Position Overview

The Director of Sales for Convenience Stores and Specialty Channels is responsible for developing and executing channel-specific sales strategies that drive revenue, profitability, and market share growth. This role oversees national and regional accounts across convenience, specialty retail, alternative channels, and emerging formats. The Director leads a high-performing sales team, manages key customer relationships, and ensures alignment with company objectives.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Planning

• Develop and implement a comprehensive sales strategy for the Convenience and Specialty channels.

• Analyze market trends, consumer behavior, and competitive activity to identify growth opportunities.

• Build annual sales plans including volume, distribution, promotional programming, and financial targets.

• Collaborate with marketing, trade, category, finance, and supply chain to align channel strategies.

Team Management

• Lead, mentor, and develop regional managers, account managers, and field sales teams.

• Set performance goals and KPIs; drive accountability and continuous improvement.

• Foster a culture of collaboration, customer focus, and high performance.

Account Management & Customer Development

• Oversee relationships with major national and regional convenience and specialty retailers.

• Negotiate contracts, pricing, trade spend, product placements, and long-term agreements.

• Strengthen distributor partnerships and indirect-sales relationships where applicable.

• Drive customer-specific strategies, category leadership, and joint business planning.

Execution & Operational Excellence

• Ensure flawless execution of promotional plans, merchandising standards, and new product launches.

• Collaborate with supply chain on forecasting, inventory planning, and service levels.

• Optimize trade spend, ensuring ROI and budget adherence.

• Build and maintain a robust sales pipeline and forecasting process.

Business Performance & Reporting

• Deliver on revenue, profit, distribution, and market share goals for the channel.

• Track, analyze, and report sales performance, risks, and opportunities.

• Recommend and implement corrective actions as needed.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, or related field.

• 8–12+ years of progressive sales leadership experience in CPG, beverages, food, or related industries.

• Proven success managing national and regional convenience channel accounts.

• Experience negotiating large customer contracts and managing substantial trade budgets.

• Strong leadership, communication, analytical, and problem-solving skills.

Ascendo is a certified minority owned staffing firm, and we welcome and celebrate diversity. Ascendo is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, parental status, military service or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law.

Contact information

Hakeem Peterson