Manager, Sales & Commercialization

Job Description

Job Description

Position Overview

The Manager, Sales Commercialization sits at the center of how our company brings its biggest commercial bets to life. This role owns the sales-side project management for innovation launches, retailer programs, and channel expansion — while also driving the analytics, storytelling, and strategic planning that help the Sales team win at the shelf level.

This is not a passive coordinator role. The ideal candidate is equal parts strategic thinker, execution driver, and insight translator — someone who can run a complex cross-functional launch plan in the morning and build a retailer sell-in narrative in the afternoon. They are a central voice in weekly Active Project Meetings and monthly stage-gate reviews, representing the Sales and Business Analytics team with clarity and credibility.

Key Responsibilities

Commercialization Project Management & Leadership

• Own the integrated project plan on the sales side for all major commercial initiatives — new item launches, packaging transitions, customer-specific programs, and channel expansions.
  
• Act as the Sales & Business Analytics team lead in weekly Active Project Meetings and monthly stage-gate meetings, driving accountability and alignment across workstreams.
  
• Develop customer- and channel-specific launch strategies that reflect each retailer's unique dynamics, timing requirements, and growth priorities.
  
• Manage cross-functional launch readiness processes and milestone tracking
  
• Ensure alignment across Sales, Marketing, Operations, Demand Planning, and Finance at every stage of the commercialization process.
  
• Proactively surface blockers, trade-offs, and risks to leadership before they become execution failures.
  

Sales Strategy & Planning

• Partner with Sales Leadership to operationalize annual planning priorities: distribution targets, velocity goals, customer business plans, and channel growth strategies.
  
• Support customer business planning and commercialization execution across key retail partners including mass, grocery, natural, and convenience channels.
  
• Develop retailer-specific sell-in materials and launch recommendations that connect our innovation pipeline to customer growth objectives.
  
• Identify distribution, assortment, and channel whitespace opportunities and translate them into actionable commercial plans.
  

Innovation & New Item Commercialization

• Lead end-to-end commercialization for new SKUs, line extensions, and packaging changes — from sell-in readiness through in-store availability.
  
• Ensure customer requirements (item setup, lead times, promotional windows) are built into every launch plan from day one.
  
• Collaborate with Innovation and Marketing on packaging, positioning, and launch timing to maximize sell-through.
  
• Build and iterate on launch playbooks that improve speed-to-shelf over time.
  
• Partner with Demand Planning on launch forecasts, inventory build strategies, and in-stock readiness for new and existing items.
  
• Champion a culture of accountability and continuous improvement across the commercial organization.
  

Business Analytics & Performance

• Build launch forecasts and commercialization assumptions that inform demand planning, inventory readiness, and trade investment decisions.
  
• Track innovation performance against success metrics (distribution, velocity, share) and synthesize learnings into actionable recommendations.
  
• Analyze pricing, promotional, and distribution effectiveness using syndicated data (SPINS, IRI/Circana, Nielsen) and customer-provided data to identify growth levers.
  
• Develop recommendations to improve launch ROI and overall commercial performance, connecting data to decision-making at the leadership level.
  

Insights & Storytelling

• Translate consumer, shopper, and category insights into customer-facing recommendations that are relevant, timely, and persuasive.
  
• Build compelling retailer narratives that support innovation launches, distribution expansion, and growth initiatives — tailored to each customer's priorities.
  
• Partner with the Insights and Category Management teams to identify whitespace opportunities and category trends that unlock new commercial possibilities.
  
• Serve as a storytelling bridge between internal data and external customer conversations, turning complex analysis into clear, confident selling stories.
  

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

• 5–7 years of experience in Sales Commercialization, Sales Strategy, Sales Analytics, Commercial Planning, or related CPG function.
  
• Proven track record managing complex cross-functional projects from strategy through execution.
  
• Deep understanding of CPG go-to-market processes: retailer sell-in, item setup, trade planning, stage-gate reviews, and launch execution.
  
• Strong analytical skills with direct experience using syndicated data platforms (SPINS, IRI/Circana, or Nielsen) to build narratives and support commercial decisions.
  
• Demonstrated ability to build retailer-facing sell-in materials, category stories, and launch presentations.
  
• Exceptional organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple simultaneous initiatives without losing accuracy or urgency.
  
• Natural cross-functional collaborator who can drive alignment across Sales, Marketing, Finance, and Supply Chain without direct authority.
  
• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Supply Chain, Finance, or related field.
  

Preferred

• Experience at a high-growth emerging CPG brand scaling through the $50M–$500M revenue range.
  
• Background spanning both a large, structured Food Manufacturers and a leaner emerging brand — you know both playbooks and can adapt them.
  
• Experience in better-for-you food, snack, or protein categories.
  
• Familiarity with Walmart, Target, Kroger, Publix, Albertsons, or Sprouts customer planning processes.
  
• Experience managing or leading stage-gate and commercialization review meetings.
  
• Proficiency in project management tools (Asana, Monday.com, Smartsheet) and business intelligence or reporting platforms.