Area Sales Manager

ZBiotics; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

ZBiotics is expanding its Massachusetts and Rhode Island markets and seeks a field-focused Area Sales Manager to build presence with distributor partners and educate retailers. You will call on accounts, drive SKU sell-in, and ensure proper displays while collaborating with distributor teams to sustain growth.

The role emphasizes relationship-building, training, and strategic execution across on- and off-premise channels in a fast-growing probiotic beverage company.

Qualifications

• 3–5 years in beverage-alcohol industry with supplier or distributor experience.
• Proven track record with major liquor chains and independent retailers.
• Experience with on-premise and premium venues preferred.
• Ability to educate staff and generate excitement for premium brands.

Responsibilities

• Call on independent liquor stores and grocers in MA/RI.
• Sell-in multiple ZBiotics SKUs and secure displays.
• Educate staff and conduct in-store demos weekly.
• Develop on-premise accounts including hotels and premium bars.
• Collaborate with distributor partners to grow velocity across channels.

Skills

Field sales

Account management

Relationship building

Presentation skills

Territory planning

Negotiation

Job description

At ZBiotics, we make genetically engineered probiotics that improve daily life. As a group of motivated, yet down-to-earth people, we are fueled by two things: a love for science and a commitment to being people-first. GMO products like ours – built to create benefits for people in their daily lives – are the future. As the first to market, we believe it’s our duty to set a high bar for product quality, safety, and transparency for others to follow.

In 2019, ZBiotics launched Pre-Alcohol™ – the world's first genetically engineered probiotic drink – designed to break down acetaldehyde, an unwanted alcohol byproduct. In 2024, we launched Sugar-to-Fiber™ – a genetically engineered probiotic drink mix – that creates fiber from the sugar you already eat, contributing to microbiome health.

With a full line of genetically engineered probiotics in development, our team is growing. We’re looking for people as excited as we are to build this new category of consumer products. ZBiotics is headquartered in San Francisco and backed by venture investors including Y Combinator and Khosla Ventures, among others.

About the Role

ZBiotics has expanded to Massachusetts and will be launching Rhode Island in September— these are high-priority markets — and we're hiring an Area Sales Manager to build our presence in collaborations with our current distributor partners.

Massachusetts and Rhode Island represent a significant opportunity for ZBiotics: a large, diverse market with a thriving off-premise liquor stores, a premium on-premise scene, and a distributor network we're actively investing in. These roles will be the boots on the ground driving that investment forward — calling on accounts, educating retailers and staff, working alongside distributor partners, and making sure ZBiotics shows up the right way in every account we enter.

The position will cover the entire states of Massachusetts and Rhode Island and will report to our National Director of Distributor Sales and work closely with distributor partner, retail accounts, and internal teams to build sustainable, velocity-focused growth across the state.

This is a field-first role for someone who loves being in the trade, builds relationships that last, and is energized by representing a genuinely differentiated product in a competitive market.

Your Responsibilities

Selling and managing execution in off-premise accounts

• Call on independent liquor stores, and chain grocery stores in your designated territory.
• Sell-in multiple ZBiotics SKUs; secure multiple, high-impact, and properly merchandised displays that are correctly priced.
• Manage account inventory levels. Ensure levels are adequate and communicate potential OOS to store managers and distributor partners.
• Secure incremental displays, points of interruption, and shelf placements.
• Conduct staff education and execute in-store demos weekly.

Selling and creating brand awareness in on-premise accounts

• Create and call on targeted on-premise accounts, including high-end hotels, resorts, bars and restaurants.
• Secure product distribution, menu placements, merchandise where possible.
• Build strong relationships with waitstaff and create ZBiotics “ambassadors” by conducting weekly staff education, sampling, and engaging in 1:1 interactions.
• Work with the Retail Marketing Manager to identify opportunities for brand awareness campaigns to help build presence of on-premise accounts.

