Director - Kroger

Celsius • Cincinnati, OH

2h • $155,000 - $180,000 • Onsite

About The Position

The Director, Kroger is the senior customer leader responsible for the full Kroger relationship and commercial performance across the Celsius Holdings portfolio, including Celsius, Alani Nu, and Rockstar. Reporting to the Sr. Director, Large Format National Accounts, this role owns customer strategy, the annual operating plan, joint business planning, customer negotiations, and the execution agenda required to grow the portfolio and deliver company objectives at Kroger. It is a field position based in Cincinnati, Ohio, with people management responsibilities.

The Director translates enterprise and brand priorities into an integrated Kroger plan covering sales, pricing, promotion, assortment, distribution, space, innovation, retail media, supply, and field execution. The role leads the customer team, manages senior retailer relationships, and coordinates internal stakeholders and field partners to ensure plans are delivered with urgency and accountability. Success requires strong commercial judgment, analytical capability, retailer fluency, and the ability to work strategically and tactically in a complex, matrixed organization.

The role requires approximately 50% travel, including multi-day overnight travel; the employee must be able to lift up to 50 pounds at times and live within one hour of a major international airport. The position offers comprehensive medical, dental, and vision benefits; long- and short-term disability; life insurance; vacation and company-paid holidays; a 401(k) with company match; identity theft and legal services; and potential additional compensation, including bonuses and Restricted Stock Units, subject to company plans. The base salary range depends on experience and location; no specific range is provided.

Requirements

• 10+ years of experience in CPG or beverage sales, national or regional account management, customer strategy, or commercial leadership, including experience leading complex retail relationships and cross-functional teams.
• Demonstrated ability to manage and grow a large-format grocery or mass retail account and lead a multi-brand portfolio through customer strategy, joint business planning, negotiation, and execution.
• Experience working cross-functionally in a matrixed organization with Marketing, Finance, Category Management, Revenue Growth Management, Supply Chain, Commercialization, Field Sales, and Operations.
• Bachelor's degree required; an equivalent combination of education and relevant work experience may be considered.
• Strong command of retailer systems and sales analytics, including retailer reporting tools, Power BI, Circana/IRI, Excel, forecasting platforms, and customer scorecards, with the ability to translate data into commercial actions.
• Excellent leadership, communication, negotiation, presentation, and relationship-management skills, with judgment to balance retailer needs, brand priorities, financial objectives, and execution realities.
• Must be able to travel approximately 50%, including multi-day overnight travel.
• Must be able to lift up to 50 pounds at times.
• Must live within one hour of a major international airport.

Responsibilities

• Lead, coach, and develop the Kroger customer team and cross-functional partners to achieve commercial results, strong retailer relationships, and consistent execution across the portfolio.
• Set team priorities, operating rhythms, and accountability; support performance management, capability building, and succession planning.
• Coordinate with Sales, Finance, Marketing, Category Management, Supply Chain, Revenue Growth Management, Field Sales, and Operations, and align senior leadership on priorities, risks, and decisions.
• Own the Kroger portfolio strategy for Celsius, Alani Nu, and Rockstar, including customer priorities, brand roles, channel opportunities, retailer needs, and the balance among growth, profitability, and execution capacity.
• Build and lead Kroger joint business plans and annual operating plans covering category and portfolio objectives, forecasts, investment strategy, pricing and promotion, assortment and space, innovation, retail media, and field execution standards.
• Lead strategic engagements with Kroger buying teams and senior retail leaders; negotiate customer plans and commercial agreements; and translate commitments into internal action plans with owners, timing, and measurable outcomes.
• Own the Kroger business operating rhythm, including customer scorecards, business reviews, item and distribution tracking, promotional performance, execution follow-up, and escalation of issues that threaten the plan.
• Use Kroger retailer systems and reporting tools, internal sales systems, Power BI, Circana/IRI, Excel, and other data sources to manage item setup, distribution, pricing, promotion, inventory, sales, and execution performance.
• Partner with the Kroger DSD network, distribution leadership, and field sales to improve in-stock performance, address execution gaps, manage launches and resets, and identify incremental growth opportunities.
• Own Kroger forecasting and demand planning, incorporating customer plans, field inputs, promotional events, innovation, distribution changes, seasonality, and supply constraints; align assumptions with Finance, Supply Chain, and Commercialization.
• Analyze customer and category performance across dollars, units, distribution, velocity, share, pricing, promotion, and portfolio mix; identify trends, diagnose gaps, and recommend actions by brand, item, and program.
• Provide executive leadership with concise, decision-oriented updates on Kroger performance, risks, opportunities, competitive activity, retailer priorities, and actions needed to deliver the plan.

Benefits

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision benefits
• Long- and short-term disability
• Life insurance
• 10 vacation days per year, subject to accrual policy
• 11 company-paid holidays
• 401(k) with company match
• Identity theft and legal services
• May be eligible for additional compensation, including bonuses and Restricted Stock Units, subject to company plans

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director