North America Sales Director

Ensign-Bickford Industries, Inc.•St. Charles, MO

About The Position

At AFB International (the global science & technology leader in pet food palatability), we don’t just make pet food taste better, we develop and deliver liquid and dry palatant solutions that optimize companion-animal response and consumption and help our customers win in one of the world’s fastest-growing industries. As part of Ensign-Bickford Industries, we combine innovation, science, and partnership to deliver palatability solutions that drive pet owner loyalty and brand success. Join AFB International and you’ll be part of a team of highly skilled professionals who are genuinely dedicated to making a difference in the lives of pets and pet parents. We’re looking for a Sales Director who can elevate performance, inspire excellence, and expand our leadership across North America. You’ll build and lead a dynamic, high-performing sales team, managing strategic accounts and partnerships with the industry’s most respected brands. You will define and execute the regional growth strategy, drive profitable revenue and margin performance, deepen strategic relationships with major pet-food manufacturers, and embed AFB’s standard work, the Ensign-Bickford Operating System (EBOS) competency, and customer-centric culture across the team. This is a high-impact role for a proven growth leader — someone who thrives on building strategy, developing people, and turning opportunity into results.

Requirements

A strategic commercial leader with 10+ years of progressive sales leadership experience, preferably in the pet food/palatant, food ingredients, animal nutrition sectors, or related B2B manufacturing environment.
A builder and motivator of teams skilled at leading through influence, empowering others, and fostering accountability with a track record of leading regional sales teams
A trusted partner to customers and internal teams, with exceptional communication and executive presence.
A strategic account enthusiast with experience in key account management, strategic selling and complex contract negotiations.
A data-driven strategist who thrives in dynamic, growth-oriented environments with a strong foundation in CRM systems, funnel management and sales forecasting.
A continuous improvement champion that flourishes in lean operating systems and a continuous improvement culture.
A business athlete that is competitive, resilient, and inspired by delivering excellence every day.
Bachelor’s degree required

Nice To Haves

MBA or advanced business education preferred.

Responsibilities

Drive Strategy & Growth Executes the North American commercial strategy to achieve annual and long-term sales growth and profitability goals, including market segmentation, prioritization of accounts, pricing architecture, and territory design.
Increase our market share by identify and capturing new, high-potential opportunities as well as expanding our “wallet share” across pet food manufacturers, co-manufacturers, and strategic partners.
Collaborate with the global leadership team to align regional execution with enterprise strategy.
Inspire and Develop a High-Performing Team Lead, mentor, and develop a team of USA Account Managers driving accountability, engagement, and results.
Promote and drive a culture of continuous improvement, innovation, and collaboration.
Attract, retain, and develop top commercial talent in the organization.
Deepen Customer Impact Cultivate long-term executive relationships with key accounts built on trust, partnership, and innovation.
Collaborate with R&D, Customer Technical Services, Product Management, Marketing, Operations and Supply Chain to align product innovation, commercialization and service delivery with customer needs.
Anticipate customer needs and market shifts — shaping offerings that keep AFB International ahead of the curve.
Deliver Operational and Financial Excellence Lead forecasting, funnel management, pricing strategy, and contract negotiation with precision and strategic foresight.
Execute the commercial P&L for N. America, ensuring consistent performance to plan: revenue growth, margin expansion and working capital improvements.
Reinforce CRM (e.g. Salesforce.com) discipline, and leverage insights and data analytics to drive decision-making and growth predictability.