Director Sales - Kroger

Your Story.

The Director Sales - Kroger is responsible for customer management / planning, field execution of strategic and operating plan initiatives, and team leadership across the enterprise’s full scope of business at Kroger. Reporting to the Sr. VP, Sargento Sales, this includes developing the strategy and tactics for sustainable success, delivering sales and margin growth, deepening market and customer relationships, broker management, and planning / coordinating / executing company selling strategies to deliver annual goals. The role provides direct leadership to a team of 2 sales and category management professionals and broker support, provides appropriate training, coaching and succession planning across each area of responsibility, and also heads Sargento’s Cincinnat

Your Passion. Our Culture.

At Sargento, you work for a company you believe in, with a family of people who believe in you. Our culture stems from a simple premise: Hire good people and treat them like family. At Sargento, you can make decisions based on how they affect people as well as the long-term health of our company. You will be encouraged to make a meaningful difference in the community, in the company and in your career. With diverse experiences and tools to learn and develop, you can transform your aspirations into reality. If you’re ready for the right place to belong and grow your career, you can find it here.

Benefits that set us apart.

• Comprehensive medical including Fertility, Adoption benefits, Dental, and Vision Insurance
• Remote ½ day Fridays
• Onsite Health & Wellness Center
• Employer 401K contribution in the top 1% of the nation
• Relocation Assistance
• Tuition Assistance
• Access to Employee Store

What You Do.

• Responsible for achieving sustainable dollar. volume, profitability, share, P&L contribution, and related financial performance objectives for account in support of the company’s total growth objectives.
• Develops, cultivates, and enhances strategic customer relationships through Joint Business Planning along with elevating connectivity with Sr. Leaders through the development of Top-to-Top meetings.
• Works effectively in a close-knit team selling environment, leading and coordinating the efforts of cross-functional departments (onsite and at Sargento HQ) in order to meet company objectives.
• Supports corporate planning, analysis and budgetary process to achieve short- and long-term business objectives. Develops 1 – 3-year sales plan for the account to support corporate planning and budgeting process.
• Develops and implements strategic merchandising plans and activities to support achievement of annual objectives and maintain Sargento’s Merchandising Standards of Excellence. Prepares and delivers account presentations utilizing applicable Sales and Marketing data, as well as syndicated and account-specific data.
• Makes or oversees appropriate headquarter calls to identify new business opportunities and deepen existing customer relationships to support achievement of short- and long-term corporate strategies and objectives.
• Develops and manages account promotional plans to include best practices sought through post- promotional analysis verifying sales results, and return on investment.
• Must be knowledgeable of relevant market and industry trends, competitors, and top customer and channel strategies. Understands and leverages Price Commodity Management principles to execute strategic initiatives to meet the objectives of the organization’s overall business plans.
• Develops and maintains effective internal relationships necessary to achieve business objectives in a manner consistent with Sargento’s culture.
• Continuously reviews market and account base to identify market or customer opportunities, competitive threats or opportunities for new or different ways of doing business to meet customer needs and help achieve corporate objectives. Shares market trends and opportunities so that appropriate corporate resources can be allocated to meet business needs or opportunities.
• Fosters a collaborative and respectful work environment that includes constructive debate.
• Travel overnight 25% of the times.

Supervisory Responsibilities

• Manages two direct reports and any future subordinates.
• Responsible for the overall direction, coordination, evaluation, and performance of the team. Carries out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with the organization's policies and applicable laws.
• Responsibilities include interviewing, hiring, and training employees; planning, assigning, and directing work; appraising performance; rewarding and disciplining employees; addressing complaints and resolving problems.
• Serves as the indirect leader of all cross-functional team members in the Sargento Cincinnati sales office.

Your Education and Experience.

• Bachelor's degree (B.A.) from four-year college or university required.
• Master’s degree/MBA strongly preferred.
• 12+ years related consumer product sales experience preferred.
• National headquarter sales & Broker management experience required.
• HQ Kroger experience strongly preferred.
• Previous supervisory experience required.
• Proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Advanced skills with the following: Syndicated data analysis, terminology and reports

Our Story.

With over 2,400+ employees and net sales of nearly $1.8 billion, Sargento is a family-owned company that has been a leader in cheese for more than 70 years. We created the world’s first, successful pre-packaged sliced and shredded natural cheeses. Sargento is based in Plymouth, Wisconsin, where we manufacture and market shredded, sliced and snack natural cheese products, as well as ingredients and sauces. Sargento is known for the exceptional quality of our products and for product design, packaging and merchandising innovations that have transformed our industry.

To learn more about our culture and values, please visit our website at .

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