Growth Leader

ABOUT PARADOX 

Paradox is a full-service retail marketing agency built for challenger and emerging brands. 

We help CPG brands launch, grow, and win at retail through strategy, shopper marketing, retail media, creative, experiential, influencer, research and insights, and brand storytelling. We work with brands at different stages of growth, from emerging companies entering major retail for the first time to established brands looking for a smarter way to accelerate their business. 

We are headquartered in Northwest Arkansas, with deep experience across Walmart, Sam’s Club, Target, Costco and other major retailers. 

THE ROLE 

We’re looking for a Growth Leader who loves the business of building relationships and turning those relationships into opportunities. 

This is Paradox’s senior sales and business development role. You’ll be responsible for building and managing our new-business pipeline, developing relationships across the CPG ecosystem, identifying where Paradox can create meaningful value, and converting the right opportunities into long-term client partnerships. 

This is not a high-volume transactional sales role. And it isn’t a role where you simply work a list of cold leads. 

We need someone who knows how to get into the right conversations, ask smart questions, understand a brand’s business, connect its challenges to what Paradox can solve, and keep relationships moving forward. 

Ideally, you already know the CPG, retail, advertising or agency world. You understand how brands work, how marketing budgets get allocated, how agency decisions get made, and why relationships and timing matter as much as the pitch itself. 

You’ll work directly with our CEO and leadership team to determine where we should focus, which opportunities are worth pursuing, and how we continue building a more predictable and profitable growth engine for Paradox. 

WHAT YOU’LL OWN 

New Business Development & Relationship Building 

• Build and maintain relationships with CPG brand leaders, founders, marketers and other industry decision-makers. 
• Develop new opportunities through your existing network, referrals, industry relationships, events, partnerships, outbound efforts and inbound leads. 
• Create reasons to stay connected with prospects well before there is an active RFP or agency search. 
• Build relationships across the broader CPG ecosystem, including brands, retailers, brokers, investors, consultants, technology partners and other agencies. 
• Represent Paradox naturally and credibly in the market. 

Sales & Pipeline Management 

• Own the new-business pipeline from initial conversation through signed engagement. 
• Qualify opportunities based on fit, business need, budget, timing and potential value to Paradox. 
• Lead discovery conversations and understand the business problem behind the request. 
• Maintain an accurate CRM and clear visibility into pipeline health, next steps, probability and forecasted revenue. 
• Consistently build pipeline rather than relying on sporadic inbound opportunities or RFPs. 
• Re-engage previous prospects, past clients and relationships when there is a relevant reason to reconnect. 

Pitching, Proposals & Closing 

• Lead sales conversations, capability presentations and pitches. 
• Translate prospect needs into clear opportunities for Paradox. 
• Partner with strategy, creative, media and account leadership to develop the right solution and scope. 
• Own proposal development and follow-up, with support from internal subject-matter experts. 
• Navigate multiple stakeholders and longer sales cycles without losing momentum. 
• Negotiate and close engagements that make sense for both the client and Paradox. 
• Know when an opportunity is worth pursuing, and when it isn’t. 

Growth Strategy 

• Partner directly with the CEO and leadership team on annual and quarterly growth priorities. 
• Help refine Paradox’s ideal client profile based on what we are learning in market. 
• Identify promising categories, brands, partnerships and emerging opportunities. 
• Bring market intelligence back into the business: what brands are struggling with, where budgets are moving, what competitors are doing and where Paradox has an opportunity to differentiate. 
• Help us continually improve how we sell Paradox, including our story, capabilities, case studies, proposals and pitches. 

Industry Presence 

• Represent Paradox at relevant CPG, retail and marketing events. 
• Build meaningful relationships rather than simply collecting contacts. 
• Develop relationships with referral and strategic partners who can create opportunities for both organizations. 
• Maintain an active presence within the CPG and retail marketing community. 

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE 

Success in this role isn’t measured by how many emails you send. 

We care about whether you are consistently creating quality conversations with the right companies, building a healthy pipeline, advancing qualified opportunities, closing profitable business and developing relationships that create value over time. 

We will measure performance through: 

• Qualified pipeline created 
• New revenue closed 
• Pipeline coverage against growth targets 
• Conversion from qualified opportunity to proposal 
• Proposal-to-close rate 
• Average opportunity and client value 
• New relationships and opportunities generated through referrals/network 
• Sales-cycle progression and forecast accuracy 
• Quality and profitability of new business won 

You’re probably someone who has spent 7–12 years in business development, sales, partnerships, client leadership or a related commercial role, ideally within CPG, advertising, shopper marketing, retail media or an agency environment. 

More important than an exact number of years, you have demonstrated that you can build relationships and turn them into business. 

You: 

• Have a track record of generating and closing meaningful new business. 
• Understand the CPG and retail ecosystem and can speak credibly with senior brand and marketing leaders. 
• Genuinely enjoy meeting people, making connections and maintaining relationships. 
• Are comfortable initiating conversations rather than waiting for opportunities to come to you. 
• Know how to listen and uncover what someone actually needs rather than immediately selling them something. 
• Can lead a room and present confidently without sounding rehearsed. 
• Are commercially minded and understand that revenue quality matters alongside revenue quantity. 
• Follow through relentlessly and keep opportunities moving. 
• Are organized enough to manage a real pipeline and disciplined enough to use a CRM. 
• Can operate independently without needing a large sales organization around you. 
• Are curious about brands, retail, marketing and what is happening in the industry. 
• Enjoy working in an entrepreneurial environment where you can help shape how things are done. 

EVEN BETTER IF 

You already have: 

• Relationships within the CPG, retail, advertising or agency ecosystem. 
• Agency business development experience. 
• Experience selling shopper marketing, retail media, creative, brand strategy, experiential or integrated marketing services. 
• Familiarity with Walmart, Sam’s Club, Target, Costco or other major retailers. 
• Relationships across food & beverage, beauty, wellness, personal care, pet or other consumer categories. 
• Experience with both emerging/challenger brands and larger established CPG organizations. 

WHY PARADOX 

Paradox is at an exciting stage of growth. We have the team, capabilities, client work and industry relationships. Now we’re ready to build a more intentional and consistent growth engine.

We operate on EOS, with clear priorities, measurable goals and accountability. Our values: Integrity, Fearlessly Driven, Authentically Us, and Live Curiously, guide how we work, how we build relationships and how we grow.

You’ll work directly with the CEO and leadership team, have a meaningful voice in our growth strategy, and help shape the next stage of Paradox.