Director, Customer & Consumer Affairs

At Schwan's Company, we are driven to bring our customers delicious foods and reliable services. That's how we grew from a "one-man-and-a-truck" delivery business in rural Minnesota to a multibillion-dollar private company with thousands of team members nationwide. Our commitment to delicious foods shows in all we do, from careful ingredient selection and quality food making to delivering a great experience wherever you shop and eat.

The foods we make reach customers in many ways. We deliver directly to our customer's homes through our popular food-delivery business, offer well-known retail brands such as Red Baron®, Freschetta®, and Tony's® pizzas, Pagoda® snacks and appetizers, and Mrs. Smith's® and Edwards® desserts, and bring innovative food solutions to our customers in the food-service industry. To learn more, visit us at .

We are seeking to hire a Director, Customer & Consumer Affairs within our Safety, Quality & Compliance function. This position is responsible for ensuring consumer and customer issues, inquiries and other correspondence are addressed quickly and effectively to build consumer, customer, and product advocacies using traditional and social media channels. This leader is responsible for strategically integrating the voice of consumer and customer into product improvements, partnering cross-functionally to develop high-level strategic direction, communication, metrics, and insight related to the consumer and customer experience, the daily operations of the Consumer Affairs team, and directing the assimilation of data, the execution and improvement of new processes and process enhancements through process reengineering. This person will lead a team of 10+ Consumer Affairs Reps, and will be based in Marshall, MN.

Responsibilities

• Develops and executes the implementation of the department strategic roadmap, KPI’s and services that continuously advances the brand and company strategies while delivering a consumer and customer experience that exceeds expectations, reduces quality complaints and increases consumer and customer retention and loyalty.

• Directs the collection, analysis and insights of consumer and customer initiated contacts including but not limited to phone calls, emails, product returns, letters and social media, along with changes in consumer and customer behavior.

• Leads the Consumer Affairs team in the development of protocols and processes for investigating consumer and customer issues and solving complex problems, including researching alternatives and optimizing consumer satisfaction

• Guides the processes to identify and improve process gaps by understanding the intended consumer and customer experience by brand.

• Ensures consistency in consumer communication across all channels and proper issue and escalation management to further safeguard and mitigate risk to the company.

• Leads the effort to optimize listening opportunities from the internet and social media by identifying the issues and taking consumer complaints off-line to improve the company and brand image.

• Directs staff in cross functional collaboration to define, implement and maintain clear processes to collect, report, and disseminate consumer and customer feedback using metrics that bring visibility and accountability to our consumer and customer experiences.

• Provides leadership in the analysis of Voice of Consumer (VOC) and behavioral information to understand why satisfaction levels, along with their attitudes and motivations, to develop insights into consumer and customer needs and behaviors.

• Develops and guides processes associated with the interpretation, notification and timely dissemination of accurate and relevant consumer information to stakeholders, including but not limited to, product quality and food safety, packaging, recipes, promotions, nutrition and emerging consumer trends.

• Collaborates with key stakeholders, including but not limited to, corporate communications, legal, brand/marketing, regulatory affairs, packaging, sales, product development and quality assurance to build visibility and create value.

• Provides input and guidance to senior leadership and the Food Safety Advisory Council teams on the work processes and activities associated with the handling of critical consumer and customer issues and participates as an active member of any recalls.

• Plans, develops and manages the Consumer and Customer Affairs team’s schedule, metrics, projects, budgets and resources

• Establishes and maintains external relationships and conducts benchmarking with other food companies as well as third party vendors. Participates in the selection of and manages the relationships with third party vendors.

• Represents company interests in outside organizations including, but not limited to Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA), Society of Consumer Affairs Professionals (SOCAP), and Word of Mouth Marketing (WOMMA)

Education: Bachelor’s degree or equivalent.

Years of Related Experience: Typically has 10 years experience

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities:

• Must have supervisory experience and excellent communication skills

• Must have knowledge of complaint and claims principles and manufacturing processes, ability to handle difficult situations including potential legal issues and risk management skills.

• Strong working knowledge of contact management and telephone systems

• Experience working with and leveraging social media required (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc).

• Ability to provide constructive feedback, and develop a team

• Food safety knowledge preferred

• Ability to research issues, problem solve and make recommendations for resolution.

• Good negotiating skills, project management and analytical skills.

• Strong software skills required including Word, Excel, Outlook and Power Point. Other applications may include Visio, SAP.

The employing subsidiaries of Schwan's Company are Equal Employment Opportunity Employers. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to disability, age, race, color, religion, gender, vet status, national origin or other protected class.