Distributor engagement and management

• Regularly work with distributor sales managers, supervisors, and account managers (for both on- and off-premise accounts), focusing on product function and brand education.
• Collaboratively sell-in new distribution, menu placements, and displays, while coaching on the ZBiotics brand, product quality, and science.
• Manage distributor product and POS inventories, support forecasting processes to ensure adequate inventory, maintain DOH, and support rapid growth across all channels in the state.
• Partner with the Retail Marketing Manager to execute on delivering consistent retailer onboarding.
• Provide weekly recap to appropriate distributor sales managers, supervisors, and account managers communicating wins, opportunities, needs for follow-up, and praise for success.
• Lead monthly or bi-monthly training with on- and off-premise distributor teams to cultivate product expertise. Drive enthusiasm by delivering high-impact presentations and extensive sampling.
• Conduct merchandising training for distributors, either in-field or in-office, focused on optimizing ZBiotics POS materials and mastering merchandising strategies to maximize velocity in every account.
• Actively engage in quarterly distributor performance reviews to help evaluate strategic progress and alignment, and identify new opportunities for ZBiotics.

About You

You are a relationship-driven sales professional who thrives in the field and knows how to make distributor and retail partners genuinely excited about the brands they carry. You're a compelling communicator who is comfortable presenting to a room of distributor reps one day and training a hotel bar team the next. You bring the product knowledge and storytelling ability to make ZBiotics' science feel accessible and compelling to any audience.

You're highly organized, running an efficient territory with well-planned routes and a clear sense of where your time creates the most impact. You understand the financial realities of your retail and on-premise partners — margin, pour cost, sell-through, profitability — and you speak that language fluently. You're equally comfortable pulling a sales report to identify a growth opportunity as you are walking a store to fix a display. Data and relationships aren't in tension for you; they're both tools for winning accounts.

Above all, you're someone who gets energized by building. You want to be part of establishing a brand in a new market, not just maintaining one that already exists, and you understand that doing it right means showing up consistently, earning trust, and holding yourself to a high standard in every account you touch.

Desired Qualifications

• At least 3 – 5 years of beverage-alcohol industry experience, representing a supplier or distributor within the Massachusetts craft beer, spirits, or wine markets.
• Proven track record of managing Florida off-premise retail accounts, with a focus on major liquor chains including Publix and ABC, as well as independent retailers and grocery outlets.
• Demonstrated success in the Florida on-premise sector, specifically with high-end hotels, resorts, and premium restaurant bars; having established professional networks in these areas is highly preferred.
• Experience in educating staff with on- and off-premise retail accounts; small and large groups; and creating excitement, passion, and interest for a premium brand.
• Experience driving growth within the Natural Grocery channel, including key partners like Whole Foods and Sprouts.
• Understands retailer business needs both on- and off-premise: pricing, margin, activation costs, sell-through, profitability.
• Knows how to motivate retailers and distributors through communicating incremental revenue opportunities, attractive margin, and guest experience with low operational lift.
• Ability to champion premium brands by utilizing compelling storytelling and deep product knowledge to articulate what makes a brand unique.
• Thorough understanding of distributor dynamics, including best practices for communication, motivation, and managing execution through distributor partners.
• Experience effectively presenting in distributor sales meetings to educate and motivate distributor sales teams.
• Background in experiential marketing, including consumer education at festivals, large-scale events, or through in-store product demonstrations.

This Role is Perfect For You If …

• You enjoy building a brand from ground up, calling on premium and highly influential off-premise and on-premise accounts while also driving distributor engagement and execution (3 – 4 days a week in trade).
• You are motivated by selling quality, premium products with a great story, educating distributors, retailers, and consumers about emerging products in a new category.
• You thrive working with and motivating distributor teams, building a culture of best-in-class collaboration with your distributor partners.
• You are goal-oriented! Like to set, achieve, and over-achieve distribution and sales targets.
• You embody the ZBiotics values of People-First, Integrity, Citizenship, and Science.