Summary/Objective
We are seeking a Senior Director of Co-Pack & Retail Sales with deep expertise in contract manufacturing (co-packing) within the food and beverage sector. Reporting to the Chief Customer Officer, this strategic leadership role drives revenue growth by securing and expanding co-pack partnerships with CPG brands, private label retailers, and emerging food startups. The ideal candidate combines hunter mentality with financial rigor, translating complex co-pack costing models (line rates, changeovers, yields, minimums, capex recovery) into compelling value propositions that win multi-year, high-volume contracts. You will own the full P&L for the co-pack business unit.
This position is remote-eligible with 40-50% travel required for plant tours, trade shows, and QBRs.
Essential Functions
Revenue & Pipeline Leadership
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Build and execute a 3-year co-pack growth strategy targeting branded CPGs, private label, foodservice, and DTC/e-commerce brands.
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Personally lead Tier 1 pursuits while coaching the team on mid-market deals.
Financial & Commercial Mastery
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Develop dynamic pricing models incorporating raw material volatility, labor, energy, changeover costs, and capacity utilization.
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Negotiate multi-year MSAs with risk-sharing clauses (volume tiers, raw material pass-throughs, capex contributions).
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Deliver GP% expansion of 2–4 pts YoY through mix optimization and cost-to-serve discipline.
Cross-Functional Alignment
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Partner with Operations to validate plant capabilities, run rates, and changeover feasibility for RFPs.
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Collaborate with R&D/QA to accelerate co-pack product development (NPD cycle < 180 days).
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Work with Supply Chain to lock in ingredient pre-buy commitments and mitigate commodity risk.
Market Intelligence & Positioning
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Maintain a live database of 200+ co-pack prospects (funding stage, SKU velocity, incumbent packer pain points).
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Position the company as the preferred co-packer for low acid aseptic technology.
Financial Acumen
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Advanced Excel modeling: build fully loaded cost models (absorption, contribution margin, breakeven analysis).
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Comfortable presenting IRR / NPV scenarios for capex requests tied to customer commitments.
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History of margin recovery post-commodity spikes (e.g., dairy, oils, freight).
Qualifications
Technical & Industry Knowledge
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Deep understanding of SQF, HACCP, FSMA, USDA/FDA requirements for co-pack.
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Familiarity with high-speed lines (RTE, beverages, snacks, frozen, aseptic, HPP).
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Experience with private label retailer specs (Walmart, Kroger, Costco, Whole Foods).
Leadership & Soft Skills
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Team builder: recruited and scaled high-performing co-pack sales teams.
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Executive presence: credible with C-suite (CEO, CFO, VP Supply Chain) of $100M–$5B brands.
Preferred (Bonus) Skills
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MBA or finance coursework
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Bilingual (Spanish/English)
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Prior role at a top 20 co-packer
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Experience with Shopper Marketing fund integration in co-pack deals
