VP, Retail Sales

Welch's is on a journey towards our bold ambition of being the global-leader of convenient, good for you fruit-based food and beverages. To turn this goal into a reality we need you and other exceptionally talented, agile, and innovative individuals who are eager to contribute to something extraordinary!

At Welch's, we're not just offering a job; we're inviting you to be a part of a vibrant, authentic, and inclusive culture where you not only belong, but also have the opportunity to unleash the best, most authentic version of you.

 Position Summary

The Vice President of Retail Sales is responsible for leading Welch’s retail sales organization across Grocery, Mass, Club, Value, and eCommerce while translating enterprise commercial priorities into customer-specific strategies that accelerate profitable growth.

Welch’s is transforming its commercial organization to become a more customer-centric, strategically focused, and capability-driven organization.  The VP of Retail Sales will play a central leadership role in that transformation by building best-in-class retailer partnerships, elevating customer-first perspective and leadership across the organization, and translating enterprise initiatives and growth objectives into clear channel plans and retail execution.

The successful candidate is first and foremost an exceptional customer leader—someone with deep experience managing complex national retailers, building executive-level customer relationships, coaching high-performing sales organizations, and shaping winning retailer strategies. This individual will provide informed perspectives on channel strategy, retailer trends, customer economics, and competitive dynamics while partnering closely with the Chief Customer Officer to execute Welch’s long-term commercial agenda.

This role requires equal strengths in customer leadership, financial acumen, team development, and cross-functional influence. Over time, this individual should develop and demonstrate the executive presence, commercial judgment, and enterprise mindset necessary to assume broader commercial leadership responsibilities. This role reports to the Chief Commercial Officer. 

• Lead Welch’s retail sales organization across Grocery, Mass, Club, Value, and eCommerce channels, ensuring consistent execution of enterprise priorities through customer-specific strategies and exceptional customer management.
• Deliver annual revenue, volume, distribution, trade investment, market share, and profitability objectives.
• Translate enterprise commercial priorities into differentiated retailer strategies and customer management plans.
• Establish operating discipline across customer planning, forecasting, joint business planning, customer investment, business reviews, and execution tracking.
• Ensure customer plans are commercially ambitious, financially disciplined, and aligned with enterprise priorities.

• Translate enterprise channel strategies into differentiated retailer landscape considerations and customer management strategies.
• Provide informed recommendations that help shape channel priorities based on retailer trends, customer relationships, competitive dynamics, and marketplace experience.
• Shape customer-specific growth strategies that align retailer priorities with Welch’s long-term objectives.
• Identify and pursue emerging revenue opportunities across customers, channels, occasions, pack formats, and new go-to-market opportunities, helping incubate and prove new growth platforms before dedicated organizational resources are established.
• Support the continued evolution of Welch’s omnichannel capabilities, including eCommerce customers and retailer digital commerce opportunities.

• Own executive relationships across Welch’s largest retail customers.
• Elevate retailer relationships from annual negotiations to long-term strategic partnerships that create value for both Welch’s and the customer.
• Develop customer management strategies that align retailer priorities with enterprise growth objectives.
• Coach sales leaders to become stronger strategic customer leaders through deeper retailer understanding, category thinking, financial acumen, and executive-level selling.
• Ensure customer plans are informed by retailer landscape considerations, shopper insights, category trends, customer economics, and syndicated data.
• Lead Joint Business Planning across priority customers while continuously improving organizational customer planning capabilities.
• Maintain a highly visible presence with strategic customers, balancing organizational leadership with direct executive engagement to strengthen relationships, identify opportunities, and represent Welch’s as a trusted strategic partner.

• Bring strong P&L awareness to customer and channel decisions, including pricing, promotion, trade investment, assortment, mix, distribution, and customer profitability.
• Partner closely with Finance, Revenue Growth Management, Category Leadership, Marketing, and Supply Chain to optimize profitable growth.
• Leverage syndicated data, customer insights, retailer trends, and internal performance analytics to shape retailer landscape considerations, customer management strategies, and investment decisions.
• Drive disciplined management of customer investments, forecasting, trade spending, promotional effectiveness, and distribution priorities.
• Reinforce financial discipline and enterprise decision-making throughout the sales organization.

