The client is seeking a Vice President of Sales to develop and execute a national sales strategy across retail and on-premise channels, with a mandate to build a retail growth engine that is expected to drive the majority of long-term volume. The role will also oversee the on-premise program in licensed accounts, professionalize commercial processes, recruit and lead a scalable sales organization, and guide expansion from test markets into additional states as the business advances through its U.S. growth phase.
Key responsibilities include owning multi-year and annual operating plans, building the retail roadmap (including key account targeting, channel sequencing, pricing and promotion architecture, and trade spend governance), and leading and scaling the commercial organization through hiring and development of sales leadership and field teams in priority hub markets. The Vice President of Sales will negotiate key customer and route-to-market agreements, ensure disciplined execution with reporting and accountability, and expand on-premise distribution in licensed accounts using an activation approach focused on field seeding, amplified programming, and account-level conversion to repeat purchase.
The ideal candidate is a senior commercial leader with experience scaling distribution and retail velocity from regional to national within non-alcoholic beverages, functional beverages, or adjacent CPG categories. Strong retail fluency is required, including trade spend governance, category management, broker or distributor oversight, chain negotiations, and shelf-space strategy, along with preferred experience managing on-premise sales through distributor partners and employing a compliance-first, transparent operating style with zero tolerance for legal or regulatory shortcuts. Requirements include 10+ years of beverage/CPG sales leadership, demonstrated success selling into retail channels, proven team-building and operating-cadence skills in high-growth environments, and strong negotiation capabilities with executive presence.