Vendor Manager, Southeast Region (Atlanta, Central Virginia, Nc Research Triangle) (Remote)

Yay Lunch is out to fundamentally change school food for the better. We are a digital school food marketplace, connecting schools to wonderful local foodmakers within their own communities to get fresher, healthier, more delicious and more diverse food to kids everyday.

Since launching a pilot in Spring 2018 in Charlottesville, VA, we have expanded rapidly now serving multiple markets along the East Coast. We have aggressive growth plans backed by experienced venture capital partners, and we are excited about bringing school lunch up to a modern standard, using technology to make lives easier.

Come join us! We're a startup, meaning we hustle with heart - we move quickly with agility and accountability for our actions, and require team members to love what they do and be as passionate about building an entirely new business concept as we are. We give our growing team of stars the tools to succeed with a commitment to flexibility, transparency, respect, empowerment, and positivity.

As the Vendor Manager, you will be responsible for the development and maintenance of food production partner relationships across all of Yay Lunch Southeastern regional markets (currently Charlottesville, Richmond, and Hampton Roads in VA, the NC Research Triangle, and the Atlanta, GA metro area).

You Will

• Develop + Maintain Vendor Network
  • Develop and maintain relationships with existing food production partners in your region to ensure ongoing satisfaction and growth. Our current partners include national restaurant chains (both corporate and franchised), local/regional restaurants, caterers, and meal prep production companies
  • Work closely with the Senior Manager of Vendor Acquisition to identify new partners (in both new and existing markets) that meet Yay Lunch's brand promise and initiate conversations with those vendors
  • Work closely with our on-the-ground Operations team to:
    • Check in frequently with our vendors to ensure process adherence, conduct QC checks, identify issues, and follow up on customer concerns
    • Garner feedback from vendors on operational improvement opportunities, potential for expansion, and other feedback for Yay Lunch

• Merchandising + Data Management
  • Know your region's menus, menu items, and price points inside out and constantly reevaluate what we could add and/or improve
  • Work closely with the Menu Team and Senior Manager of Menu Development to:
    • Use data and analysis to evaluate the performance of specific lunches and vendors, and make informed recommendations on changes to our menus
    • Seasonally refresh all menus 1-2 times per academic year

• Support Vendor Operations
  • Work with Regional Operations Manager and local Operations Leads to understand our weekly delivery matrix and our daily pickup and delivery practices
  • Work with Operations to maintain maximum QC around all lunches and vendors
  • Closely monitor food safety and QC standards for all menu items, and suggest menu adjustments as needed based on feedback from Operations/Customer Service

• Cross-Functional Initiatives
  • Work with Senior Manager of Vendor Acquisition + broader management team on cross-department initiatives, including:
    • New market launches + existing market relaunches
    • Menu refreshes
    • Development of new programs + execution of trials

Candidate Requirements:

• 1+ year management experience in food service or food retail setting required
• 3+ years working experience in food service or food retail settings required
• 1+ year experience in both B2B and B2C sales strongly preferred
• Experience in pricing and gross margin management preferred
• Willingness and ability to travel to other in-region markets up to 50% of the time, with occasional travel to out-of-region markets as needed
• Passion for healthy food and a strong desire to improve health in our society through better food options
• Strong organizational skills and ability to meet deadlines for a variety of tasks at once
• Proven relationship management skills across a broad network of internal and external stakeholders
• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to exercise sound judgment and make decisions based on timely analysis
• Willingness to jump in and do what's necessary to ensure our markets are successful every day, which may include pickup and delivery, marketing events, material printing, etc.
• High level of written and oral communication skills
• Preference will be given to candidates with startup experience
• Candidates must be located in one YL's current SE markets (Charlottesville, Richmond, or Hampton Roads, VA, the NC Research Triangle, and the Atlanta, GA metro area)
  

Compensation + Benefits:

• Consistent M-F scheduling, with evening and weekend work rarely required
• Reimbursement for personal car usage + travel expenses
• Anticipated salary $60,000 + bonus + company options
• Health Insurance - Medical, Vision, Dental and Life Insurance
• 401(K) Retirement, up to 3.5% employer match
• Flexible paid time off (unlimited time off program)
• Technology allowance, data stipend, office allowance (or co-working space)
• Remote, flexible, and family-friendly environment
• Significant support structures, on-the-ground training, & coaching from central team members
  
  

Yay Lunch requires all team members, including new hires, to report their COVID-19 vaccination status

#ZR