• Build, coach, and develop a high-performing sales leadership team.
• Create a culture of accountability, collaboration, transparency, urgency, and customer excellence.
• Strengthen organizational capability in customer management, retailer strategy, executive selling, negotiation, financial acumen, customer planning, and leadership.
• Develop strong succession pipelines and elevate leadership capability throughout the sales organization.
• Serve as a trusted advisor and thought partner to the Chief Customer Officer while helping drive commercial excellence across the organization.

• 15+ years of progressive sales and commercial leadership experience within consumer packaged goods; food and beverage experience strongly preferred.
• Deep experience directly managing complex national retail customers across Grocery, Mass, Club, and Value channels.
• Demonstrated success leading executive customer relationships with major national retailers.
• Proven experience shaping and executing retailer strategies aligned with broader channel priorities.
• Experience leading or supporting eCommerce customers and omnichannel customer strategies preferred.
• Strong understanding of customer strategy, Joint Business Planning, category management, Revenue Growth Management, price-pack architecture, trade investment, and customer profitability.
• Proven ability to build and develop high-performing sales teams.
• Strong financial acumen with the ability to evaluate customer decisions through both customer and enterprise P&L lenses.
• Demonstrated ability to influence cross-functional decision making across Finance, Marketing, Category Leadership, Revenue Growth Management, Supply Chain, and Operations.
• Strong analytical capability with experience leveraging syndicated data, retailer insights, shopper data, and internal analytics to drive customer strategies.
• Strong executive presence, communication skills, and the ability to simplify complexity into clear direction and action.
• Bachelor’s degree required; MBA preferred.

The ideal candidate will be:

• An exceptional customer leader with deep expertise managing national retailers.
• A builder of strategic customer relationships and long-term partnerships.
• A developer of talent and high-performing sales organizations.
• Financially disciplined and commercially astute.
• Curious, insights-driven, and willing to challenge conventional thinking.
• Collaborative, enterprise-minded, and highly influential across functions.
• Comfortable leading through change while maintaining executional excellence.
• Capable of assuming broader commercial leadership responsibilities over time.

Within the first 12 months, this leader will have:

• Built a high-performing, channel-led retail sales organization.
• Elevated the quality of retailer relationships across Welch’s strategic customers.
• Improved customer planning, Joint Business Planning, and retailer strategy development.
• Strengthened oversight and discipline across pricing, promotion, and trade investment budgets
• Increased organizational capability in customer management, retailer strategy, financial acumen, and executive selling.
• Helped strengthen Welch’s presence in emerging growth channels, including eCommerce and strategically selected whitespace opportunities.
• Built a stronger leadership bench capable of supporting Welch’s long-term commercial growth.

Established themselves as a trusted strategic partner to the Chief Customer Officer and a credible successor for broader commercial leadership.

What You’ll Enjoy:  

• Organization with a bold, clear purpose & vision for the future  

• Inclusive Culture: Be a part of an inclusive workplace where you not only belong but also have the opportunity to be the best version of yourself  

• Passionate Community: You are encouraged to have a voice, share your opinions, and have individual impact on the success of the business  

• Hybrid work model: Flexible & collaborative work environment to maximize well-being & success  

• Paid Time Off and Holidays: Enjoy time away from the office to rest and recharge  

• Paid Volunteer Time Off: 40 hours of paid volunteer time for all non-union employees  

• Development & Advancement: Access to LinkedIn Learning as well as both formal and informal opportunities to develop and grow your career  

• Compensation Package Consisting of Competitive Base Salary and Annual Incentive Plan (Bonus)  

• 401K plan with Generous Company Match  

• Flexible Benefits from your first day: Choose the benefits that meet your needs and preferences 

• Health, Dental & Vision Insurance  

• Health Savings Accounts  

• Life and accident insurance  

• Employee Assistance Programs  

• Tuition reimbursement program  

• Additional benefits available through Perks at Work  

• Paid parental (and adoption) leave – Available after 12 months of employment 

Compensation 

The anticipated hiring base salary range for this position is $260k to $280k annually for US-based employees. This range reflects the minimum and maximum base salary for the position across all US locations, is based on a full-time work schedule, and represents Welch’s good faith estimate as of the date of this posting. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. In addition to base salary, this role is eligible for participation in a bonus plan. 

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