Director of Retail Sales

**About the Company**:
At Next Gen Foods, we believe a new era of food is coming. An era where we are actively thinking about how we eat, how our food impacts our health and the planet, and that is more delicious than ever before. We don’t want anyone to have to change what they eat; we just want to innovate how we produce and procure our favorite foods. And that’s where uniquely inventive food tech and the explosive power of plants comes in.

That’s the ethos behind Next Gen Foods, and we’re going big with our very first brand: TiNDLE. Ridiculously good chicken made from plants. Launched in 2020 and already being savored around the globe, TiNDLE is a dining experience that will make you wonder why we ever needed birds to make chicken. On top of its unparalleled taste and texture, TiNDLE has the pan-cuisine versatility that chefs look for— which not a lot of big-name chicken producers can claim.

TiNDLE is just the start of Next Gen Foods’ mission of plant-based food innovation. We attribute our success to the expertise of our team, our unparalleled R&D know-how, and our unwavering commitment to making food better without compromises. As we expand our global footprint, we are always looking to grow our team with best in class talent. That could be you Read on.

**Role**

As the Director of Retail Sales - US reporting into the VP of Business Development & Strategy, your role is to lead the US retail sales organization to deliver sales growth by successfully launching TiNDLE into retail with win-win strategic partnerships and quickly building the brand into the category leader. You’ll be responsible for building the team, setting the strategic direction, managing the P&L, representing the brand with strategic partners, and continuously expanding our retail presence.

**Responsibilities**

Build a winning organization
- Design, structure, and lead retail commercial efforts in the US
- Assess and implement the best commercial strategy and structure model for growth balancing between internal sales team, distributors, and brokers
- Assess, review, and implement improvements and growth in distribution arrangements
- Manage tools (e.g. ZoHo, trade spend software) and materials (e.g. pitch deck) needed for the sale organization
- Manage and develop the internal sales team

Own the brand retail P&L in the country, ensuring sustainable growth in line with company targets
- Manage and own US sales metrics and all aspects of your P&L and customer spend to ensure targets are met and exceeded within budget
- Define your market strategy with clear plan of action to achieve TiNDLE’s goals and objectives
- Develop pricing architecture and strategies to ensure commercial viability as well as margins for the company
- Interact with marketing team to ensure strong synergies between brand building and commercial operations
- Collaborate with Supply Chain on demand planning and S&OP process, providing the bottom-up forecast for each retailer

Successfully launch the brand in retail
- Develop and implement route to market for retail operations
- Work in partnership with the Innovation and Supply Chain teams to ensure the range and go-to-market is fit to win in the US and delivered with excellence
- Acquire new retailers and develop winning partnership with existing ones
- Lead joint business plan development with key retailers, including defining the account launch plans to drive trial and sales targets
- Present TiNDLE product line and conduct category reviews
- Develop a calendar for customer engagements (e.g. top-to-top, QBRs) to manage ongoing relationship, including defining objectives and attendees to utilize all resources effectively
- Collaborate with the Marketing organizations on ongoing activities to drive TiNDLE success in retail, such as digital/social media and influencer campaigns, demos/sampling events, table-top presentations, and industry events
- Grow instore presence (shelf space) during (and creatively outside of) retailer range reviews

**Skills, Experience & Qualifications**
- 5-10 years experience leading an FMCG retail account in the US - food category (especially frozen / plant-based) and start up experience building a brand is a plus
- You demonstrate ability to collaborate and work well cross-functionally
- Our fast pace excites you; you are comfortable to balance multiple competing directions, and manage multiple projects successfully
- You are agile in the face of changes and ambiguity. You are considered a creative and pragmatic problem-solver
- You enjoy rolling up your sleeves and getting things done
- You are proactive, with a high sense of urgency and ownership
- You’re an adept negotiator who excels in customer selling and establishing collaborative, trusted relationships with clients
- Strong analytical skills with results and metrics driven approach to sales

**What We Offer**
- A unique opportunity to join a dynamic start up environment led by a visionary management team
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