Sr. Manager, Food & Drug Sales

The Senior Manager - Sales is a key leadership role accountable for managing a complex or diverse sales team, spanning multiple channels, customers, or regions. This leader is responsible for the successful execution of day-to-day operations, ongoing customer management activities, and contributes to long-term strategic planning. With significant autonomy, this role requires strong people leadership, strategic counsel, and operational excellence, including performance and budget accountability in service to the GHC Annual Operating Plan (AOP).

The Senior Manager - Sales is a key leadership role accountable for managing a complex or diverse sales team, spanning multiple channels, customers, or regions. This leader is responsible for the successful execution of day-to-day operations, ongoing customer management activities, and contributes to long-term strategic planning. With significant autonomy, this role requires strong people leadership, strategic counsel, and operational excellence, including performance and budget accountability in service to the GHC Annual Operating Plan (AOP).

This role will lead the Sales team focused on the North America Food & Drug channel, USA Military, C-stores, TeleSales and Walmart-Canada.

Leadership

• Lead, manage and develop a team of six (6) experienced sales professionals to execute the AOP across multiple channels, while ensuring alignment with CPG market dynamics.
• Provide strategic input on policy, pricing, customer & channel strategy; influence decisions through experienced counsel in service to deliver a successful AOP.
• Develop a team that is highly trained in Category Management and consistently adheres to the principles of Fact-Based Selling.
• Continuously coach their individual selling and presentation styles, providing feedback, guidance, and training where necessary.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams (e.g., Commercial Ops, Marketing, Finance, Supply Chain) to deliver commercial goals and customer requirements for sales, service and execution.
• Partner with Revenue Management team to monitor and act on 3-P marketplace disruptions.
• Lead, plan and negotiate with respective broker and representative groups.
• Monitor performance, coach talent, and make employment decisions as needed.

Sales & Customer Leadership

• Lead strategic planning and execution for assigned accounts to drive sales, profit, and share growth goals.
• Manage direct relationships across a diverse range of customers & teams (e.g., merchants, replenishment, planning).
• Develop and deliver customer-specific sales plans (AOP), forecasts, promotional calendars and trade spend in collaboration with assigned customer team.
• Provide insight and counsel to internal stakeholders on account strategies and opportunities.
• Lead cross-functional collaboration with demand planning, marketing, and supply chain to ensure execution meets internal and external expectations.
• Coach and develop managers and our team members to enhance capability and performance.
• Partner with the Strategic Sales and Planning team to analyze sales, POS & category data (e.g., Nielsen) to identify competitive opportunities and mitigate risk.

Promotions & Merchandising

• Create and manage account-specific promotional plans aligned with brand and retailer strategies.
• Leverage insights to optimize merchandising, display execution, and seasonal programs.
• Evaluate ROI of promotions and recommend improvements based on results and competitive activity.

Pricing & Profitability

• Manage account P&Ls, ensuring trade investments deliver profitable volume.
• Recommend pricing strategies and programs that align with customer and internal financial goals.

Accountability Objectives

• Participating in the Annual Operating Plan (AOP).
• Provide support in budgeting the annual Cost Center P&L.
• Development of team for current position and future advancement.
• Effective account management/ strong relationship development.
• Ability to implement department goals and objectives, team building and leadership skills.

• Bachelor's degree in business, Marketing, Sales, or a related field (MBA preferred).
• 10+ years of progressive experience in sales or commercial roles, preferably in the Consumer-Packaged Goods industry.
• Solid Category Management Experience, including Fact-Based Selling is a plus.
• Proven ability to lead high-performing teams and manage through direct and indirect reports.
• Experience working cross-functionally with Marketing, Finance, and Supply Chain teams.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and people skills.
• Working knowledge of a P&L, Budgeting, Forecasting and Short / Long-term planning.

• Strategic Sales & Market Planning
• Team Leadership & People Development
• Financial & Budgetary Acumen
• Organizational Influence & Policy Advisory
• Data-Informed Decision-Making
• Operational Excellence & Execution
• Proficiency in Microsoft office (Excel, PowerPoint), Power BI/Tableau and similar tools

• The position will be working out of an in-home / regional office.
• Business travel as needed to support the customer and visits to headquarters in St. Louis, MO