Director of Sales, Grocery

Summary

Join Olipop as their Director of Sales, Grocery, and spearhead the development and execution of strategic sales plans to drive growth and profitability within key grocery retail accounts. This leadership role involves managing the Publix account, mentoring a high-performing sales team, and collaborating cross-functionally to achieve company objectives. You will build and maintain strong relationships with major grocery retailers, analyze sales trends, and lead annual planning and promotional strategies. The ideal candidate will have 10+ years of sales experience in the CPG industry, a proven track record of success, and strong leadership and communication skills. This position requires deep knowledge of trade marketing and syndicated data, as well as a passion for Olipop and a desire to make a significant impact. The role includes up to 30% travel.

Requirements

• 10+ years of sales experience, managing major grocery retail accounts including Publix
• Proven track record of delivering sales and profit growth in the consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry
• Strong leadership, communication, and negotiation skills
• Experience managing cross-functional teams and working in a matrixed environment
• Deep knowledge of trade marketing, syndicated data (Circana/Nielsen), and customer-specific planning tools
• Deeply passionate about OLIPOP and inspired by what we represent. Has the desire and hunger to make an impact
• Obsession for understanding customer behavior. Lives, breathes and dreams about how to better reach & understand our consumers
• Enthusiastic and comfortable working in an early-stage company. Ability to think rapidly in a growing and changing environment
• Ability to take initiative and work autonomously – you can run with something from beginning to end
• Works well with ambiguity and asks the right questions to get at the solution
• Strong planning, organization and project management skills, along with excellent interpersonal, written/oral communication and presentation skills
• Competence in Google Suite and Microsoft Suite
• Clean driver’s license, reliable transportation and proof of insurance
• Ability to travel up to 30%, depending on location

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement strategic sales plans to achieve company revenue and profit goals in the grocery retail channel
• Build and maintain strong relationships with key national and regional grocery retailers (e.g. Publix, HEB, Ahold, Meijer, Giant Eagle, HyVee, Wegman’s, etc.)
• Lead and mentor a team of account managers and brokers, to ensure excellence in customer management and sales execution
• Partner with marketing, finance, operations, and supply chain to align sales strategies with overall business objectives
• Analyze sales trends, market dynamics, and competitive landscape to identify opportunities for growth and mitigate risks
• Lead annual planning, promotional strategy, forecasting, and trade spend management for the grocery channel
• Drive new business development, product launches, and category expansions within existing and prospective accounts
• Oversee and optimize trade promotions and pricing strategies to ensure ROI and customer profitability
• Represent the company at key industry trade shows, customer meetings, and joint business planning sessions

Preferred Qualifications

Experience with team collaboration tools such as Slack and Zoom

Benefits

$150,000-$165,000 base salary + bonus