Director of Sales & CPG – Fast growing food and beverage company

Company Summary: 

Leading plant-based fast-moving food restaurant. Has rapidly become a tech-based, customer-focused dining experience that is unlike any other. Their purpose is to open up the conversation on vegan food options for people who have never considered them.

Position Summary

The Director of Sales and Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) will oversee the retail/ merchandise department and all its operations. Steer brand management and expansion into vertical and horizontal markets. The Sales and CPG Director will liaise directly with external agencies and is responsible for assessing and creating the company’s retail sales strategy, short-range and long-range planning. The Director will create sales plans as they execute these plans and provide data-driven statistical benchmarking to measure campaign success.  This role will work cross-functionally with other team leads to ensure brand alignment, critical growth, increases in sales and productivity. The ideal candidate is enthusiastic, engaging, and experienced in running national campaigns. Well-connected and well-versed in retail chain partnerships. Understands the creative process, and is able to provide leadership, direction, and inspiration.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop annual sales proposal and long-range strategy.
• Providing the vision for how CPG fits within overall business goals and provide innovative ideas to propel sales quotas forward year-over-year
• Proactively build and leverages relationships with relevant internal partners, external partners, and key stakeholders to develop a sustainable partner network and support business outcomes.
• Formulate data-driven strategy to leverage information on customer base to formulate an aggressive brand expansion strategy.
• Introduce products/brand into new vertical and horizontal markets including regional grocers and retail stores.
• Cultivate customer preference, establish company as an industry lead, drive impact for the customer
• Provides support for merchandising team in maintaining operational excellence, customer health and ensuring consumption process compliance by coaching the team to leverage key tools, programs, and insights, orchestrating consumption rhythms of business
• Leverage restaurant industry experience and initiative to identify areas for cost cutting and/or revenue improvement.
• Prepare and present annual budgets per business unit with quarterly updated rolling forecasts.
• Execute effectively and efficiently on all retail efforts.
• Support creative campaigns help generate high consumer participation in new location openings
• Drive Retail Team’s understanding of strategic intent, business outcomes, develop key performance indicators (KPIs)
• Achieve sales and strategic brand expansion objectives.
• Work to develop strategies to increase brand recognition, market share and tap into new markets
• Understand our industry, market changes, competitors, and financial trends
• Monitor Nielsen or NPD ratings
• Monitor supplier/customer agreements, respective revenue and cost associated with them.
• Foster a performance driven environment with quarterly staff performance reviews, identifying training needs and mentor/coach Retail/ Sales staff.
• Serve as a key member of the senior management team to develop cross-functional and strategic business plans, forecasts, and feasibility studies.
• Support the company’s financial planning and reporting in preparation for public trading
• Contribute to a team culture by working with other department leads in support of their strategies to achieve the strategic business plan.
• Serve as a key advisor to C-Suite regarding strategic projects, business cadence, and sales trend analysis.
• Supervise Retail/Sales Team strive to meet industry standards in terms of accuracy, quality, timings, execution, and delivery.
• Be familiar with Best Practices in the business and industry.

 Qualifications and Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, advertising, business administration or related field. MBA preferred.
• 10+years’ experience in CPG (Consumer Packaged Goods) Brand/Product Management, (Experience in restaurant/food industry/ retail expansion/ regional grocers/specialty goods)
• 5+years of relevant experience with research techniques & solutions in the related industries of Consumer-Packaged Goods, Marketing, Analytics and Sales.
• Experience with Nielsen or NPD rating system
• Product management, innovation/development, and pricing/trade sales expertise.