WHOLESALE DIRECTOR OF SALES

The Director of Sales is responsible for developing and executing the sales and execution strategy for United Dairy Farmers' branded products across grocery, food service, and emerging channels. This leader will drive profitable revenue growth by expanding distribution, strengthening strategic customer relationships, leading sales , and collaborating cross-functionally to maximize market opportunities.

The Director will serve as the commercial leader for ice cream, bakery and co-manufacturing, ensuring execution of annual business plans while identifying new opportunities for sustainable growth.

• Develop and execute the annual and long-term CPG sales strategy aligned with company growth objectives
• Identify new business opportunities across existing and emerging channels
• Build strategic customer partnerships that increase distribution, sales, and profitability
• Lead annual business planning, sales forecasting, and revenue management initiatives
• Develop market expansion strategies including geographic growth and new customer acquisition

• Build executive-level relationships with key national, regional, and local retailers
• Negotiate customer agreements, pricing strategies, promotional programs, and annual business plans
• Lead Joint Business Planning (JBP) with strategic customers
• Ensure exceptional customer service while maximizing profitable growth
• Resolve complex customer issues while maintaining long-term partnerships

• Recruit, develop, coach, and lead sales/business development team
• Establish performance goals and accountability measures for the sales team
• Foster a culture of collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement
• Provide leadership for business development managers and category analyst

• Deliver annual revenue, volume, margin, and profitability targets
• Manage trade spending and promotional investments to maximize ROI
• Monitor sales performance, customer profitability, and category trends
• Develop pricing recommendations in partnership with finance and marketing
• Utilize sales analytics to identify opportunities and improve execution

• Marketing
• Supply Chain
• Food Manufacturing (Ice Cream & Bakery)
• Accounting
• Product Development
• Customer Service

• Monitor competitive activity, consumer trends, and marketplace dynamics
• Utilize internal UDF data (Power BI), syndicated and customer specific data to identify opportunities
• Recommend strategic actions based on customer and category insights

• Incorporating United Dairy Farmer’s DAIRY Culture into day-to-day management practices
• Responsible for providing direct reports with timely, candid and constructive performance feedback; developing associates to their fullest potential and provide challenging opportunities that enhance associate career growth.
• Developing the appropriate talent pool to ensure adequate bench strength and succession planning; recognizing and rewarding associates for accomplishments.
• Incumbent also holds his direct reports accountable for performing the same functions and activities with their direct reports if applicable.
• Responsible for growing associate engagement within the team as measured by regular engagement surveys.

• High School Diploma or GED equivalent required
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent preferred
• 6-8 years of CPG sales experience
• 3-5 years leading high-performing sales teams
• Experience managing national and regional retail accounts
• Proven success growing branded consumer products
• Prior experience with sales of packaged food products and specifically ice cream, frozen novelties and bakery items preferred

• Demonstrated experience in sales, prospecting, negotiation and contract management
• Strong strategic sales planning skills with a focus on Commercial and Customer Orientation.
• Focused on financial performance and demonstrated ability to develop sales targets and budgets that balance revenue, growth and profitability.
• Financial and business acumen – ability to analyze the business from a financial perspective, effectively forecast for short/long term perspectives and develop business solutions to drive profitability and growth
• Demonstrated customer relationship management capabilities to retain and enhance customer relationships
• Strong Analytical skills and Strategic planning skills
• Ability to problem-solve with various levels of complexity including highly complex challenges.
• Demonstrated organizational skills and attention-to-detail
• Strong relationship management and interpersonal skills
• Strong Influencing skills (proven ability to persuade others towards an idea or goal)
• Ability to utilize the data to “story-tell” in a compelling manner to drive a strategic shift in the business or support an existing strategic priority for growth.
• Ability to develop and communicate findings and recommendations.
• Fundamental understanding of key financial and sales performance metrics
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills and possess the ability to present information to external and internal groups.
• Ability to operate in a complex, rapidly changing environment while adhering to tight schedules and budgets.
• Demonstrated project management skills and proven ability to balance multiple projects in varying degrees of implementation.
• Strong organizational, problem-solving and attention to detail skills are required.
• Must be well-organized and able to coordinate multiple tasks and requests.
• Demonstrated ability and knowledge of core category management elements (assortment, merchandising, shelf placement,trends, data insights, etc.) that enable UDF to be viewed as a preferred CPG in the eyes of customer category managers.
• Partner with key functions including Product Development Manufacturing, Marketing, Accounting etc. to successfully lead wholesale sales

• Consumer packaged goods industry
• Ice Cream, Frozen novelties & Bakery products
• Grocery, Food Service and Emerging channels
• Trade promotion management
• Category analytics
• Retail/Shelf merchandising
• Supply chain fundamentals

•  Proficient in MS Office (Word, Excel, Power Point), Business Intelligence (BI)
•  Retailer Systems: Proficiency with retailer-specific systems and data platforms (e.g., 1WorldSync, Kroger 84.51 & V.I.P., Walmart Retail Link & Scintilla Charter, Meijer Vendor Net preferred
•  Familiarity with Trade Promotion Management (TPM) tools, category management principles, and digital e-commerce/omnichannel strategies

• Net sales growth
• Gross margin improvement
• Distribution gains
• New customer acquisition
• Market share growth
• Customer retention
• Forecast accuracy
• Trade spend effectiveness
• Sales team engagement and performance

• Strategic thinking and business acumen
• Customer-first mindset
• Results orientation
• Collaborative leadership
• Integrity and accountability
• Innovation and adaptability
• Talent development
• Strong communication and influence
• Analytical problem-solving
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment