Head of Sales

Making sure you fit the guidelines as an applicant for this role is essential, please read the below carefully.

** THIS IS NOT A ROLE WITH FORCEBRANDS**

Our client is a fast-growing, founder-led food brand building a new generation of better-for-you, affordable products. After establishing strong consumer demand and rapidly expanding into retail, we’re looking for a hands-on sales leader to help grow the business across grocery, natural, mass, convenience, food service, and other high-potential channels. The company is profitable, independently built, and moving quickly. This is an opportunity to help shape the next stage of growth as the first dedicated retail sales hire.

The Head of Retail Sales will own and grow the company’s retail business, reporting directly to the Founder and CEO. You’ll lead existing retailer relationships, open new accounts, and build the systems and processes needed to support a larger retail organization. This role is suited to a strategic, commercially minded builder who is equally comfortable setting direction and managing day-to-day execution.

You’ll work closely with Finance, Operations, Supply Chain, and Marketing to grow distribution while protecting profitability.

• Own sales targets, forecasting, and P&L performance across retail accounts
• Build and maintain strong relationships with retail buyers and brokers
• Negotiate assortment, pricing, promotions, and account terms
• Manage trade spend, deductions, and promotional investment while protecting margins
• Partner with Operations to monitor inventory, fill rates, out-of-stocks, and pricing compliance
• Pursue distribution and revenue growth while maintaining disciplined account and assortment strategies

• Develop the retail expansion strategy across grocery, natural, mass, club, convenience, food service, and other relevant channels
• Identify and prioritize prospective retailers based on growth potential and strategic fit
• Build relationships with buyers and key decision-makers
• Lead the sales process from prospecting and presentations through negotiation, launch, and reorder
• Create a repeatable process for retailer outreach and new account development
• Identify and attend trade shows and retail events that support new business and existing partnerships

• Establish the systems, processes, and tools needed to support a growing retail business
• Create scalable processes for account onboarding, launches, order management, forecasting, promotions, deductions, and account management
• Build reporting to track performance across retailers, distributors, products, and markets
• Develop processes for managing brokers, distributors, and cross-functional partners
• Identify operational bottlenecks and build solutions as the business grows
• Help determine the people, technology, and external partners needed to support the next stage of growth

Track key metrics including sales dollars, units, distribution, points of distribution, velocity, xzgxqkn and market share

Develop actionable reporting using syndicated and point-of-sale data

Build and execute plans to close performance gaps

Partner with Marketing on retail programs, shopper marketing, demos, and in-store activation

Work with Operations on forecasting, inventory management, and sales operations

• 7+ years of CPG retail sales experience, including leadership experience at a high-growth brand
• Experience scaling a brand from limited distribution to national retail presence
• Experience managing national mass, grocery, or club accounts;
  Target, Walmart, and Costco experience is especially valuable
• A track record of building distribution with limited existing infrastructure
• Strong command of retail math, trade spend, and syndicated data
• Experience managing brokers
• Food and beverage experience preferred; dry goods, better-for-you, or snacking experience is a plus
• A self-directed, hands-on approach and comfort working in a fast-paced environment