Sr. Director of Sales, Grocery Channel

Ocean Spray • Lakeville, MN

1d • Remote

About The Position

The Senior Director of Sales – Grocery Channel is a critical commercial leadership role responsible for driving topline growth, profitability, and strategic execution across the U.S. grocery channel. This leader will own customer strategy, sales execution, and trade investment optimization while building long-term partnerships with key retail customers. Building internal influence with key stakeholders and actively leading the sales organization is paramount to success. The role requires a balance of strategic vision, customer influence, operational excellence, and inspirational leadership to deliver sustainable growth and competitive advantage.

Requirements

• 10+ years of progressive leadership experience in Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) sales.
• Deep expertise in grocery channel management, including national and regional retailers.
• Proven track record managing large-scale P&L and trade investments.
• Strong experience leading high-performing sales teams and developing talent.
• Experience with broker-led selling models and complex account structures.
• Demonstrated ability to influence internally and externally at senior executive levels.
• Bachelor's or University Degree (Required)

Nice To Haves

• Experience in Revenue Growth Management (RGM) or advanced analytics
• Omnichannel / eCommerce grocery experience
• Master's Degree (Preferred)

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute a 3–5 year strategic plan for the Grocery channel aligned with enterprise growth priorities.
• Define customer segmentation and prioritization strategy (e.g., national vs. regional grocery chains, emerging retailers).
• Lead joint business planning (JBP) with top retail partners, establishing shared growth objectives, category vision, and innovation pipelines.
• Anticipate shifts in shopper behavior, retailer strategies (private label, omnichannel), and competitive dynamics to proactively adapt plans.
• Deliver annual and long-range revenue, volume, and profit targets across key product categories.
• Identify and unlock growth opportunities through: Assortment optimization, Distribution expansion, Pricing and promotion strategy, Innovation launches and commercialization.
• Drive execution excellence in-store and online, ensuring strong shelf presence and digital visibility.
• Own and optimize trade spend investments, ensuring strong ROI and alignment with strategic priorities.
• Manage full channel P&L responsibility, including forecast accuracy, margin delivery, and cost control.
• Partner with Revenue Growth Management (RGM) teams to Improve promotional effectiveness, Enhance pricing architecture, Drive profitable growth.
• Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing team of 4 direct and 11 indirect reports.
• Build strong leadership bench strength and succession plans.
• Establish a performance-driven culture with clear accountability, metrics, and continuous feedback.
• Inspire cross-functional collaboration across sales, marketing, supply chain, and finance.
• Serve as executive sponsor for key national and regional grocery accounts by building multi-level relationships across organizations including executive levels, category, merchandising, and replenishment.
• Lead and align broker organization(s) to execute against company strategy and customer priorities.
• Own demand forecasting and sales planning aligned with S&OP processes.
• Leverage data and insights (Circana, shopper data, retailer insights) to Identify category growth drivers, Improve decision-making, Track performance vs. objectives.
• Partner with Sales Strategy, Marketing, and Category teams to bring consumer-relevant innovation to market.
• Drive speed-to-market and successful commercialization across grocery customers.
• Monitor industry trends and competitive activity to maintain a leading market position.

Benefits

• Complete insurance package on Day-1 that includes a plethora of health and wellness programs
• Health, Dental and Vision insurance
• Health savings account
• Flexible spending account
• Life and accident insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Telehealth services
• 1:1 health coaching
• Supportive benefits for all the stages of your life
• 401(k) with up to 6% Company matching; additional potential discretionary match at year-end
• Short-Term Incentive/Performance bonuses
• Flexible scheduling options
• Vacation pay, up to three weeks of time (pro-rated for your first year of employment)
• Holiday pay for 12 holidays
• Career development and growth opportunities
• Tuition/Education assistance programs
• Access to LinkedIn Learning
• Scholarship programs for children of employees
• Parental leave
• Bright Horizons Family Solutions – Back-up care, tutoring, etc.
• Adoption assistance
• Bereavement leave
• Up to $300 fitness reimbursement
• Up to $300 massage reimbursement
• Employee appreciation events
• Employee discounts
• Charitable giving

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director