What are the responsibilities and job description for the Sales Director position at CareersInFood.com?
Position Summary
The Director of Sales is responsible for driving top-line revenue growth, optimizing gross profit, and developing a high-performing sales organization. This role provides strategic leadership to the sales and customer service teams, while aligning sales activities with company goals and market opportunities. The Director of Sales plays a key role in strengthening customer relationships and growing market share in the foodservice distribution industry.
Key Responsibilities
Sales Leadership & Strategy
- Lead and manage District Sales Managers and other direct sales personnel.
- Develop and execute sales strategies, go-to-market initiatives, and promotional plans in alignment with company objectives.
- Coordinate annual sales planning and budgeting, including sales forecasts and revenue targets.
- Develop and implement sales policies, procedures, and performance standards.
- Drive profitable growth through customer-focused initiatives and margin improvement strategies.
Customer & Market Engagement
- Maintain strong relationships with key foodservice accounts and conduct strategic business reviews.
- Serve as the senior sales representative at major industry events, food shows, and customer meetings.
- Collaborate with Marketing/Merchandising to ensure successful execution of vendor initiatives and product campaigns.
- Stay current with market trends and customer needs in foodservice to adjust sales tactics accordingly.
Team Development & Operations
- Mentor, coach, and professionally develop the sales team, including conducting performance evaluations.
- Design and oversee training programs to enhance sales effectiveness and product knowledge.
- Establish sales team priorities and ensure alignment across territories.
- Resolve territory disputes and customer account issues as needed.
- Manage sales incentive and bonus programs.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Partner with internal departments to resolve customer service issues, address inventory concerns, and promote interdepartmental cooperation.
- Support inventory and margin optimization efforts through sales initiatives and customer engagement.
- Represent sales at buying group meetings and other cross-functional initiatives.
- Coordinate closely with warehouse and logistics teams to ensure service excellence in product delivery.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree required; MBA preferred.
- Minimum of 10 years of progressive sales leadership experience in foodservice distribution or a related industry.
- Strong communication and presentation skills; confident public speaker.
- Proven ability to lead and motivate sales teams in a fast-paced, results-oriented environment.
- Demonstrated ability to interpret and act on complex data to drive revenue and margin improvements.
- High level of integrity, decisiveness, and business acumen.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and CRM/sales management platforms.
- Strong organizational and time-management skills.
Compensation & Benefits
- Competitive base salary plus performance-based bonus.
- Comprehensive benefits package in accordance with the employee handbook.
- Weekly travel and phone allowance.