Location: Seattle, Washington

Direct Reports: Senior Vice President (initially); in the future will report to the CEO

Organization Description:

Clipper Group, Ltd. is a fishing and processing company, formed in 1987 by Dave Little and Paul Gilliland to enter the Alaska cod freezer-longline fishery. By 1988, Clipper Seafoods had placed two longliners into service. Clipper acquired a third vessel in 1996 and a fourth vessel in 2000. In 2008, Clipper acquired Alaska Frontier Company, including three newer vessels, doubling the size of the company and making Clipper’s one of the two largest fleets in the factory longline fishery, with the largest share of the sector’s Alaska cod quota. In 2011, Clipper retired one of its seven vessels, and began managing another vessel owned by a third party. The vessels range in length from 124 to 172 feet in length.

Clipper enjoys a reputation as being a “preferred” employer in the freezer-longline sector and as an organization that retains its experienced crew for many years. Nearly all of Clipper’s captains, mates, engineers and lead personnel have worked on the same vessels for over ten years.

The company has maximized the useful lives of its vessels through an emphasis on preventative maintenance and quality improvements. The company also values its employees, who work hard to deliver high quality fish to customers around the world. Clipper’s products primarily are headed and gutted and frozen onboard. Its largest volume catch is Alaska cod; other major species are Greenland turbot and black cod (aka “sablefish”).

Clipper markets and sells nearly all of its production to processors directly rather than using brokers. Clipper was a pioneer in establishing and marketing the Bering Sea & Aleutian Islands Alaska cod fishery as a sustainable fishery, certified by the Marine Stewardship Council. Markets are primarily processors in Europe, China, Japan, and the U.S.

Clipper’s sales in 2011 were over $60,000,000. Quotas for fisheries targeted by Clipper increased significantly in 2012 and are projected to stay at high levels for at least the next several years.

In addition to Dave Little and Paul Gilliland, two former captains who have worked for the company nearly since its inception have ownership in the company.

Position Purpose & Responsibilities:

Initially, the sales and quality manager will be responsible for the daily management of Clipper Seafoods, Ltd. product quality from at-sea factory operations through to delivery to customers. Under the direction of the senior vice president, the sales and quality manager, over time, will be involved in many aspects of Clipper Seafoods, including product sales from order planning, contract negotiations and administration, product shipments, customer development, and product development, including retail products.

A major responsibility of the position will be to improve quality standards and their uniform and consistent application among all 7 Clipper vessels.

Key responsibilities include:

* After the first few years, the individual in this position will have ultimate responsibility for sales and quality of all products produced by Clipper Seafoods. He or she will also:

* Serve as the primary liaison between Clipper’s sales and operations departments in regard to product specifications and quality.
* Responsible for interacting with vessels to maintain production reporting.
* Develop and communicate vessel product instructions to ensure intended product mix and quality standards for customer requirements.
* Spend time onboard Clipper’s vessel to audit quality and develop improved quality standards
* Travel to customer locations for sales and product development.
* Interact with Clipper factory management personnel, review QC logs, monitor adherence to production standards, and develop recommendations to ensure uniform quality throughout the Clipper Seafoods’ fleet.
* Review and maintain summaries of Surefish reports.(Surefish is an independent seafood inspection and testing facility)
* Analyze customer claims for mis-shipments, product damage, quality problems or other contract fulfillment issues.
* Make recommendations for settlement of claims , provide notifications of claims to operations, and prepare recommendations for changes.
* Work with carriers or logistics companies, negotiate rates and settle damage claims.
* Participate in contract administration with the goal of gaining a good understanding of export documentation.
* Participate in sales strategy planning and development, order fulfillment planning, customer relationship development and maintenance.

Search Criteria:

Musts:

1. 5 to 10 years in the fishing or seafood processing industry, with experience in positions involving processing, production, operations or quality roles.

2. A BS/BA degree from an accredited university/college; or six years of Pacific Northwest fisheries quality or processing experience.

