National Sales Manager - Retail

Description

The National Sales Manager – Retail is responsible for driving profitable growth, building strategic retail partnerships, and expanding distribution for Kilcoy Global Foods North America’s retail portfolio. This role leads customer engagement with major national and regional retailers, delivers joint business plans, and collaborates cross-functionally to execute commercial strategy and ensure best-in-class service, innovation, and execution. The ideal candidate brings strong retail sales leadership experience in protein, fresh foods, or CPG, and thrives in a fast-paced, growth-oriented environment.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Sales Leadership

• Own and execute the national retail sales strategy aligned to KGFNA’s commercial priorities and growth targets.
• Manage and grow business across national and regional retailers—including leading category reviews, driving distribution, and enhancing shelf presence.
• Develop and execute annual customer plans, promotional programs, and volume forecasts to meet revenue, margin, and profitability goals.
• Identify new retail opportunities, white space, and strategic accounts to expand KGFNA’s retail presence.

Customer & Account Management

• Serve as the primary relationship owner for national retail accounts; build strong, trust-based partnerships with buyers, category managers, and supply chain teams.
• Lead joint business planning (JBP), pricing discussions, product placement, new item introductions, and merchandising strategies.
• Monitor customer performance, conduct business reviews, and proactively address service levels, inventory challenges, and demand shifts.
• Manage brokers, distributors, and third-party sales partners to ensure aligned execution and performance.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with Operations, Supply Chain, Finance, Marketing, and R&D to ensure products, programs, and service levels support customer expectations.
• Collaborate with Marketing and Innovation teams on category insights, product development, and activation strategies.
• Work closely with Demand Planning on accurate forecasting, replenishment, and proactive mitigation of supply issues.

Performance Management & Reporting

• Utilize data-driven insights, syndicated data (IRI/Nielsen), customer POS, and internal analytics to optimize sales performance.
• Track KPIs including volume, revenue, profitability, trade spend, and customer scorecards.
• Present regular updates to leadership regarding performance, risks, opportunities, and competitive intelligence.

Pricing, Contracts, and Trade Management

• Lead customer pricing strategy, contract negotiations, promotional planning, and trade investment optimization.
• Ensure compliance with internal pricing governance and margin expectations.
• Evaluate promotional ROI to inform future investment decisions.

Requirements

Core Competencies

Sales & Commercial Expertise

• Proven ability to grow retail business through strategic selling, category management, and strong negotiation skills.
• Deep understanding of the retail landscape, including fresh foods, protein category, and/or private label environments.

Customer-Centric Mindset

• Ability to build and sustain strong customer partnerships based on trust, service, and insights.
• Skilled at resolving customer challenges with urgency and professionalism.

Business & Financial Acumen

• Strong understanding of P&L management, pricing, trade spend, and promotional ROI.
• Ability to translate data and insights into actionable sales strategies.

Leadership & Influence

• Highly collaborative with the ability to lead without authority and mobilize cross-functional teams.
• Strong communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills.

Strategic Thinking & Agility

• Forward-thinking, innovative, and able to adapt quickly in a dynamic, growing organization.
• Demonstrates sound judgment and a proactive, solution-oriented approach

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, or related field required; MBA a plus.
• 8 years of retail sales experience in CPG, food, or protein; experience with national accounts preferred.
• Demonstrated success building and managing major retail relationships (e.g., Walmart, Costco, Kroger, Albertsons/Safeway, Meijer, Publix).
• Strong analytical skills and experience with POS, syndicated data, and CRM tools.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.