Mutual Trading

Established in 1926, Mutual Trading Co., Inc. was originally a small co-op organization for centralized purchasing of basic import foods to service the needs of the early Japanese immigrant society in Southern California. We’ve grown nearly 100 years old now, and command a premiere position among Japanese foodservice suppliers, as well as fill a key role as “Culinary Ambassador” promoting Japanese foods worldwide.

Since 2011, our affiliate, Yamasho Inc. takes pride in providing a variety of restaurant items ranging from non-food to dry and frozen food products to our restaurant customers in its current location in Elk Grove, IL. Today, the company is dedicated to meet and exceed the customers’ expectations and create a unique experience to our customers with the explosion of Japanese food and culture in America.

Benefits

All paid Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance for employees and their dependents

Life Insurance and 401k Plan with company match

Location: Elk Grove Village, IL

Hours: M-F 9AM – 6PM

Responsibilities

The position will be responsible for planning, directing, and coordinating marketing of the company products and services, increasing company brand awareness, driving new customers, and growing sales of category items in the US Mid-West region.

Essential Job Functions

• Undertakes various sales and marketing initiatives to raise the company’s visibility in order to acquire new customers.
• Provides design and direction for visual brand strategies and communications.
• Designs, creates, and maintains all sales promotional materials, including monthly newsletters, product brochures, social media, menu lists and any other tools in coordination with related departments for seamless creation of promotion materials.
• Assists to identify potential promotional products through market research and inventory data analysis.
• Plans, manages, executes, and prepares all materials regarding products, campaigns, and sales events.
• Manages and organizes promotional materials from manufacturers.
• Plans, creates, maintains, and updates social media content to attract customers and enhance impressions.
• Works with sales team to promotes sales or answer customer inquiries via social media, email, phone calls, etc.
• Plans and manages the Food Show in coordination with relevant departments; manages and distributes promotional materials to the appropriate departments.
• Coordinates with sales team to prepare and assist in meetings related to campaigns, sales events, and promotions.
• Works with sales managers to set monthly and annual sales quotas for category items.
• Cooperates with sales associates to develop and maintain customer networks and enhance relationships between the company and stakeholders.
• Ensures high levels of customer satisfaction by providing excellent service and handling post-sale issues.
• Coordinates urgent delivery requests and maintains accurate order input in Microsoft NAV.
• Analyzes sales data and develops plans to address performance gaps.
• Researches and obtains necessary permits for handling category items.
• Partners with sales team, internal/external functional experts, and category item suppliers to ensure the effective category portfolio and growth strategies are developed.
• Coordinates with IT department to comply sales data for vendors as needed.
• Collects payments and generate receipts for will-call customers.
• Attends semiannual inventory counts and company events.
• Performs other duties as assigned by upper management and answers all management requests.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to sit for extended periods of time
• Ability to type and use the computer for extended periods of time
• Ability to reach, bend, kneel, and lift up to 25 pounds
• Working Conditions

Other Requirements

• Business level English – read/write/speak/listen
• Maintain a positive attitude
• Ability to work independently and as a team
• Ability to adapt to frequent changes in assignments and workload
• Highly self-motivated and goal-orientation is required
• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, communications, or related field is required
• 5+ years of marketing or relevant experience is required
• Japanese food related industry or CPG product marketing experiences preferred

Knowledge And Skills

• Professional, courteous communication and interpersonal skills required
• Exceptional organization and time management skills
• Advanced computer skill in advertising field
• Market analysis skill
• Experience of social media, such as Facebook, Instagram, etc.
• Knowledge of creating and managing promotional materials.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Creative thinking and design skills for visual brand strategies and promotional materials.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and graphic design applications.