territory, primarily achieved through developing and managing the General Managers within each territory.  You are responsible for the performance management and hiring of the employees within assigned territory. This responsibility includes regular supervisory meetings to ensure progression towards individual and company goals. Performance shall be monitored no less than once per month.  Review annual performance with FSW’s to review goals no less than 3x per cycle per reports generated for this purpose.