Regional Sales Manager

*This is NOT a job at ForceBrands*

RRegional Sales Manager, Independent Accounts

Position Summary

The Regional Sales Manager will lead the strategy, growth, and execution of a national portfolio of independent and regional retail accounts. This role is responsible for expanding profitable distribution, increasing product velocity, improving assortment quality, and ensuring strong broker and distributor performance.

The ideal candidate combines the urgency of a high-growth challenger-brand operator with the commercial discipline of an experienced CPG sales leader. This individual must be comfortable using data to sell, building customer plans, managing trade investments, and translating market insights into action.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the national strategy for natural, specialty, gourmet, regional grocery, and other high-potential independent retail accounts.
• Develop annual and quarterly customer plans that deliver sales, distribution, velocity, merchandising, and profitability targets.
• Manage relationships with buyers, distributors, brokers, and other decision-makers across the independent channel.
• Secure new item authorizations, expanded distribution, stronger assortments, promotional support, displays, and improved shelf placement.
• Prepare and lead customer presentations, line reviews, business reviews, and new-business pitches using category, shopper, and performance data.
• Establish clear broker and distributor KPIs related to distribution, void closures, pricing, promotions, displays, product launches, and follow-through.
• Evaluate pricing, promotional, and trade-spending opportunities based on ROI, margin impact, customer economics, and long-term growth potential.
• Monitor shelf conditions, pricing, promotional compliance, display presence, and competitive activity through store visits, market tours, and distributor ride-alongs.
• Analyze syndicated, shipment, POS, and internal data to identify opportunities, risks, and recommended actions.
• Collaborate with Marketing, Field Marketing, Customer Success, Supply Chain, Finance, Operations, and leadership to support forecasting and execution.
• Provide marketplace feedback that helps improve innovation, packaging, promotional programs, and customer support.
• Represent the organization professionally with customers, brokers, distributors, and internal stakeholders.

Qualifications

• 7–10+ years of progressive CPG sales experience, preferably within food and beverage.
• Strong experience managing independent retailers, regional distributors, and broker networks.
• Demonstrated success growing a brand in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment.
• Experience using syndicated data platforms such as SPINS, NIQ/Nielsen, Circana/IRI, or similar tools.
• Strong knowledge of pricing, promotions, trade spending, customer economics, and financial evaluation.
• Experience in natural, organic, snack, or better-for-you categories is preferred.
• Familiarity with conventional and natural independent channels, distributor economics, and regional market development.
• Strong commercial judgment, analytical ability, and strategic selling skills.
• Excellent written, verbal, presentation, and relationship-building capabilities.
• Proficiency in Excel and PowerPoint.
• Ability to influence cross-functional partners and external stakeholders without relying on formal authority.
• Highly accountable, organized, responsive, and able to balance strategy with hands-on execution.

Measures of Success

• Success will be evaluated based on net sales growth, profitable distribution gains, product velocity, assortment quality, trade ROI, retail execution, broker and distributor performance, forecast accuracy, and the strength of customer and internal relationships.