Director of Food Sales - Hybrid (Open to remote)

Hotaling & CO.•San Francisco, CA

32d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Director of Food Sales will design and lead the execution of the go-to-market strategy for Hotaling’s new Food Division, scaling revenue from our existing core product (Luxardo cherries) into adjacent product lines and emerging categories. This leader will establish strong, trust-based relationships with our current food broker network, national and regional distributors, and key specialty and confectionery accounts. This is a hands-on, strategic role that blends selling, coaching, and system-building. You will personally drive customer acquisition, elevate broker and distributor performance, and develop the processes, tools, and operating rhythms that create predictable, repeatable growth for the division.

Requirements

7+ years of B2B sales experience in specialty food, ingredients, confectionery, or related CPG categories, including direct experience managing brokers, distributors, and specialty accounts.
Proven ability to launch new products and scale revenue through distributor and broker networks.
Strong negotiation skills with brokers and distributors; experienced in commercial contracts, pricing, and promotional terms.
Excellent relationship-building skills and a history of developing long-term strategic partnerships.
Demonstrated strategic and operational capabilities: pipeline management, forecasting, and KPI-driven decision-making.
Proficiency with CRM systems (Salesforce preferred), MS Excel, and sales analytics tools.
Willingness to travel frequently and represent the company at trade shows and customer meetings.

Nice To Haves

Experience collaborating with specialty food and confectionery brokers.
Experience with imported specialty ingredients or premium branded ingredients.
MBA or advanced degree.
Existing relationships with buyers in specialty retail, confectionery manufacturing, gourmet foodservice, or premium grocery.

Responsibilities

Develop and implement a 12–24 month go-to-market sales strategy and playbook aligned with company objectives.
Define and prioritize target channels (specialty food, bakeries, grocery, foodservice) based on ROI and strategic opportunity.
Grow Food Division revenue by expanding category penetration and introducing new SKUs.
Set, track, and achieve quarterly and annual sales targets, including pipeline creation, conversion rates, average order size, and repeat purchase metrics.
Strengthen relationships with the existing food broker network, ensuring alignment on targets, assortment, and promotional plans.
Manage relationships with regional and national distributors; negotiate terms, exclusivity agreements, listings, and joint business plans.
Identify and onboard new distributors and specialty brokers as needed to accelerate reach and coverage.
Identify, pursue, and secure key specialty food and confectionery accounts (buyers, category managers, co-packers, manufacturers, gourmet retailers).
Develop tailored selling strategies for brokers, distributors, and end customers to improve penetration and retention.
Partner with Marketing, Supply Chain, Operations, and Finance to ensure product readiness, accurate forecasting, pricing, promotional cadence, and efficient order fulfillment.
Provide market feedback to inform SKU selection, packaging, labeling, and pricing.
Build and refine sales tools, KPIs, CRM processes, forecasting rhythms, and performance scorecards.
Prepare and deliver monthly executive-level reporting on pipeline health, win/loss analysis, margins, and go-to-market progress.
Hire, mentor, and support sales representatives and account managers as the division grows; provide coaching and define measurable performance goals.