Director, Strategic Accounts Distribution

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary headquarter contact for major foodservice broadline distributors.
• Develop and execute customer-specific strategic plans aligned with company growth objectives.
• Lead annual planning, business reviews, contract negotiations, pricing discussions, and growth initiatives.
• Establish and maintain senior-level relationships with distributor leadership, category management, merchandising, culinary, and procurement teams.
• Drive profitable sales growth, distribution gains, and portfolio expansion across assigned national accounts.
• Identify new business opportunities and market segments within distributor networks.
• Develop and execute join business plans focused on driving volume, revenue, and margin.
• Partner with field sales teams and brokers to ensure effective execution of national initiatives at the market level.
• Manage customer P&L performance, trade investments, promotional spending, and customer profitability.
• Evaluate investment opportunities to ensure optimal return on investment and alignment with strategic objectives.
• Develop customer forecasts and sales plans while monitoring performance against budget and annual operating plans.
• Collaborate with Finance to identify risks, opportunities, and corrective actions.
• Partner with Supply Chain, Demand Planning, Marketing, Category Management, Sales Operations, and Finance to develop and execute customer growth strategies.
• Provide customer and marketplace insights that influence innovation, portfolio priorities, and commercialization efforts.
• Lead internal alignment around key customer initiatives, promotional activity, and business planning processes.
• Support new item introductions and distribution expansion opportunities.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive sales leadership experience within branded CPG food, beverage, or related consumer products industries.
• 5+ years managing national foodservice distributor relationships.
• Demonstrated success managing strategic accounts with significant revenue responsibility.
• Strong understanding of foodservice distribution, operator economics, broker networks, and channel dynamics.
• Experience managing foodservice broadline distributors at the headquarter level.
• Proven ability to lead complex negotiations and annual business planning processes.
• Strong financial acumen with experience managing customer profitability, pricing, trade spending, and forecasting.
• Exceptional relationship-building, influencing, and communication skills.
• Strong analytical and strategic thinking capabilities.
• Able to effectively lead and influence cross-functional teams without direct reporting authority.