Head of Retail

Ultra Pouches•New York City, NY

About The Position

Ultra™ is already the #1 brand of nicotine-free pouches in the world and we only launched 6 months ago —we’re just getting started. Our mission is to build the category-defining brand of functional pouches for people who want enhanced performance without the crash, addiction, or long-term downsides. Ultra does not just make a pouch that is somewhat “better for you” than Zyn. We make functional performance products that are actively good for you. The market shift is massive: nicotine pouch sales are up 3,000% since 2019 and projected to reach $20B by 2026. Consumers are adopting the pouch form factor at scale, and many are now seeking nicotine-free functional benefits in a pouch. Ultra is positioned to lead that wave. As Head of Retail at ULTRA , you will own the strategy and execution of our retail launch and scale-up—starting in 2026 and extending far beyond. Your mandate is clear: develop + execute ULTRA’s 2026 Retail Launch Plan , turn retail into a repeatable growth channel, and build the sales, distribution, and operational engine required to aggressively scale to $75M+ in retail revenue in 2027 You’ll be responsible for everything from go-to-market strategy and account acquisition to field execution, distributor and broker management, team hiring, and retail performance instrumentation . This is a true builder role: you’ll design the playbook, pressure-test it in the field, and refine it into a system that scales. You’ll work directly with the founders and cross-functional leaders (Growth, Ops, Finance, Marketing) to ensure retail growth is disciplined, data-driven, and aligned with ULTRA’s broader strategy. This is not a “spray-and-pray” retail role—we care about depth, velocity, and learning , not vanity door counts.

Requirements

You’ve built and scaled retail or wholesale channels at a high-growth CPG brand—and understand what breaks when brands move too fast.
You’re fluent in distributors, brokers, field teams, and key accounts , and know when to lean on each.
You’re data-driven and disciplined—you care about velocity, reorder behavior, and contribution margin , not vanity door counts.
You’ve hired and led sales, field, and ops teams before and know how to create accountability in the real world.
You’re comfortable operating in ambiguity, testing hypotheses, and refining strategy based on live results.
You think like an owner and operate with conviction—clear on when to push hard and when to slow down.
You embody ULTRA’s values: Move fast. Be data-driven. Take ownership. Build with intention. Compete to win.