What are the responsibilities and job description for the Director of Sales position at Southern Specialties?
Why Southern Specialties?
At Southern Specialties, you’ll join a company with a long-standing reputation for integrity, innovation, and excellence. You’ll work alongside a team that values transparency, teamwork, and performance, and you’ll play a critical role in shaping the future of our business in a dynamic, ever-evolving industry.
Southern Specialties, founded in 1990, is a leading grower, importer, and shipper of premium specialty fruits and vegetables. With over three decades of experience, we are proud to serve North America’s top retailers, club stores, foodservice distributors, and wholesalers with year-round supplies of high-quality, responsibly sourced produce.
Our vertically integrated business model spans growing operations throughout the Americas, in-house and international procurement, sales, customer service, processing & repack facilities, cold storage, and logistics support. This integrated approach positions us to respond efficiently to the evolving needs of today's produce industry — delivering consistency, sustainability, and value across the supply chain.
About the Role:
We are seeking a motivated and experienced Director of Sales to lead and grow our national sales organization. The ideal candidate will bring strong leadership, communication, and strategic sales capabilities, coupled with a deep understanding of the grower-shipper business model.
This individual will be responsible for driving revenue growth, strengthening customer relationships, supporting team development, and aligning sales strategies with company objectives. The role requires cross-functional collaboration with our procurement, customer service, repack operations, logistics, cold storage, and business analytics teams.
Key Responsibilities:
- Lead, manage, and mentor a high-performing sales team.
- Develop and execute short- and long-term sales strategies to drive revenue and market share growth.
- Cultivate and maintain strong relationships with retail, foodservice, wholesale, and distribution partners.
- Collaborate with procurement and operations to ensure alignment between supply availability and customer needs.
- Partner with customer service representatives to ensure seamless order execution and exceptional service.
- Utilize insights from dedicated analysts and market data to identify opportunities and guide customer strategy.
- Coordinate with repack and processing divisions to develop value-added solutions tailored to customer programs.
- Communicate effectively across departments to meet customer expectations and optimize internal workflows.
- Ensure performance accountability, team collaboration, and continuous improvement within the sales organization.
- Represent the company at industry events and customer meetings.
Qualifications:
- Minimum of 7–10 years of progressive experience in sales leadership within the fresh produce or perishable food industry.
- Deep understanding of the grower-shipper model and perishable product logistics.
- Proven track record of managing sales teams and exceeding revenue targets.
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills with a team-oriented mindset.
- Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, seasonally driven environment.
- Skilled in developing customer-specific programs and providing differentiated solutions.
- Experience collaborating with procurement, operations, logistics, and customer service teams.
- Proficiency in CRM systems, sales reporting, and forecasting tools.
Key Competencies:
- Leadership & Accountability
- Strategic Thinking & Execution
- Strong Communication & Presentation Skills
- Customer Focus
- Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Adaptability & multi-tasking
- Results-Driven & Analytical
We provide an exciting working environment and competitive compensation and benefit packages.