Head of Sales
forcebrandsSpringfield (MA)
About the role
THIS IS NOT A ROLE WITH FORCEBRANDSHead of Retail SalesAbout the Company Our client is a fast-growing, founder-led food brand building a new generation of better-for-you, affordable products. After establishing strong consumer demand and rapidly expanding into retail, we’re looking for a hands-on sales leader to help grow the business across grocery, natural, mass, convenience, foodservice, and other high-potential channels. The company is profitable, independently built, and moving quickly. This is an opportunity to help shape the next stage of growth as the first dedicated retail sales hire.
The Role:
The Head of Retail Sales will own and grow the company’s retail business, reporting directly to the Founder and CEO. You’ll lead existing retailer relationships, open new accounts, and build the systems and processes needed to support a larger retail organization. This role is suited to a strategic, commercially minded builder who is equally comfortable setting direction and managing day-to-day execution. You’ll work closely with Finance, Operations, Supply Chain, and Marketing to grow distribution while protecting profitability. What You’ll DoLead Retail Revenue and Profitability Own sales targets, forecasting, and P&L performance across retail accounts Build and maintain strong relationships with retail buyers and brokers Negotiate assortment, pricing, promotions, and account terms Manage trade spend, deductions, and promotional investment while protecting margins Partner with Operations to monitor inventory, fill rates, out-of-stocks, and pricing compliance Pursue distribution and revenue growth while maintaining disciplined account and assortment strategies Expand Distribution Develop the retail expansion strategy across grocery, natural, mass, club, convenience, foodservice, and other relevant channels Identify and prioritize prospective retailers based on growth potential and strategic fit Build relationships with buyers and key decision-makers Lead the sales process from prospecting and presentations through negotiation, launch, and reorder Create a repeatable process for retailer outreach and new account development Identify and attend trade shows and retail events that support new business and existing partnerships Build for Scale Establish the systems, processes, and tools needed to support a growing retail business Create scalable processes for account onboarding, launches, order management, forecasting, promotions, deductions, and account management Build reporting to track performance across retailers, distributors, products, and markets Develop processes for managing brokers, distributors, and cross-functional partners Identify operational bottlenecks and build solutions as the business grows Help determine the people, technology, and external partners needed to support the next stage of growth Track Performance and Drive Results Track key metrics including sales dollars, units, distribution, points of distribution, velocity, and market share Develop actionable reporting using syndicated and point-of-sale data Build and execute plans to close performance gaps Partner with Marketing on retail programs, shopper marketing, demos, and in-store activation Work with Operations on forecasting, inventory management, and sales operations
What We’re Looking For:
- 7+ years of CPG retail sales experience, including leadership experience at a high-growth brand
- Experience scaling a brand from limited distribution to national retail presence
- Experience managing national mass, grocery, or club accounts; Target, Walmart, and Costco experience is especially valuable
- A track record of building distribution with limited existing infrastructure
- Strong command of retail math, trade spend, and syndicated data
- Experience managing brokers
- Food and beverage experience preferred; dry goods, better-for-you, or snacking experience is a plus
- A self-directed, hands-on approach and comfort working in a fast-paced environment
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