3. Excellent interpersonal skills including the ability to interact effectively with and influence diverse constituencies such as crewmen, captains, operations personnel, internal executives at Clipper and external customers both domestically and internationally.

4. Exceptional planning, organizing and implementation skills and experience.

5. Experience and comfort with IS/ ??computer software, including MS Office Suite and emphasizing Excel, Word and Outlook.

6. Strong computational and mathematical skills and ability.

7. A preference for and commitment to “detail”.

Preferred:

1. At-sea or shore-side seafood production experience, preferably with cod.

2. Previous experience with international fishing operations and/or sales, and familiarity with other cultures and languages.

3. Comfortable in thinking “outside the box” when appropriate.

Company Culture:

Clipper Seafoods runs a small, dynamic home office with nineteen other employees. As such, the work environment is casual but professional, and is characterized by direct, respectful communications, authentic leadership and accountability.

Clipper’s fishing crews work around the clock, every day, during the fishing seasons, which is most of the year. Customers are located around the world. While the office is normally open from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM on weekdays, the staff supports the crew and customers by working as needed. Thus, success at this position will often be outside the standard 9-5 weekday schedule.

Initial
Expectations:

Within 6 months to one year, the new hire will:
 
1. Have a good knowledge of all of current products in terms of:

         a.  nomenclature for production and marketing (not always the same)
         b.  product specifications
         c.  packaging
         d.  pricing ranges, including current pricing and  past trends and forward expectations.
        e.  expected and actual yields from round fish; an ability to use yields and product values to evaluate product mixes.

2.     Have spent time on all vessels and in Dutch Harbor, have a good knowledge of:

        a.  production processes, including differences from vessel to vessel and how those differences impact product quality
        b.  vessel manning as it relates to production and offloads, develop a working relationship with vessel personnel.
        c.   product offload processes and paperwork        d.   how to put forward requests for changes in production and offload processes
 
3.    From time spent in the Surefish lab and customer processing plants, have a good knowledge of:

       a.   scope, execution, and reporting according to Surefish specifications for inspections of all products that are routinely inspected by Surefish for Clipper
       b.   from visits to plants of major customers, the processes used to inspect and report quality of our products and the processing from raw material through finished products   
       c.   the most important reasons why customers prefer to buy products from Clipper 

4.    With respect to packaging supplies:

        a.    Monitor inventories and provide notice to all concerned in advance of order dates so that modifications can be considered
        b.    Coordinate requests for changes to develop a final specification for ordering, including volume

After 1 Year: the employee will:

1. Have successfully transitioned into a more full-time role in sales by becoming familiar with existing customer base and by establishing ongoing relationship with most accounts.

2. Have become completely familiar with all the logistics of selling products, such as:
* contracts
* shipping documents
* export documents

 
Unique Aspects:

The initial thrust of this position will involve assessing the current state of quality assurance of Clipper’s products across all of its vessels, and then recommending any changes or training necessary to insure consistent quality levels are maintained on each vessel
Given this, any candidates must be willing to commit to time spent on the vessels and in Alaska, and the attendant time away from home for extended periods.

Over time, the position will become increasingly involved with working with existing sales and customer service personnel and domestic and international customers of Clippers products.

Behavioral Traits
& Skills:

1) A person who is equally comfortable dealing with personnel on fishing ships, professional accounting, sales, and operational personnel in the office, and a variety of customers around the US and the world.

Compensation:

2) Someone with a balanced-ego who is enthusiastic but humble enough to collaborate with a wide variety of employees and customers.

3) A strong negotiator capable of establishing win-win relationships while standing firm on profitable pricing levels.

4) Someone comfortable with getting his/her hands dirty. (or fishy?)

A competitive base salary, discretionary incentive bonus and attractive benefit package are offered. Relocation assistance, if necessary, is also included.

Corporate Strategies Search, LLC.
craig@corporatestrategiesssearch.com

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