Business Development Manager, Foodservice
Simpli
About Us
SIMPLi is an award-winning, leading regenerative food brand on a mission to connect people around the world through the joy of food. Founded in 2020, SIMPLi co-founders Sarela Herrada and Matt Cohen sought to bring the best single-origin ingredients from around the world directly to you in a way that equally benefits people, producers, and the planet. SIMPLi partners directly with farmers to source the finest ingredients and make them accessible to consumers nationwide in stores, restaurants, and online.
If you’re passionate about food, sustainability, ad making a difference, then SIMPLi is the place for you!
The Role
We’re seeking a results-driven Business Development Manager (BDM) to drive new business growth within the foodservice channel. You will be responsible for identifying and converting new operator partners—ranging from fast-casual chains and fine dining restaurants groups to corporate cafeterias, hospitality, and institutional foodservice groups. This is a pivotal, hunter-style sales role for a mission-aligned, entrepreneurial self-starter who can open doors and close deals.
What You’ll Do
- Prospect and qualify new foodservice leads, including restaurant groups, universities, hotels, hospitals, corporate food programs.
- Own the full sales cycle: lead outreach, pitch SIMPLi’s value proposition, coordinate samples, negotiate terms, and close deals.
- Develop customized pitches and sales collateral in collaboration with the marketing team to address specific operator needs.
- Maintain a clean, up-to-date CRM pipeline with accurate forecasting and deal progression tracking (HubSpot or similar).
- Organize and lead trade shows, events, and culinary demos to generate leads and build industry relationships.
- Collaborate cross-functionally with operations, marketing, and account management to ensure smooth onboarding of new customers.
- Stay up to date on foodservice trends, sustainability initiatives, and competitive dynamics to inform sales approach.
- Support development of R&D funnel with account stakeholders and SIMPLi team
- Support SIMPLi sales team in the execution of customer paperwork (onboarding, item setup, etc)
- Create and analyze sales reports, present weekly team updates, produce progress reports, as well as other ad-hoc reports when asked.
Who You Are
- Strong networking, analytical, and project management skills.
- Excellent social and communication skills (written and verbal).
- Strong attention to detail.
- Highly adaptive and innovative in dynamic environments.
- Self-directed and resourceful, thriving in unstructured, fast-paced settings.
- Role model for the company’s culture.
- Passionate about connecting people through the joy of food and advancing the company mission.
- Ability to lead cross-functional teams and external partners effectively.
- Willingness and ability to communicate effectively outside of normal office hours, as needed.
- Ability to work on-site from our Philadelphia offices at least 3 days per week.
- Familiarity with foodservice distribution (e.g., Dot Foods, US Foods, Sysco) and national operators (e.g., Sweetgreen, Compass Group).
Qualifications
- 3+ years of relevant sales experience within foodservice or a similar channel.
- Ability to travel (ground/air) regularly, up to 50% of the time.
- Knowledge or fluency with CRMs.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, PowerPoint, etc.).
- Ability to work on-site in Philadelphia at least 3 days per week.
Why Join Us?
- Hybrid-office flexibility
- Competitive compensation, unlimited PTO, medical benefits, and 401(k)
- Access to awesome and delicious ingredients from around the world!
- A collaborative environment filled with passionate, talented and motivated people!
- Opportunities to travel the world to visit our farming communities
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, or disability status.