Industry Case Study
Building a First-of-Its-Kind Sales Coordinator Role for The Jackfruit Company in Four Weeks
Industry Case Study
The Jackfruit Company is one of the most recognizable names in plant-based eating, with products in retailers and foodservice operators across North America. As the business grew, the sales team needed support that did not yet exist inside the company: a dedicated Sales Coordinator who could keep deals moving, manage the details that fall through the cracks, and free up senior sellers to focus on revenue.
The challenge was not complexity. It was newness.
This was a role The Jackfruit Company had never hired for before. There was no internal benchmark, no predecessor to compare against, and no obvious profile to copy from a competitor. We had to help the team define what "great" looked like for a position they had only just decided to create, then go find someone who could step into it and make it their own from day one.
It was the kind of search that is genuinely fun to run. A growing brand, a smart team, and a blank canvas.
When the role is new, the intake matters more than ever. Here is how we ran it.
We sat down with the hiring team to pressure-test what the role actually needed to accomplish in its first 90 days, its first six months, and its first year. We worked through the day-to-day responsibilities, the systems the person would live in, and the personality fit with the existing sales team.
Out of that conversation came a sharp, realistic profile: someone organized, proactive, hungry to learn the CPG sales motion, and comfortable working across sales, operations, and customer teams.
Because the role was new and the title is common across industries, a wide net would have buried us in unqualified applicants. Instead, we went straight to headhunting. We built a focused list of sales coordinators, sales operations associates, and account support professionals already working inside CPG and food and beverage companies.
Our outreach leaned into the story: a chance to help shape a brand-new role inside one of the most beloved plant-based brands in the country. Response rates were strong. The Jackfruit Company name carried weight, and the role itself was a genuine opportunity for the right person to grow with the business.
Every serious candidate completed our signature 2 to 4 page self-evaluation, walking through their career progression, what motivates them, and what they are most proud of. For a coordinator role where attitude and ownership matter as much as skills, these self-evaluations gave the hiring team real insight into how each person thinks before the first interview ever happened.
We presented a curated slate of four candidates through our live client portal, each with a full self-evaluation, our notes, and a clear point of view on fit. The Jackfruit Company moved fast, ran their interviews, and extended an offer inside the same four-week window from search launch.
A brand-new role, defined and filled, in four weeks from kickoff to offer. The Jackfruit Company added a key member to their sales team without slowing down the rest of the business, and the new Sales Coordinator stepped into a role they get to help shape from the ground up.
Three things made the timeline possible:
A focused intake that turned a blank canvas into a clear profile. When the role is new, the first conversation is the most important one.
Headhunting instead of posting. For roles with common titles, going direct to qualified people inside the category beats sorting through hundreds of applicants.
Self-evaluations that surface fit fast. Hiring teams get to know candidates as humans before the first interview.
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If you are building out your team and need a search partner who can help you define the role and find the right person to fill it, let's talk. Or explore our F&B and CPG practice and how the search model works.
