Director of Sales

The Director of Sales is a senior commercial leader responsible for building and sustaining Live Oak Brewing Company’s revenue engine across all trade channels in Texas. This individual owns the full arc of go-to-market execution—from high-level chain strategy and distributor partnership to ground-level account activation—and serves as the primary commercial bridge between brewing operations, brand management, and the wholesale network.

The role demands an equally skilled strategist and field operator: someone who can present a polished market plan to a major retailer’s buyer in the morning and conduct a hands‑on ride‑along with a distributor team in the afternoon. Four primary responsibility buckets define the position.

Off- and on-premise chain retail relationships and all supporting calendar, programming, and pricing work.

The Director of Sales serves as Live Oak’s primary point of contact for major off-premise and on-premise retail chains throughout Texas. This requires the ability to build genuine buyer relationships, navigate complex category review cycles, and ensure the brand is well-positioned at every level of the retail shelf.

Core retail chain relationships managed by this role include:

• Regional off-premise chains (multiple)

Beyond off‑premise retail, the Director is charged with building and growing a portfolio of on‑premise chain relationships—restaurants, bars, and hospitality groups—that represent a strategic second channel for draft and package sales. This includes prospecting new accounts, presenting the Live Oak portfolio, and negotiating program agreements.

Across all chain accounts, the Director owns the following recurring work streams:

• Calendar Management: Coordinating the timing of promotions, resets, and new‑item launches against each retailer’s planning cycles.
• Brand Submissions: Preparing and submitting brand and item proposals to chain category managers within required windows.
• Space Planning: Working with retailers and distributor partners on shelf and cooler placement to maximize visibility and velocity.
• Programming: Designing and executing seasonal and feature programs that drive incremental volume.
• Pricing: Managing price architecture by chain to maintain competitive positioning and margin targets.
• Costs, Allowances &
  
  Incentives:
  
  Negotiating and tracking trade spend commitments, post-offs, and performance incentives with each account.

Live Oak’s wholesale network is the operational backbone of its Texas distribution strategy. The Director of Sales is accountable for driving performance, alignment, and enthusiasm across every wholesale partner, ensuring that distributor sales teams are properly equipped and motivated to grow the brand.

Wholesale Partner Network

• Houston Distributing
• Capital Reyes Distributing
• Jack Hilliard Distributing
• Faust Distributing

Initiative Driving:

• Planning:
  Developing joint business plans and monthly programming calendars with key distributor contacts.
• New Item Forms & Launch Support:
  Completing and submitting all required new-item paperwork and coordinating distributor-level launch activities.
• Scheduling & Ride-Alongs:
  Regularly accompanying distributor sales representatives in the field—planning routes, coaching on selling techniques, and calling on accounts together.
• Sales Meetings & Presentations:
  Planning and executing live sales meetings for distributor teams, including developing and delivering PowerPoint presentations to large audiences. Exceptional public speaking is essential.
• Brand Manager Alignment:
  Maintaining timely, consistent communication with Live Oak Brand Managers to ensure distributor messaging and market priorities are synchronized.

A high-functioning Director of Sales operates as a full commercial partner to the brewery’s internal teams—not simply a field sales function. This role requires close integration with production planning and brand management to ensure market strategy and operational capacity are always aligned.

Production & Forecasting

• Partnering with the production team on volume forecasting for both core SKUs and seasonal…