Chief Customer Officer (CCO)

Job Description

Job Description

Description:

The Chief Customer Officer (CCO) owns and elevates the company’s customer strategy, relationships, and commercial performance across the produce and deli categories, while leading and developing a high-performing customer and commercial organization.

This leader is responsible for building, aligning, and inspiring a large team to deliver disciplined execution, strong customer outcomes, and consistent commercial results in a fast-paced, perishable food environment where speed, service, and precision matter every day.

Through both direct leadership and cross-functional influence, the CCO builds deep, trusted partnerships with key customers, unlocks new growth opportunities, and ensures the organization executes with clarity, urgency, and accountability.

As the voice of the customer at the executive table, this leader plays a central role in shaping commercial strategy—balancing growth, margin, service, and product realities while ensuring strong alignment between customer expectations and operational execution.

This is a highly visible, enterprise leadership role that connects strategy to execution and directly influences how the business grows, performs, and is experienced by all customers.

Success in this role includes:

• Proven ability to lead, develop, and align a high-performing 20-person sales organization, building a culture of accountability, customer focus, and consistent delivery of growth objectives.
• Trusted executive-level relationship builder with deep customer partnerships and a well-established industry network in fresh food that enables accelerated growth and long-term strategic alignment.
• Demonstrated track record of delivering sustained revenue growth while protecting and improving margin performance through disciplined commercial strategy, pricing excellence, mix optimization, and portfolio management.
• Strong strategic market foresight, anticipating shifts in consumer behavior and fresh food category trends, and translating insights into differentiated products, programs, and customer solutions.
• Effective cross-functional leader, aligning Sales with Operations, R&D, and Ownership to ensure commercial strategies are executable, innovation is market-relevant, and business priorities are fully integrated.
• Disciplined execution leader who drives consistent commercial performance across accounts through clear priorities, structured operating rhythms, and strong accountability systems.

Key Responsibilities

1. Customer Strategy & Growth

• Build and maintain executive-level customer relationships that enable strategic growth and long-term partnerships.
• Define and execute customer and channel strategies across produce and deli.
• Drive revenue growth while improving margin and mix.
• Expand share within existing accounts and identify new opportunities.

2. Commercial Execution & Revenue Growth

• Build and lead a high-performing customer and commercial organization.
• Instill a culture of ownership, responsiveness, and execution excellence.
• Lead sales and account management to deliver revenue, margin, and service targets.
• Connect customer experience improvements to financial outcomes.
• Define and enforce scalable commercial processes (forecasting, onboarding, service models).
• Serve as the primary escalation point for critical customer issues.
• Lead Joint Business Planning (JBP) and long-term growth partnerships.

3. Cross-Functional Alignment

• Partner with Operations, Supply Chain, QA/R&D, and Finance to deliver on customer commitments.
• Ensure alignment between customer commitments and operational capabilities.
• Play a key role in developing programs that fit operational strengths of F&S.

4. Voice of Customer & Data-Driven Insight

• Build and lead a structured customer listening system across sales insights, customer feedback and performance data.
• Establish clear cadences for reviewing customer performance and insights.
• Define and track customer metrics tied to business performance.
• Turn insights into decisions, not just reporting. Identify emerging category and market shifts to proactively shape commercial strategy and innovation priorities.
• Challenge decisions that erode long-term customer trust—even if they benefit short-term results.

This role requires a leader with deep industry credibility in fresh, short-shelf-life products, who can build trusted partnerships with major retailers while driving profitable, sustainable growth.

• 10+ years of leadership experience in fresh food, produce, deli, or perishable environments, with proven ability to operate in fast-paced, service-sensitive categories.
• Proven success leading large, strategic retail accounts and building executive-level customer relationships that drive long-term, mutually profitable partnerships.
• Demonstrated ability to define and execute customer and channel strategies that drive sustainable growth, share expansion, and portfolio optimization.
• Strong commercial and financial acumen with full accountability for pricing, margin, trade spend and enterprise-level revenue performance.
• Deep understanding of perishable supply chains, including shelf life, shrink, and service levels, demand variability, and end-to-end execution dynamics.
• Experience operating within or closely with multi-site manufacturing or processing environments, ensuring alignment between customer commitments and operational capability.
• Strong understanding of retailer dynamics, including category management, private label strategy, promotional planning, and joint business planning (JBP) processes.
• Recognized leadership presence with experience building, scaling, and developing high-performing teams while driving accountability, clarity, and execution discipline.
• Ability to balance customer relationships with financial and operational discipline, making sound trade-offs between service, waste, capacity, and margin performance.
• Strong cross-functional influencer, effectively aligning Sales, Operations, Supply Chain, R&D, and Marketing to deliver integrated customer solutions and business results.
• Proven ability to translate customer and market insights into product, program, and innovation opportunities in partnership with internal teams.
• Demonstrated agility in navigating volatility across demand, supply, and customer requirements, while maintaining service performance, commercial discipline, and strong decision-making under pressure.
• Bachelor’s degree required in Business, Supply Chain, Marketing, or related field (or equivalent combination of education and relevant industry experience).

Join the Fresh Revolution with F&S Fresh Foods!

Headquartered in Vineland, NJ, F&S Fresh Foods is leading the way in fresh-cut fruit, vegetables, and meal solutions distribution. With the recent acquisition of five additional state-of-the-art facilities strategically located across the U.S., we now deliver to customers across the United States and Canada —every single day!

For over 40 years, we’ve been redefining production and safety processes, building strong partnerships, and creating endless possibilities for our diverse customers—from restaurants and supermarket prepared food operations to convenience store chains and beyond. At F&S, we are fueling families with nutrition, innovation, and convenience, turning meals into memorable moments. By combining cutting-edge technology, deep-rooted customer relationships, and operational excellence, we are shaping the future of fresh—from farm to family.

We’re not just about food; we’re about people. Recognized as a Great Place to Work for three consecutive years, our team of 2,100 full-time employees drives our culture forward by living our values every day. If you’re ready to be part of a company that values innovation, excellence, and community impact, join us as we embrace our next exciting chapter of growth. Together, we’re planting the seeds of progress and nourishing a fresh, healthy future for everyone!

Physical Demands: This role operates in a professional office environment with travel to manufacturing sites customer locations and is primarily sedentary, involving extended computer use and communication across locations; the individual must be able to navigate office and production settings and meet essential job functions with or without reasonable accommodation.

Our Values: As we continue to grow and provide leading edge products to our customers, we understand hiring the right people and treating them well is critical to our success. Everything we do starts with our values. These are the beliefs that we share and that strengthen our team. Our values shape our thoughts and actions every day. At F&S its Always FRESH and Always FUN!

F ind the most positive path.

R espond swiftly, accurately, and nimbly.

E arn trust by sharing, helping, and keeping promises.

S erve up safety.

H ave each other’s backs.

• Competitive compensation package
• A robust health and welfare benefits package that includes Life, Health, Dental, Vision
• The opportunity to plan for the future with a strong 401(K) including company match
• Time to recharge with Paid Time Off annually + Paid Holidays
• Career Advancement opportunities and Tuition Assistance to help you achieve your goals and continue your career growth.

F&S is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity in its workforce. We encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds. Join us in shaping the future of F&S Fresh Foods!