The Director of Sales is responsible for driving revenue growth, expanding customer relationships, and executing strategic sales initiatives within the ready-to-eat (RTE) food manufacturing industry. This role leads key retail and foodservice accounts, develops sales strategies to increase market share, and collaborates cross-functionally with operations, marketing, and executive leadership to support business objectives. The ideal candidate has a strong background in CPG or food manufacturing sales, experience managing major retail accounts, and a proven ability to lead teams, negotiate customer partnerships, and deliver profitable growth across multiple distribution channels.
The Director of Sales is responsible for driving revenue growth, expanding customer relationships, and executing strategic sales initiatives within the ready-to-eat (RTE) food manufacturing industry. This role leads key retail and foodservice accounts, develops sales strategies to increase market share, and collaborates cross-functionally with operations, marketing, and executive leadership to support business objectives. The ideal candidate has a strong background in CPG or food manufacturing sales, experience managing major retail accounts, and a proven ability to lead teams, negotiate customer partnerships, and deliver profitable growth across multiple distribution channels.
Main Responsibilities/Duties:
Develop and execute national sales strategies to drive revenue growth across retail, club, grocery, and mass merchandise channels
Lead and manage strategic relationships with major CPG retailers, including national and regional account buyers and category managers
Own annual sales planning, forecasting, budgeting, and revenue performance against company growth targets
Negotiate pricing, promotional programs, distribution expansion, and joint business plans with key retail partners
Identify and secure new business opportunities to expand market penetration and increase shelf presence
Collaborate cross-functionally with operations, supply chain, marketing, finance, and product development teams to support customer initiatives and operational execution
Lead, mentor, and develop commercial, innovation and new product development team, brokers, and distributor relationships
Analyze syndicated data, POS reporting, market trends, and competitive activity to drive strategic sales decisions
Oversee customer profitability, trade spending, margin performance, and promotional ROI
Manage broker networks and distributor relationships to ensure alignment with company sales objectives
Drive successful new product launches and retail commercialization strategies across key accounts
Ensure customer compliance with retailer requirements, service levels, inventory management, and food industry standards
Represent the company at customer meetings, trade shows, industry events, and executive business reviews
Develop long-term strategic partnerships with retailers to support sustainable growth and category leadership
Monitor industry trends, consumer behavior, and emerging retail opportunities within the RTE and prepared foods category
Partner with executive leadership to support strategic planning, capacity growth, and market expansion initiatives
Establish KPIs and reporting metrics to measure sales effectiveness, customer performance, and team productivity
Support private label and branded business development initiatives across multiple retail channels
Maintain a strong understanding of food manufacturing operations, supply chain constraints, and retailer fulfillment expectations
Foster a performance-driven culture focused on accountability, collaboration, innovation, and customer service excellence
Education:
Level of Experience Required: 10+ years
Knowledge, Skills, Experience:
10+ years of progressive sales experience within food manufacturing, CPG, or related industries
Proven experience managing national or regional retail accounts and driving revenue growth
Strong knowledge of retail sales processes, category management, and food industry operations
Experience selling refrigerated, frozen, deli, or prepared food products preferred
Demonstrated leadership experience managing sales teams, brokers, and strategic customer relationships
Strong negotiation, communication, and presentation skills
Proficiency with CRM systems, syndicated data platforms, and Microsoft Office applications
Ability to travel as needed to support customer and business requirements
Experience working with major retailers such as Walmart, Kroger, Costco, Target, and Publix
Strong understanding of private label and branded product strategies
Proven ability to lead cross-functional initiatives in a fast-paced manufacturing environment
Develop and execute national sales strategies to drive revenue growth across retail, club, grocery, and mass merchandise channels
Lead and manage strategic relationships with major CPG retailers, including national and regional account buyers and category managers
Own annual sales planning, forecasting, budgeting, and revenue performance against company growth targets
Negotiate pricing, promotional programs, distribution expansion, and joint business plans with key retail partners
Identify and secure new business opportunities to expand market penetration and increase shelf presence
Collaborate cross-functionally with operations, supply chain, marketing, finance, and product development teams to support customer initiatives and operational execution
Lead, mentor, and develop commercial, innovation and new product development team, brokers, and distributor relationships
Analyze syndicated data, POS reporting, market trends, and competitive activity to drive strategic sales decisions
Oversee customer profitability, trade spending, margin performance, and promotional ROI
Manage broker networks and distributor relationships to ensure alignment with company sales objectives
Drive successful new product launches and retail commercialization strategies across key accounts
Ensure customer compliance with retailer requirements, service levels, inventory management, and food industry standards
Represent the company at customer meetings, trade shows, industry events, and executive business reviews
Develop long-term strategic partnerships with retailers to support sustainable growth and category leadership
Monitor industry trends, consumer behavior, and emerging retail opportunities within the RTE and prepared foods category
Partner with executive leadership to support strategic planning, capacity growth, and market expansion initiatives
Establish KPIs and reporting metrics to measure sales effectiveness, customer performance, and team productivity
Support private label and branded business development initiatives across multiple retail channels
Maintain a strong understanding of food manufacturing operations, supply chain constraints, and retailer fulfillment expectations
Foster a performance-driven culture focused on accountability, collaboration, innovation, and customer service excellence
Education:
Level of Experience Required: 10+ years
Knowledge, Skills, Experience:
10+ years of progressive sales experience within food manufacturing, CPG, or related industries
Proven experience managing national or regional retail accounts and driving revenue growth
Strong knowledge of retail sales processes, category management, and food industry operations
Experience selling refrigerated, frozen, deli, or prepared food products preferred
Demonstrated leadership experience managing sales teams, brokers, and strategic customer relationships
Strong negotiation, communication, and presentation skills
Proficiency with CRM systems, syndicated data platforms, and Microsoft Office applications
Ability to travel as needed to support customer and business requirements
Experience working with major retailers such as Walmart, Kroger, Costco, Target, and Publix
Strong understanding of private label and branded product strategies
Proven ability to lead cross-functional initiatives in a fast-paced manufacturing environment
