Director of Sales, LATAM

Ornua•Evanston, IL

1d•$140,000 - $160,000•Remote

About The Position

Ornua (meaning “new gold”) is Ireland’s largest exporter of Irish dairy products, proudly bringing the unique taste of Irish dairy to the world since 1961. Are you a seasoned senior CPG sales leader, energized by a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to drive the next phase of growth for a purpose-led organization? Ornua is actively s eeking a seasoned and entrepreneurial Director of Sales – LATAM to lead the next phase of Ornua Foods North America’s international expansion across Latin America, with a primary focus on Mexico and Brazil. This high-impact leadership role is responsible for building and executing the regional go-to-market strategy, accelerating distribution, overseeing distributor performance with full P&L accountability, ensuring brand and regulatory compliance, and delivering sustainable revenue and profit growth. The ideal candidate brings deep CPG commercial expertise, a proven track record of international brand expansion, and strong cultural fluency to build trusted partnerships across Latin America. This is a unique opportunity to join a purpose-led organization, work with an iconic global brand, and own transformational new market growth. WHY THIS ROLE IS VALUABLE As Director of Sales – LATAM, you will play a critical leadership role in shaping Ornua’s long-term growth strategy in one of the world’s most dynamic regions. You will have ownership of market entry, commercial execution, and profitability while building strong internal and external partnerships that bring our purpose and brands to life. WHAT YOU WILL BRING TO THE ROLE You bring a passion for big-picture thinking paired with a sharp attention to detail, along with the tenacity and resilience needed to see initiatives through from concept to execution. You are comfortable operating with a long-term mindset, maintaining focus and momentum to achieve sustainable results. You will also bring knowledge of the following key responsibilities: Market Expansion Strategy & Execution: Develop and lead the LATAM commercial strategy, including defining market entry models, channel and customer priorities, pricing, promotional and product strategies. Focus on Mexico as priority market, creating tailored growth plans based on consumer insights and preferences, category dynamics, and competitive dynamics, while starting to develop an approach for Brazil. Build detailed market launch roadmaps, including regulatory, import, and rout-to-market considerations, working cross-functionally with legal, regulatory supply and operations Revenue Growth and P&L Ownership: Deliver annual sales, distribution, and profit targets across LATAM region, with an emphasis on hitting KPIs in Mexico Own and manage the regional P&L, balancing pricing, trade spend, promotional ROIs and profit Own forecasting demand and co-create Supply Chain model that is efficient and meets financial objectives Evaluate and recommend margin improvement strategies in Year 1, including optimizing distributor model and supply chain efficiencies to enhance profitability Customer and Channel Development: Lead customer acquisition and build strategic partnerships with top retailers, distributors and eCommerce platforms in Mexico, as well as Brazil Deepen partnerships with key regional accounts such as Costco, Sam’s Club, and Walmart, ensuring close collaboration and alignment with US- based account leads Negotiate contracts, annual trade agreements and promotional calendars, launch innovation that is appropriate for the market Identify ways in and expand distribution footprint across modern trade, club and online to maximize brand reach Distributor and Partner Management: Oversee distributor relationships in Mexico and other LATAM markets, ensuring they deliver against commercial objectives, including Volume, Revenue, EBITA Establish route to market and identify distributor in Brazil who can deliver on our growth ambitions Ensure adherence to Ornua and Kerrygold brand standards and execution excellence across packaging, labelling, and in-market activation Manage documentation and regulatory reporting requirements, including those needed for Irish and local government compliance Leadership and Cross-Functional Alignment: Serve as a Senior Commercial voice for LATAM with Sales organization, translating global priorities into regional objectives Partner closely with Marketing, Category, Finance, Supply, Regulatory, and Legal to ensure seamless market entry and execution, as well as innovation pipeline that is tailored to LATAM consumer needs Collaborate with senior leadership on the long-term organizational design of LATAM operations At Ornua, success is not just about what you do — it’s how you do it. You demonstrate our values by seeking new ideas, making things happen, showing care for your teammates, being your authentic self, and achieving great things together.

Requirements

10+ years of progressive sales leadership experience in CPG industry, with a strong track record of international expansion and emerging markets
Bachelor’s degree required, MBA preferred
Proven experience launching and scaling brands in Latin America, with direct experience in Mexico
Deep understanding of retail dynamics, trade structures, distributor networks, and regulatory considerations in LATAM
Demonstrated success in customer acquisition, joint business planning, trade negotiations, and P&L ownership
Exceptional cross-cultural communication and relationship-building skills, fluency in Spanish required, Portuguese preferred.
Willingness to travel, both domestically and internationally
Self-motivated and positive attitude with great energy and growth mindset.
Passionate about good, high-quality food.

Nice To Haves

Experience launching and scaling brands on Brazil strongly preferred
Fluency in Portuguese preferred

Responsibilities

Develop and lead the LATAM commercial strategy, including defining market entry models, channel and customer priorities, pricing, promotional and product strategies.
Focus on Mexico as priority market, creating tailored growth plans based on consumer insights and preferences, category dynamics, and competitive dynamics, while starting to develop an approach for Brazil.
Build detailed market launch roadmaps, including regulatory, import, and rout-to-market considerations, working cross-functionally with legal, regulatory supply and operations
Deliver annual sales, distribution, and profit targets across LATAM region, with an emphasis on hitting KPIs in Mexico
Own and manage the regional P&L, balancing pricing, trade spend, promotional ROIs and profit
Own forecasting demand and co-create Supply Chain model that is efficient and meets financial objectives
Evaluate and recommend margin improvement strategies in Year 1, including optimizing distributor model and supply chain efficiencies to enhance profitability
Lead customer acquisition and build strategic partnerships with top retailers, distributors and eCommerce platforms in Mexico, as well as Brazil
Deepen partnerships with key regional accounts such as Costco, Sam’s Club, and Walmart, ensuring close collaboration and alignment with US- based account leads
Negotiate contracts, annual trade agreements and promotional calendars, launch innovation that is appropriate for the market
Identify ways in and expand distribution footprint across modern trade, club and online to maximize brand reach
Oversee distributor relationships in Mexico and other LATAM markets, ensuring they deliver against commercial objectives, including Volume, Revenue, EBITA
Establish route to market and identify distributor in Brazil who can deliver on our growth ambitions
Ensure adherence to Ornua and Kerrygold brand standards and execution excellence across packaging, labelling, and in-market activation
Manage documentation and regulatory reporting requirements, including those needed for Irish and local government compliance
Serve as a Senior Commercial voice for LATAM with Sales organization, translating global priorities into regional objectives
Partner closely with Marketing, Category, Finance, Supply, Regulatory, and Legal to ensure seamless market entry and execution, as well as innovation pipeline that is tailored to LATAM consumer needs
Collaborate with senior leadership on the long-term organizational design of LATAM operations