Director of Sales, Field Sales & Independents
About The Position
The Director of Sales, Field Sales & Independents is accountable for leading Tree of Life Canada's national field sales organization and delivering profitable revenue, volume, and share growth across the independent grocery and regional account channel, including territories in British Columbia, the Prairies, Ontario, Quebec, and Atlantic Canada. This channel is won in the store and on the road. The Director will be a commercially driven leader who builds a high-performing, well-routed field team, applies disciplined trade and pricing management, and balances the needs of independent operators with company profitability. You will combine strategic vision with hands-on execution, ensuring commercial excellence, efficient territory coverage, strong customer engagement, and cross-functional collaboration in a highly competitive CPG environment. This is a foundational leadership role with the opportunity to shape how we serve and grow the independent channel across Canada. As with all positions at Tree of Life Canada, we expect that all actions will be consistent with Tree of Life Canada's Mission, Vision and Values.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in business, Marketing, or a related field (MBA preferred)
- 10+ years of progressive sales experience within CPG / FMCG, including field sales leadership
- Proven experience in the Canadian independent grocery channel and/or regional retail accounts; distributor experience an asset
- Demonstrated success managing and developing remote, multi-territory field teams
- Strong commercial and financial acumen including trade spend management, pricing, freight recovery, and promotions
- Experience with route planning, call coverage models, and CRM or retail execution tools
- Advanced negotiation, presentation, and relationship-building skills
- High energy level, comfortable performing multifaceted projects in conjunction with day-to-day activities
- Ability to establish credibility and be decisive while recognizing and supporting the organization's preferences and priorities
- Willingness to travel regularly across assigned territories; valid driver's license required
Nice To Haves
- MBA preferred
- distributor experience an asset
Responsibilities
- Develop and execute the annual and long-range field sales strategy for the independent and regional account channel, aligned with corporate objectives and brand priorities
- Own channel results; deliver revenue, volume, net sales, and gross margin targets across all assigned territories and accounts
- Own the sales forecast and territory P&L performance, diligently chasing gap closure opportunities
- Apply pricing and freight surcharge strategy consistently across the independent channel, in line with cost inputs, inflation, and competitive dynamics.
- Identify white-space opportunities, new account acquisition, distribution expansion, and assortment growth across independent banners.
- Own territory design, call frequency standards, and route optimization to ensure the field team covers the full account base efficiently and at the right cost-to-serve
- Establish clear call coverage KPIs and use them to continuously improve productivity per rep and per territory
- Ensure best-in-class retail execution including distribution, shelf standards, promotional compliance, and new item speed-to-shelf
- Lead senior-level relationships with key independent operators, banner groups, and regional customers
- Negotiate customer agreements, including pricing, trade spend, promotional plans, and joint business plans
- Represent Tree of Life within the independent grocery trade community, including industry associations such as CFIG, trade shows, and channel events
- Navigate customer requirements including service levels, compliance, chargebacks, and Grocery Code of Conduct obligations
- Build, coach, and inspire a high-performing, geographically dispersed field sales team
- Set clear objectives, KPIs, and accountability for all direct reports
- Develop bench strength and succession plans, strengthening selling capabilities across the team
- Foster a collaborative, performance-oriented culture aligned with company values
- Partner closely with Brand Management, Supply Chain, Finance, Demand Planning, and Operations to ensure seamless execution
- Provide field sales input into S&OP, demand forecasting, and supply prioritization, including sell-down of excess inventory
- Monitor and analyze territory performance, customer profitability, and market trends
- Leverage syndicated data; e.g., Nielsen and customer POS data, and internal reporting to inform decisions and build a fact-based and evidence culture
- Communicate results, risks, and opportunities to senior leadership with clear recommendations
- Support and participate in food safety programs including SQF (Safe Quality Food)
Benefits
- flexible and supportive benefits
- other wellbeing programs
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Director
