Sales Support Manager

Position Summary

The Sales Support Manager serves in a player-coach role, providing leadership to the Sales Support team while remaining actively involved in customer support and order fulfillment. This position supports customers purchasing industrial flavors, ingredients, and seasonings and is responsible for strengthening the sales support process, improving operational efficiency, and delivering an exceptional customer experience.

The Sales Support Manager works closely with Sales, Research and Development, Logistics, Accounting, and Operations to manage customer requirements, coordinate order fulfillment, resolve issues, and communicate priorities. This position develops the people, processes, systems, and service standards needed to support customer retention, recurring business, growth, and profitability.

Essential Functions

Sales Support & Customer Service

Serve as an active member and manager of the Sales Support team, balancing leadership responsibilities with direct customer and order support.

Communicate regularly with prospective and existing customers regarding products, orders, fulfillment timelines, and service needs.

Manage customer inquiries, provide accurate product and order information, and address concerns promptly and professionally.

Take ownership of day-to-day customer issues and coordinate solutions with the appropriate internal departments.

Monitor customer satisfaction, ordering patterns, and service performance and recommend proactive solutions when issues arise.

Maintain a high level of customer service while supporting customer retention, recurring business, growth, and profitability.

Order Management & Fulfillment

Oversee the sales fulfillment process from order receipt through order creation, production coordination, and shipment.

Process and manage customer orders using the company’s ERP and other applicable systems.

Plan, monitor, and communicate order fulfillment timelines.

Track order status and provide timely, accurate updates to customers and internal stakeholders.

Collaborate with Sales and cross-functional teams to establish customer and order priorities.

Identify potential fulfillment challenges and coordinate timely resolutions.

Monitor order accuracy, service levels, and on-time fulfillment.

Reporting & Performance Management

Prepare, review, and maintain sales reports, customer records, order information, and service data.

Define, track, and report key performance indicators for customer service, order volume, order type, fulfillment, and customer satisfaction.

Use customer and operational data to identify trends, risks, and improvement opportunities.

Communicate service concerns, resource needs, and departmental performance to the Vice President of Business Development.

Process Improvement

Develop, document, maintain, and improve departmental standard operating procedures.

Evaluate existing workflows and identify opportunities to improve accuracy, efficiency, communication, and customer service.

Establish consistent processes and performance expectations across the Sales Support team.

Partner with cross-functional departments to resolve recurring issues and improve the customer order experience.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

Serve as a primary link among Sales, Research and Development, Logistics, Accounting, Operations, and customers.

Coordinate customer requirements and order priorities with internal departments.

Communicate changes, risks, resource constraints, and other factors that may affect customer commitments.

Support alignment between customer expectations and the company’s operational capabilities.

Leadership & Supervisory Responsibilities

Supervise members of the Sales Support team.

Recruit, hire, onboard, train, coach, mentor, and develop employees.

Set goals, establish expectations, manage performance, and provide timely feedback and recognition.

Create an environment in which team members can succeed through clear communication, encouragement, accountability, and empowerment.

Develop staffing and coverage plans that support customer and business needs.

Address employee-relations matters in partnership with Human Resources.

Promote a positive culture of teamwork, service, ownership, and continuous improvement.

Key Performance Indicators

Maintenance, growth, and profitability of recurring business

Number of order lines managed individually and across the team

Number and complexity of order types managed individually and across the team

Customer service and satisfaction metrics

Average number of unique products purchased by each customer

Customer ordering patterns and frequency

Time from order receipt to order creation and shipment

Order accuracy and on-time fulfillment

Timely resolution of customer issues

Qualifications

Experience

At least seven years of experience working with customers in a service-focused role.

Previous experience leading, supervising, or developing a sales support or customer service team.

Experience with business-to-business order fulfillment.

Experience using ERP, CRM, or related order-management systems.

Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities and support a sales team in a fast-paced environment.

Experience in the food, flavor, ingredient, seasoning, manufacturing, or a comparable industry preferred.

Education & Knowledge

Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Communications, or a related field preferred.

Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Strong leadership, coaching, organizational, and time-management skills.

Strong attention to detail, judgment, and problem-solving abilities.

Ability to adapt to changing priorities and customer requirements.

Knowledge of customer relationship management principles and practices that support customer engagement and retention.

Work Environment & Hours

Typical office hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, with additional hours as business needs require.

The position is primarily office-based and requires regular collaboration with cross-functional teams.

The role may require occasional presence in warehouse or operational areas.

Occasional travel may be required for meetings, site visits, or other business needs.

Physical Requirements

Ability to sit or stand for extended periods and use standard office equipment.

Ability to move between office, warehouse, and operational areas as needed.

Ability to occasionally lift documents, office supplies, or packages weighing up to 25 pounds.

Manual dexterity necessary to operate computers, printers, phones, and other office equipment.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position.

Equal Employment Opportunity

The Food Source International is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.