Vice President Of Sales

Stanislaus Food Products • Modesto, CA

5d • $190,000 - $225,000

About The Position

Stanislaus Food Products is a nationally recognized, family-owned company known for crafting the finest Italian-style tomatoes and sauces for top-quality Italian restaurants and pizzerias. If you take pride in the quality of your work and prefer working on a team of talented individuals who share your passion for excellence, we invite you to apply for this exciting opportunity! The Vice President of Sales is a senior leader responsible for leading, directing, and executing the company’s sales strategy across all channels and customer segments. This role combines strategic leadership with hands-on operational ownership, ensuring consistent market execution, strong distributor and customer relationships, and alignment between Sales, Operations, Marketing, and Executive Leadership. This position serves as the primary escalation point for complex sales issues, distributor relationships, and market-facing decisions, while also owning critical internal processes that enable the sales organization to operate efficiently and credibly. This role is both strategic and operational in nature and requires a leader who is comfortable making decisions, owning outcomes, and serving as the connective tissue between the market and the organization.

Requirements

• Executive judgment and decision-making.
• Strong distributor and customer relationship management.
• Ability to balance strategic thinking with hands-on execution.
• Conflict resolution and de-escalation.
• Cross-functional leadership and influence.
• Clear, professional written and verbal communication.
• Deep understanding of sales operations, distribution models, and market dynamics.
• 10-15 years demonstrated leadership experience in sales or commercial strategy.
• Proven experience managing national or regional distributor relationships.
• Demonstrated ability to lead through complexity and ambiguity.
• Experience working cross-functionally with Operations, Marketing, Finance, and Executive Leadership.
• Willingness to engage directly in operational details when required.
• Rare lifting, carrying, pushing, and/or pulling; rare stooping, kneeling, crouching, and/or crawling; and frequent fine finger dexterity.
• Generally, the job requires the following percentages of time committed to physical activity: 75% or more sitting, 25% or less walking, and 25% or less standing.
• Unrestricted visual and audio abilities are required for the safety of all employees.
• The ability to lift up to 35 lbs. is required.

Nice To Haves

• Bachelor’s degree in Sales or related field is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Sales Strategy & Executive Leadership: Develop and articulate the company’s sales philosophy, growth strategy, and market posture in alignment with executive leadership. Advise the President and senior leadership on sales-related risks, opportunities, and trade-offs. Evaluate and recommend pursuit of strategic contracts, growth opportunities, and partnerships. Represent the Sales function in executive planning, strategic initiatives, and cross-functional leadership discussions.
• Distributor & Key Account Leadership: Serve as the senior point of contact for national and regional distributors, key accounts, and category management teams. Own executive-level distributor relationships, including issue resolution, negotiations, and escalation management. Oversee distributor onboarding, item setup coordination, and exception approvals. Manage sensitive commercial matters such as deductions, OS&D claims, loyalty programs, and fulfillment exceptions.
• Market Communication & Product Execution: Lead sales-side communication for product launches, reformulations, packaging changes, and transitions. Ensure distributors and customers receive clear, timely guidance on product availability and ordering continuity. Coordinate with Marketing, Sales Operations, and Supply Chain to align messaging, training, and rollout timing. Protect market credibility by preventing miscommunication or over-commitment.
• Broker Action Report (BAR) Ownership: Maintain direct accountability for assigned Broker Action Reports (BARs). Personally engage with customers when required to resolve BAR-related issues. Ensure BARs are completed, extended, or withdrawn appropriately and within required timelines. Act as a de-escalation point to protect sales representatives and preserve customer relationships.
• Internal Sales Operations Leadership: Provide day-to-day directions to Sales Administration, Sales Information, and related support functions. Clarify internal ownership of requests across Sales, Marketing, Operations, and Finance. Approve exceptions to standard process when required to support strategic sales objectives. Maintain institutional knowledge of sales policies, historical decisions, and customer-specific nuances.
• Planning, Forecasting & Performance Oversight: Participate in regular sales planning, process review, and performance meetings. Review distributor scorecards, performance reports, and key metrics. Identify systemic issues and determine when escalation or corrective action is required. Support National Sales Meeting (NSM) planning, preparation, and execution.
• Strategic Initiative Ownership: Act as Sales owner or co-owner for cross-functional strategic initiatives. Drive initiatives related to technology integration, process improvement, and cross-brand alignment. Ensure sales considerations are embedded in broader operational and organizational changes.

Benefits

• Physical Wellness – Medical plan options, Dental, Vision.
• Social Wellness – Paid Time Off, Company Holidays, Federal and State Leave of Absences.
• Development Wellness – Recognition, Development Training Programs, Succession Planning, Tuition Reimbursement.
• Emotional Wellness – Employee Assistance Program, People Operations Department -Open Door Policy.
• Financial Wellness – Competitive Salary, Performance based bonus, 401k Program, Life Insurance.
• Nutrition Wellness – Access to best-in-class tomato sauce and olive oil products.

What This Job Offers

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