Market Development Spirits Specialist

Inspira is a brand relationship agency. We focus on cultivating deeper, long-term relationships between brands and consumers—driving sales, creating powerful communities, and fostering long-term loyalty. Brands, like people, thrive when they build meaningful connections. Join us in making an impact, one relationship at a time.

About the role

The Market Development Specialist serves as the dedicated in-market representative for Inspira’s portfolio within an assigned territory. This role brings portfolio strategy to life by expanding distribution, increasing presence, building trade relationships, and identifying growth opportunities. As a consultative seller and market expert, you’ll work closely with distributor partners, key accounts, and trade stakeholders to influence decisions and drive commercial performance.

This position requires strong business acumen, entrepreneurial thinking, relationship-building skills, and a passion for helping brands succeed in the market. Candidates must be based in San Francisco or San Jose, CA.

Responsibilities

• Commercial Development & Distribution Growth
  • Drive distribution growth across priority brands
  • Identify and secure new placement opportunities within target accounts
  • Increase menu presence, feature activity, back-bar visibility, and account penetration
  • Partner with distributor teams to influence account decisions and accelerate growth
  • Utilize sales data, market intelligence, and local insights to prioritize efforts
  • Develop account-specific recommendations and action plans to improve performance
  • Execute against core portfolio priorities, including focus brands and seasonal initiatives
• Account Strategy & Relationship Management
  • Manage a defined universe of priority on-premise accounts within an assigned market
  • Build and maintain relationships with operators, bartenders, beverage directors, retail buyers, and distributor personnel
  • Establish and grow a core group of high-value accounts for long-term impact
  • Serve as a trusted advisor and portfolio advocate within the local trade community
  • Conduct regular account visits and follow up on identified opportunities
• Trade Advocacy & Portfolio Development
  • Deliver product education and training to trade and distributor partners
  • Build awareness, advocacy, and recommendation within the trade community
  • Support distributor education efforts and local selling initiatives
  • Identify opportunities to strengthen portfolio relevance and visibility
  • Execute local programming, events, and activations that support commercial objectives
• Market Intelligence & Business Planning
  • Analyze sales performance, distribution data, and account trends to identify opportunities and gaps
  • Monitor competitive activity and emerging market dynamics
  • Capture and communicate account feedback, market insights, and business recommendations
  • Maintain accurate reporting and KPI tracking
  • Provide actionable recommendations to improve market performance and accelerate growth
• Strategic Market Support
  • Participate in quarterly market blitzes and concentrated growth initiatives
  • Support priority business needs, distributor mandates, market launches, and portfolio priorities
  • Travel as needed (less than 25% of time) to support regional and national initiatives
  • Collaborate across markets to maximize impact and share best practices
• Physical Demands
  • Regularly lift, carry, push, or pull items weighing 15–50 pounds
  • Perform physical tasks including moving materials, equipment, and supplies
  • Stand, walk, bend, stoop, reach, and perform repetitive motions for extended periods

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree preferred
• 3–4 years of beverage alcohol, hospitality, field sales, distributor, broker, or related commercial experience
• Strong understanding of the three-tier system and beverage alcohol landscape
• Existing relationships within the local trade community preferred
• Demonstrated ability to influence, sell, and build relationships
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to use data to drive action
• Excellent verbal, written, and presentation skills
• Self-starter with an entrepreneurial mindset and ability to work independently
• Ability to work flexible hours, including evenings and weekends as needed
• Must reside within the assigned market and possess a valid driver’s license
• Attention to administrative tasks to meet agency compliance guidelines

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage
• 401k with company match
• Paid time off (PTO)
• Bonus-eligible position with incentive opportunities

Pay

The base compensation range for this role is $70,304–$80,000 annually. Actual pay depends on factors including prior experience, skills, qualifications, brand program, and geographic location.

Inspira partners with Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, donating a portion of profits to pediatric cancer research.