Director of Sales (Retail) - LOVE CORN

LOVE CORN is the fastest growing snack brand in the USA & UK and is entering an exciting phase of growth. The Director of Sales will report directly to the CEO and work out of our headquarters in Bergen County, NJ.

ROLE & RESPONSIBILITIES:

Retail Sales Strategy and Execution

1. Lead and implement the sales strategy for key retail accounts.
2. Build and execute distribution targets, promotion plans, and sales presentations, leveraging data to drive growth.
3. Manage customer sales forecasts, profitability, and trade spend 

Customer Relationship Management

1. Develop and maintain strong relationships with retail customers & distributors.
2. Oversee distributor relationships and inventory management, including promotional plans and SKU performance.
3. Communicate effectively with internal teams and external partners, ensuring timely and accurate updates.

Broker Management

1. Oversee and manage broker relationships, ensuring alignment with company objectives.
2. Monitor and evaluate broker performance against established KPIs, driving
3. accountability and ensuring successful execution of sales strategies across all channels

New Business Development

1. Identify and pursue new business opportunities to drive growth with new and existing customers
2. Develop and implement strategies that open new markets and channels, contributing to the overall growth objectives of LOVE CORN

Operations and Cross-Functional Collaboration

1. Prepare and track sales forecasts, ensuring alignment with budget and customer demand
2. Collaborate with marketing, product development, and finance to align sales efforts with company initiatives and maintain brand integrity. 

Financial Management

1. Manage monthly budget reconciliation, trade budgets, and cost negotiations at the retailer level.
2. Conduct ROI analysis to ensure the financial viability of sales initiatives and campaigns.

Market Engagement

1. Attend trade shows and key retailer events
2. Conduct market visits to build relationships with retailers, brokers & distributors

JOB REQUIREMENTS 

This is a key role that will help shape the culture of LOVE CORN as we tackle the challenging task of building the next iconic, global snack brand.  The ideal candidate will have:

1. Minimum 7+ years of experience in the food or CPG industry during a start-up or scale-up phase
2. Excellent verbal, written & listening communication skills
3. Expert in Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint, with excellent presentation skills
4. Ability to combine art and science into compelling storytelling
5. Ability to build strong relationships and influence decision-making externally and internally across cross-functional teams.
6. Well versed in syndicated/POS data skills in Nielsen, SPINS, Numerator, 84.51, Shopper 360 and other syndicated and retailer portal data sources
7. Solid understanding of trade math and financial management
8. Effectively manages multiple projects, with strong business acumen and attention to detail.
9. Experience using a CRM like HubSpot or Salesforce for customer management.
10. Able to work from headquarters in Bergen County, New Jersey

CULTURAL FIT

1. Believe and exhibit our 6 Core Values – see link here
2. Have positive energy, curiosity and is a people-person
3. A proactive self-starter who identifies and solves problems efficiently
4. Hard-working, self-motivated and a go-getter attitude i.e. “half glass full'
5. Thrives in a fast-paced, dynamic environment, with the ability to bring structure to ambiguity and adapt to evolving strategies.
6. Demonstrates resilience under pressure, maintaining a positive attitude and motivation in a startup environment.

About LOVE CORN

In life and in snacks, it's all about finding love in the simple things! 

LOVE CORN is a delicious crunchy corn snack and fan favorite amongst busy adults, always-hungry teens and picky little eaters that makes lunchtimes more exciting, road trips go quicker, the party more fun and life a little bit better, one kernel of joy at a time.

LOVE CORN has been voted the 2024 Snack of the Year by Good Housekeeping and 2024 SME Brand of the Year by The Grocer. 

Founded in 2017 by family members Gavin, Missy & Jamie McCloskey, LOVE CORN is sold in 12,000+ stores across the US & UK. Find them in your local store. Buy them online. Give them a crunch. They're a little bit life changing.