SALES DIRECTOR – Specialty Produce | Foodservice and Retail

The Sales Director is responsible for nationwide foodservice and retail sales and is a key leadership role driving the growth and strategic positioning of the product portfolio within the industry. The position oversees all aspects of sales, from developing and implementing sales strategy to building and maintaining strong relationships with the external sales team, brokers, distributors, and selling partners. The Sales Director works closely with marketing, production, and the broader commercial team to ensure alignment with company objectives and to deliver results in market presence and revenue growth.

About Our Client

Our client is one of the largest growers and suppliers of specialty produce in the United States, shipping microgreens, edible flowers, decorative flowers, and specialty items nationwide. The company serves leading chefs, restaurant groups, hospitality brands, retailers, and produce distributors, and is known for consistent quality, year round availability, and strong food safety standards. The commercial organization is being built out to support the next phase of growth, and this role leads the sales effort at a national level.

• Execute sales plans, budgets, and marketing strategies built on market opportunity, industry trends, and the company strategic plan.
• Support the growth, strategy, and direction of the sales organization.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with selling accounts, delivering exceptional customer service and account management.
• Develop a deep working knowledge of the product line, culinary applications, and production schedules in order to guide customers and grow accounts.
• Implement long term strategic programs that drive business development and cultivate growth with new and existing customers.
• Continuously evaluate and refine the sales process, from lead generation through conversion, and monitor performance against goals, adjusting strategies as needed.
• Lead successful launches and ongoing management of new products and programs.
• Monitor industry trends, competitor activity, and pricing and new product introductions, and keep the commercial team informed.
• Collaborate on sales growth opportunities through presentations, marketing materials, and category plans.
• Evaluate and provide feedback on opportunities across new products, revenue, strategy, growth, and margin.
• Optimize communication between sales and other departments, and align work and resources to ensure success.
• Hold the sales organization accountable for results, setting the tone for work ethic and professionalism, and encourage transparent, two way communication where ideas, concerns, and feedback are heard and acted on.
• Uphold high levels of integrity, promote a positive company image internally and externally, and maintain compliance with all relevant laws and regulations.

• Ten or more years of sales and sales leadership experience in produce or specialty food.
• Proven record selling and marketing value added produce products into both foodservice and retail channels.
• Extensive culinary or selling experience with distributors, restaurants, and chefs.
• In-depth knowledge of current consumer trends in produce and food.
• Genuine passion for food, with a background in hospitality and/or retail preferred.
• Proficiency in branding, with the ability to translate a company story into a compelling value proposition for each target consumer group.
• Exceptional interpersonal, communication, and critical thinking skills, written and verbal, with the ability to make confident decisions and solve problems decisively.
• Able to build and maintain effective, positive, collaborative relationships with internal and external partners.
• Established reputation in the industry and a strong focus on delivering excellent customer service.
• Able to work independently in a remote environment and manage projects to completion.
• Bachelor's degree, or an equivalent combination of training and experience. MBA preferred.

Travel

• Regular nationwide travel required for customer presentations, training, trade shows, events, and business development.