National Sales Director - Better-For-You Food & Beverage / CPG

Job Description

Job Description

This is a high-velocity leadership mandate for a seasoned commercial architect to lead the national retail expansion of a disruptive "Better-For-You" CPG platform. The organization is a high-growth category challenger backed by a sophisticated investment group, currently poised to transition from regional success to a dominant national presence across all major retail channels.

The incoming National Sales Director will be tasked with architecting the go-to-market strategy for a brand that is outperforming legacy competitors in velocity and consumer engagement. The mandate is to transition the business from "early-stage" distribution to a disciplined, national account framework. This is a role for a high-stakes "Hunter" who possesses the grit to secure net-new slotting and the strategic sophistication to manage the complexities of trade spend and category management at scale.

KEY LEADERSHIP MANDATES

• Tier-1 Distribution Expansion: Drive aggressive net-new ACV growth by securing direct-buy listings and primary placement within National Grocery, Mass, and Club channels.

• Broker Network Optimization: Architect and lead a high-performing national broker network, implementing rigorous KPIs to ensure accountability and shelf-level execution.

• Top-to-Top Relationship Management: Leverage existing deep-level relationships with category managers at marquee retailers (Whole Foods, Kroger, Target, Costco) to fast-track innovation placement.

• Trade Spend & P&L Stewardship: Full accountability for the sales P&L, ensuring a disciplined approach to trade spend, promotional calendars, and deduction management to protect net margins.

• Category Leadership: Utilize syndicated data (SPINS/IRI/Nielsen) to develop compelling, data-driven narratives that secure preferential shelf positioning and secondary displays.

• Forecast Accuracy: Partner with Operations and Supply Chain to provide high-fidelity sales forecasting, ensuring 98%+ fill rates during periods of rapid geographic expansion.

• Sales Infrastructure Development: Build the internal commercial "playbook," including standardized sales decks, pricing architectures, and promotional guidelines for a growing sales team.

• Omnichannel Synergy: Align brick-and-mortar strategies with e-commerce and D2C initiatives to ensure brand consistency and maximum household penetration.

IDEAL EXECUTIVE PROFILE

The successful candidate is a high-performing sales leader with a proven track record in the Better-For-You, Organic, or Functional Food/Beverage sectors. You have successfully led a brand through the "scaling chasm," growing revenue from $10M to $50M+, and possess a verifiable history of winning national slotting in competitive categories. You are a metrics-obsessed strategist who thrives in high-pressure, fast-growth environments and possesses the executive presence to present to a sophisticated Board of Directors.

WHAT MAKES THIS OPPORTUNITY DISTINCT

This role offers the rare chance to be the primary commercial architect for a brand that is genuinely reshaping its category. Unlike legacy CPG roles focused on incremental maintenance, this position is focused on explosive value creation. You will have the autonomy to build a national sales engine from the ground up, supported by a product line with proven consumer pull and the capital backing to win on the national stage.