Retail Sales Manager-Cheese

Our Client, an industry-leading producer of premium artisanal cheeses, is seeking a results-oriented Sales Business Development Director to accelerate growth within the U.S. retail market.

Reporting to the VP of Sales, this role will focus on developing new regional retail business, expanding existing distributor partnerships, and increasing the company's presence across natural, specialty, and conventional grocery channels.

The ideal candidate is a proven business developer with an established network of corporate retail buyers and category decision-makers. This individual should be a true hunter who enjoys opening doors, developing new relationships, and converting opportunities into long-term revenue.

This is an exciting opportunity for an established retail sales professional who combines a strong industry network, commercial drive, analytical capabilities, and a passion for premium food products.

Key Responsibilities

Business Development & Retail Growth

• Identify, pursue, and secure new regional retail accounts across the East Coast and Central U.S.
• Leverage established relationships with corporate retail buyers, category managers, and key decision-makers to accelerate new business development.
• Target regional grocery chains, particularly retailers with approximately 50–400 locations.
• Develop new business directly with retailers as well as through distributor and broker partnerships.
• Build and maintain a strong pipeline of prospective retail customers.
• Develop strategic account plans designed to increase distribution, product placement, and overall revenue.
• Drive approximately $2M in new revenue during the first year.
• Maintain a proactive hunter mentality with a strong focus on opening new accounts and developing long-term customer relationships.

Distributor & Broker Management

• Manage relationships with approximately 20 existing distributor partners.
• Identify opportunities to introduce additional SKUs and increase product penetration within existing distributors.
• Visit key distributor partners regularly to strengthen relationships and identify new sales opportunities.
• Train and educate distributor sales teams on products, positioning, and selling strategies.
• Partner with distributor sales representatives to develop new retail opportunities and increase pull-through.
• Develop and maintain productive relationships with brokers and other channel partners.

Retail Account Management

• Serve as a key point of contact for retail buyers, category managers, distributors, and broker partners.
• Manage and grow existing retail relationships while continuously identifying opportunities for additional distribution.
• Develop customer-specific business plans, promotional strategies, and new product initiatives.
• Present new products, SKUs, promotional programs, and growth opportunities to retail customers.
• Build long-term partnerships while maintaining a strong focus on measurable account growth.

Sales Analytics & Strategic Planning

• Conduct weekly sales analysis to evaluate performance against prior-year results, budget, and established revenue targets.
• Identify sales gaps and develop actionable strategies to improve account and territory performance.
• Develop sales projections, forecasts, promotional ROI analysis, and account-level performance reporting.
• Utilize customer POS and syndicated market data to identify trends and new growth opportunities.
• Maintain accurate reporting and provide leadership with regular updates on pipeline development, account activity, and revenue performance.
• Utilize advanced Excel skills to analyze sales performance, identify opportunities, and support forecasting and strategic business planning.

Brand Positioning & Market Development

• Collaborate with Marketing and Leadership to strengthen the brand's position within the premium retail cheese category.
• Identify opportunities to expand shelf presence, increase product visibility, and improve sales velocity.
• Identify white-space opportunities within existing and prospective retail accounts.
• Provide market feedback regarding pricing, packaging, competitive products, merchandising, and consumer trends.
• Support new product launches and seasonal promotional initiatives.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner closely with Operations, Logistics, Marketing, and Leadership to support customer growth and ensure successful execution.
• Work with internal teams to ensure product availability and timely order fulfillment.
• Help resolve retailer and distributor supply issues when necessary.
• Represent the company at trade shows, distributor meetings, customer presentations, and other industry events.

Qualifications & Experience

• Proven experience in retail sales and business development within cheese, dairy, specialty food, or premium CPG products.
• Established network of corporate retail buyers, category managers, and decision-makers within regional grocery chains.
• Demonstrated success leveraging existing relationships to open new retail accounts and generate measurable revenue.
• Strong track record of new business development with a true hunter mentality.
• Experience selling directly to retail headquarters, rather than exclusively at the individual store level.
• Proven experience managing distributor and broker relationships.
• Experience introducing new SKUs, expanding product penetration, and supporting distributor sales organizations.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to evaluate sales performance, identify gaps, and develop actionable growth strategies.
• Advanced proficiency in Excel.
• Experience with syndicated retail data platforms such as Nielsen, IRI, SPINS, or similar tools is preferred.
• Strong presentation, negotiation, relationship-building, and communication skills.
• Entrepreneurial mindset with the ability to work independently and take ownership of business development initiatives.
• Willingness to travel regularly to visit customers and distributors, attend industry events, and develop new business.

Position Details

• Hybrid schedule with 1 day per week in the office
• National and regional travel required
• Company car provided

At Quanta we dedicate all of our attention to the Human Capital. We’re a recruiting and HR consulting firm specializing in connecting employers nationwide with the most qualified talent across a variety of industries and business functions.

Our primary focus is on North American and Italian clients and we provide a complete suite of HR solutions, including Executive & Management Search, HR Consulting, and Flexible Staffing.

We are a team of people with international backgrounds, different expertise and seniority. We were brought together by our common passion in the key element that makes any organization possible: the human element.

We are passionate about what we do and enjoy and have fun doing it. Our approach is very personable and we obsess over one constant: uncompromising quality.