Sales Director

National Sales Director – Branded Products Office Location: Totowa, NJ Preferred Candidate Location: New Jersey or the East Coast. Regular monthly meetings at the Totowa office are required. About the Company Our client is the U.S. subsidiary of a leading Italian food company and one of the major partners in the export of premium Italian and European foods to the United States. The Group is recognized as a leader in private label program development, partnering with top U.S. retailers to design, source, and manage authentic, high-quality food assortments. Building on this expertise, the company is now accelerating the growth of its branded business, with the ambition of establishing a portfolio of premium brands across the U.S. retail market. This is a unique opportunity to join a successful entrepreneurial organization and play a key role in building the next phase of its commercial growth. The Role We are seeking an entrepreneurial National Sales Director to lead the commercial development of our client’s branded portfolio across the U.S. retail market. This role is ideal for a builder—not someone who simply manages existing business, but a commercial leader who has successfully launched brands, opened new distribution, secured shelf placement, increased velocity, and created sustainable retail growth. The successful candidate will combine strategic vision with a hands-on approach, personally driving customer relationships while coordinating Marketing, Trade Marketing, Operations, Finance, distributors, brokers, and European stakeholders. As the branded business grows, the National Sales Director will build, coach, and lead a high-performing U.S. sales organization. Responsibilities Develop and execute the U.S. commercial strategy for the branded portfolio. Drive revenue growth through new customer acquisition, distribution expansion, shelf placement, and velocity—not simply account maintenance. Build and manage relationships with key retail buyers, distributors, and broker partners. Lead and manage broker networks through clear KPIs and performance metrics. Lead customer presentations, retail visits, line reviews, and commercial negotiations. Own pricing, trade investment, promotional budgets, slotting, customer marketing funds, chargebacks, and promotional ROI. Leverage Nielsen/Circana data to identify opportunities and support customer selling strategies. Lead category reviews, assortment planning, and category reset discussions. Own sales forecasting, budgets, and commercial P&L performance. Build and lead the U.S. branded sales organization. Partner cross-functionally with Marketing, Operations, Supply Chain, Finance, and European leadership. Requirements 10+ years of sales leadership experience within premium or specialty branded Food CPG, serving natural and conventional retail channels. Proven success launching and scaling branded products through new distribution, shelf expansion, and velocity growth. Active relationships with key retail buyers, including Whole Foods, Sprouts, Kroger, Target, Publix, Albertsons, and similar retailers. Strong experience managing distributors such as UNFI and KeHE, as well as broker networks. Experience leading category reviews, assortment planning, category resets, and slotting negotiations. Strong commercial and financial acumen, including P&L ownership, trade investment, promotional ROI, and Nielsen/Circana data. Ability to demonstrate measurable commercial KPIs, including distribution gains, doors opened, velocity, fill rates, and revenue growth. Entrepreneurial, hands-on leader with experience building and developing high-performing sales teams. Experience introducing premium imported or specialty food brands into the U.S. market is strongly preferred. Excellent leadership, communication, negotiation, and relationship-building skills. Willingness to travel at least 30%. Annual performance-based bonus of 20–25%. Medical, dental, and vision insurance covered 100% by the company through UnitedHealthcare. 401(k) with 3% company match, available after one year. Opportunity to build and lead the U.S. branded sales organization of a rapidly growing international food company. Close collaboration with executive leadership across both the U.S. and Europe. #J-18808-Ljbffr