Sales Director, Grocery

Position Title: Sales Director, Grocery

Reports to: Vice President Sales

Start Date: 2024

Location: US Flexible, Remote

Our Company:

Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams is a modern American ice cream company dedicated to making better ice creams and bringing people together. Founded in 2002 by James Beard Award-winning ice cream maker Jeni Britton—who introduced a modern, ingredient-driven style of ice cream making that revolutionized the industry, forever changing the way ice cream is made—Jeni’s has emerged over the past two decades as the new standard by which all other ice creams are judged. Today, the creative-led, community-spirited company is a certified B Corporation with 80 scoop shops (and counting), an online shop with nationwide shipping at jenis.com, and distribution in top grocery stores across the country.

Our Mission:

Team Jeni's is a nationwide team of people who bring their talent, hustle, guts, resilience and empathy (lots of heart too) to making better ice creams and bringing people together. Working at Jeni's means devotion to service. Serving by caring-about ourselves, each other, our communities, ice creams and customers. We are a force for good!

The Role:

The Grocery Sales Director will work closely with, and report directly to, the Vice President Sales to provide targeted account management and executional focus across the country. Position requires the ideal candidate to be scrappy and able to roll up their sleeves immediately to get our ice creams sold in a highly competitive marketplace. Responsibilities include oversight of all sales activities across designated accounts to achieve optimal market penetration for Jeni’s portfolio of items. This will entail working at both strategic and tactical levels to develop, implement, and manage programs that maximize both short and long-range objectives for the company’s sales growth; managing and motivating regional brokers; and working in close collaboration with the Jeni’s Wholesale team & other functional leads (Marketing, Scoop Shops, Customer Service, Finance, Supply, etc.).

It is critical that the Sales Director have a proactive approach to sales development – addressing day-to-day operating issues as well as providing strategic input. Key areas of focus will encompass leadership across a variety of fronts -- key account management, planning and forecasting, data analysis, new product launch plans, marketing & trade programs, in-store execution, & the ability to drive significant targeted distribution gains. All business activities must be done in a way that underscores the social mission of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams.

The Responsibilities:

• Identifying and executing on opportunities to expand the sales of Jeni’s across the Grocery Channel, which includes working with our broker(s) and distributor networks as appropriate to maximize sales and distribution opportunities

• Manage relationships with key account headquarter buyers, their cross-functional departments and our brokers.

• Setting strategic direction, performance expectations & managing all appointed brokers and distributors to achieve quality distribution in targeted accounts, including ensuring timely execution on new item introductions, schematic implementation, promotional programming, deck development, and that they have all necessary resources required to succeed in the marketplace. This includes retailer.com initiatives and consumer insights.

• Achieve volume targets within authorized funding.

• Collaborate cross-functionally to build strategic annual support plans (trade, shopper marketing, etc).

• Leverage data tools to uncover key insights and build effective sales presentations that will allow us to optimize the business and drive sales.

• Develop and maintain sales forecast to ensure optimal order fulfillment.

• Coordinate store-level audits when appropriate to ensure merchandising standards are adhered to and promotional programming is being executed.

• Strategic & collaborative building of an annual trade promotion calendar for regions across retail customers

• Utilizing existing resources to run sales reports & analysis to support future sales initiatives and decisions. Requesting & analyzing distribution reports to determine market coverage & opportunities for future growth.

• Identifying and attending trade shows to represent the brand and develop sales opportunities.

• Identifying opportunities to build strong connections with key individuals and form meaningful and impactful relationships that benefit the Jeni’s brand (from consumer to buyers and everyone in between).

• Manage relationships with key account buyers and supporting teams in the region.

• Ensuring that all POS (e.g. coolers, shelf talkers, coupons, etc.) are utilized effectively in the marketplace

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, Marketing or related field

• Minimum 5-8 years CPG experience in the Natural & Grocery Channels with direct key account or channel responsibility.

• High level experience in the Grocery Channel (Kroger, Safeway-Albertsons, Target, Sprouts, Wholefoods, etc) with CPG and premium product selling background in ice cream spaces a plus.

• Established relationships and demonstrated success working with key retail accounts along with the leading brokers and distributors (UNFI, KeHE, DPI, etc), servicing these channels.

• Strong planning & organizational skills along with excellent interpersonal, written/oral communication and presentation skills, including full competence with Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Word and Outlook), Google Suite (Google Slides, Google Meets, G-Drive).

• Proven success in sales leadership with respected consumer packaged goods companies with a broker business model, serving diverse retailers, including direct key account or channel responsibility.

• Has demonstrated success delivering aggressive sales goals, originating strategic initiatives and building efficient “best-of-class” selling organizations.

• Experience in the expansion of distribution for core items, new categories, & addressing the complexities of direct & distributor serviced retail distribution, while maximizing results at the lowest possible overall cost.

• Ideally, experience in both large and small companies thereby possessing the vision for the elements of a highly successful larger enterprise balanced with a more hands-on approach.

• Experience in trade marketing, category management, sales planning and/or brand marketing roles to provide a strong foundation in these business fundamentals.

• Proven ability to work independently as well as collaboratively. A roll-up the sleeves, can-do attitude.

• Demonstrated ability to excel in an autonomous, hands-on, fast-paced entrepreneurial environment.

• Highly adaptable & resourceful. Pioneering spirit. Passion for an active health & wellness lifestyle.

• Proficient in Data Tools (SPINS, Nielsen, Retailer Portal), Excel & Trade Analytics (selling price, margins, etc).

• Ability to travel extensively throughout Western United States as needed, up to 40% of the time (post-Covid)

• Competitive pay: base salary range for this position is from $110,000 - $145,000, plus eligibility for sales bonus

• Paid time off and holidays

• Excellent medical, dental, vision, and life insurance options

• 4% match on 401k contributions after 3 months of employment

• A one-month paid sabbatical after 3 years of continuous service

• Annual paid day to volunteer for a non-profit organization that matters to you

• 50% discount at Jeni’s Scoop Shops and online

Jeni's is an equal opportunity employer. Said our way, we love and honor differences, and we love sharing common values such as talent, hustle, guts, resilience, and empathy. Our differences are a primary source of our team's strength and we crave having a team rich with diversity which is creativity and art in its human form.