The Opportunity
An established consumer products company is seeking an experienced Senior Director of Sales – Convenience Channel to build and significantly expand its U.S. C-store business, with a focus on lighters and related accessories.
This is a hands-on builder role for an experienced C-store professional who brings established relationships with retailers, distributors and wholesalers and understands how to take a product from buyer presentation through store-level execution.
We are looking for someone who can develop the strategy, open doors and personally drive the business—not simply manage an existing book of accounts.
Key Responsibilities
- Develop and execute the national C-store sales and distribution strategy.
- Leverage existing relationships with C-store buyers, category managers, distributors and wholesalers to open and grow national and regional accounts.
- Personally lead buyer presentations, category reviews, line reviews and negotiations.
- Establish the appropriate distribution and route-to-market structure for each account, including direct, distributor, wholesaler and DSD models.
- Set up and manage distributors needed to service end customers and ensure retailer authorizations translate into actual store-level distribution.
- Develop pricing and price-point strategies that balance consumer value, retailer/distributor margins and company profitability.
- Conduct competitive analyses covering product assortment, pricing, features, positioning, placement and promotions.
- Analyze POS and sell-through data to evaluate velocity, distribution, SKU performance, reorder behavior and opportunities for expansion.
- Develop and present planogram and assortment recommendations, including SKU selection, facings, placement and competitive displacement opportunities.
- Develop value-added retailer and distributor programs that drive placement and growth beyond simple price discounting.
- Identify opportunities for new SKUs, additional facings, improved placement and expanded store distribution.
- Evaluate, select and manage brokers where appropriate.
- Manage forecasting, pipeline, trade spending and account profitability.
- Identify and participate in key C-store and distributor trade shows.
- Work closely with operations, marketing and product teams to successfully execute new programs and account launches.
Required Experience
- 8+ years of CPG or consumer-products sales experience with significant direct C-store experience.
- Established, current relationships with national and regional C-store buyers and category decision-makers.
- Demonstrated success opening and growing major convenience accounts.
- Strong relationships and experience with C-store distributors and wholesalers, including the ability to establish distribution to support new retail customers.
- Strong understanding of pricing, price points, retailer/distributor margins and trade economics.
- Hands-on experience with POS analysis, planograms, category reviews, resets, assortment optimization and product positioning.
- Proven ability to conduct competitive analysis and turn the findings into actionable sales strategies.
- Experience developing retailer/distributor value-added programs that drive measurable growth.
- Experience with lighters, smoking accessories, tobacco-adjacent products or other high-velocity impulse categories is highly desirable.
- Ability to operate effectively in a lean organization environment.
- Willingness to travel regularly for customers, distributors and industry events.
What We're Looking For
We want a true C-store specialist.
The right candidate should already know many of the retailers, buyers, distributors and wholesalers we need to reach and understand the complete process:
Buyer Access → Product & Pricing Strategy → Authorization → Distribution Setup → Planogram & Placement → POS & Velocity → Expansion
They should be aggressive in pursuing new business, analytical enough to understand what drives retail performance, and hands-on enough to personally build the channel.
Compensation
Base Salary: $155,000–$185,000, commensurate with experience and industry relationships.
Additional performance upside may be available based on profitable new account and distribution growth.
Benefits and business expense reimbursement are provided in accordance with company policies.
Confidential Search: Additional information regarding the company, brands and product portfolio will be provided to qualified candidates during the interview process.
Pay: $155,000.00 - $185,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
Application Question(s):
- How many years of direct sales experience do you have specifically within the U.S. convenience-store channel?
- Do you currently have direct relationships with buyers, category managers, or senior decision-makers at national or regional C-store chains?
- Please list some examples of C-store chains where you have personally managed or owned the buyer/category relationship.
- Do you have at least 5 years of direct CPG sales experience, including responsibility for retail account management, pricing, distribution, and product placement?
Work Location: Remote
