Director, National Sales - Speciality Channels

FreshPet•Bedminster, NJ

About The Position

The Director, National Sales – Specialty Channel drives strategy and growth for Freshpet’s pet specialty channel business. Reporting to the VP, Pet Channel & eCommerce, this role develops account and channel strategies, drives revenue and distribution growth, strengthens retail partnerships, and uses data to create actionable plans for category expansion. The position combines strategy, analytics, and execution to identify growth opportunities and deliver measurable results. The Director owns customer strategy and joint business planning, builds partnerships with national and regional specialty retailers, and is accountable for revenue, distribution, and ACV performance across assigned accounts. The role identifies opportunities to expand distribution, optimize assortment, improve in-store presence, and execute initiatives such as new item launches and in-store programming. It also partners across marketing, supply chain, finance, operations, and distributor organizations to align plans and deliver consistent execution. The position supports account forecasts, trade planning, and investment strategies, monitoring financial performance and balancing growth with return-on-investment discipline. Nationwide travel is approximately 40%.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, or a related field.
10+ years of experience in large CPG.
Proactive business development focus and ability to identify and open new doors and convert opportunities into profitable growth.
High ownership mindset and agility in making sound decisions and delivering results in a fast-paced, evolving environment.
Proven ability to lead complex negotiations and build strategic customer partnerships that drive sustainable, profitable growth.
Strong analytical and commercial acumen, including ability to translate category, customer, and shopper insights into actionable growth plans.
Excellent communication and storytelling skills, with ability to influence stakeholders across levels and functions.
Familiarity with Nielsen, Salesforce, or Power BI.
Eligible to work in the United States; Freshpet is unable to sponsor visas.

Nice To Haves

Natural channel experience.
Pet channel experience.

Responsibilities

Own and drive customer strategy, defining priorities, growth levers, and where to play.
Develop high-impact initiatives that scale the Freshpet brand and the fresh pet food category.
Build annual and quarterly strategic plans based on category trends, shopper insights, and retailer dynamics.
Translate data into actionable insights and growth strategies.
Own joint business planning and align shared priorities, growth targets, and execution plans with customers.
Maintain relationships with key decision-makers at national and regional specialty retailers.
Advise customers on category growth, assortment, and merchandising, and influence strategies to expand Freshpet’s role in the category.
Own revenue, distribution, and ACV performance across assigned accounts.
Identify opportunities to expand distribution, optimize assortment, and strengthen in-store presence.
Monitor performance, identify risks and opportunities, and adjust strategies to meet plans.
Ensure execution of key initiatives, including new item launches and in-store programming.
Use data and analytics to evaluate performance, uncover insights, and inform decisions.
Synthesize data sources into clear recommendations and partner with internal teams on forecasting, planning, and performance tracking.
Establish a test-and-learn approach to continuously optimize results.
Partner with marketing, supply chain, finance, and operations to align and execute strategies.
Align assortment, merchandising, and activation plans with brand and channel strategies.
Coordinate with distributor partners to drive consistent execution and expanded reach.
Champion best practices and improve specialty channel capabilities.
Support account-level forecasts, trade planning, and investment strategies.
Monitor financial targets and identify actions to close gaps or accelerate growth while maintaining ROI discipline.
Travel approximately 40% nationwide.