Market Development Leader III-Clinton, MD

At Utz, we’re driven by a passion to excite and delight consumers with bold, flavorful snack foods made from high‑quality ingredients. With more than a century of family heritage, our growing portfolio of iconic brands includes Utz, Zapp’s, Boulder Canyon, and On the Border. Our people power our success. That’s why we’re committed to creating a supportive, inclusive, and high‑performance culture where associates can grow, lead, and thrive. We invest in our teams with competitive benefits, career development opportunities, and wellness programs that support both professional and personal success. Join our world‑class sales organization and help shape the future as we build the fastest‑growing pure‑play U.S. snacking company of scale. **The Opportunity: Market Development Leader III-Clinton, MD** Under the direction of the Sales Operations Director (SOD), the Market Development Leader III partners with Independent Operators (IOs) and Master Distributors (distributors) to achieve maximum sales profitability and market penetration using selling strategies and proactive communications. The MDL III informs IOs and distributors of the Company’s initiatives for sales, service, merchandising standards, and product distribution. At all times, the MDL III recognizes that IOs and Master Distributors are not subject to the company’s direction and control as they are Company partners to increase the sale of products. **What You’ll Do:** - Fills in for the Sales Operations Director, SOD, as needed, when the SOD is absent due to PTO, etc. - Tailor communications for IOs and distributors to convey the Company’s sales, service, and merchandising strategies, ensuring that proactive and professional relations with them are maintained and all are working toward the common interest of gaining market share. - Prepare weekly volume and inventory reports and KPI scorecards. - Provide a weekly Sales/IO Work-with planner to SOD. - Spend time on the DC loading docks with the IOs to hear their concerns. - Facilitate ways to improve results of IOs and distributors by providing information on suggestions to grow market share: executing promotional ad activity, following store level planogram, delivering successful new product introductions, securing additional space, obtaining new points of interruption and building relationships at store level. - Ensure that the obligations and rights of both the Company IOs and Distributors are preserved. - Assist in planning and facilitating quarterly meetings in collaboration with the Sales Operations Director and the rest of the MDL team to encourage IOs and distributors to use all tools and mediums available to realize the full sales potential of their business. - Coordinating with the SOD and the Sales Operations Center of Excellence, deliver safety training materials and talks as well as other trainings as needed. - Work in the field with 2-3 IOs per week. - Perform in-store selling to gain additional space and displays. - Conduct store visits in the assigned region to maintain open and proactive business relationships with the management teams of our customers and store decision makers, offering Company display concepts, seasonal planning tactics, and product promotions or introductions; and reinforcing that that the IOs and distributors, not the Company, invoice products to their stores. - Ensure that required resets are successful. - Use the Store Summary form to identify successes and opportunities to grow DSD sales as well as underperformance by the IOs, taking action to improve service when needed. Working with the SOD, address IOs when they are not meeting the minimum service standards according to the contractual obligation that IOs owe Utz. - Ensure that the customers at the bottom 25% of the service report are taken care of immediately. - Take immediate action to address and resolve voids. - Run an open route occasionally when the Company has bought a route back from an IO or distributor. Operate a motor…