Chief Commercial Officer - Spirits - US

Scale Up Search; California (MO); On-site; USD 250,000 - 450,000; Full time

Job summary

Scale Up Search is partnering with a high-growth spirits brand to appoint an experienced Chief Commercial Officer to lead and scale its US commercial organization. The successful candidate will have 15+ years in spirits, built commercial teams, and managed distributor networks nationwide, driving revenue growth while shaping route-to-market strategies.

This executive will work with the CEO and leadership team to set targets, budgets and KPIs, and will be hands-on in building the team and

Qualifications

• 15+ years of experience in the spirits industry.
• Experience with major/global spirits supplier.
• Proven ability to build and scale commercial organizations.
• Strong distributor networks across national US markets.
• Track record in achieving revenue growth.
• Executive relationship management experience.
• Experience establishing KPIs, forecasting and performance management.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute the overall US commercial strategy, markets and investments.
• Set revenue targets, priorities, budgets and growth plans with the CEO.
• Own commercial performance with right people, processes and route-to-market.
• Build a high-performing national sales organization.
• Recruit and develop sales leadership across territories.
• Manage distributor partnerships and incentive programs.
• Evaluate route-to-market strategies across markets to improve distribution and profitability.
• Develop relationships with on-premise, off-premise and retail accounts.
• Lead annual planning, pricing, and performance management with distributors.

Skills

Leadership

Distributor management

Sales strategy

P&L ownership

Key accounts

Strategic planning

Relationship building

Job description

We are partnering with a high-growth spirits company to appoint an experienced Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) to lead and scale its commercial organization across the United States.

This is a critical executive leadership position with responsibility for the company’s overall commercial strategy, sales organization, distributor network, key customer relationships and continued expansion across the US market.

The ideal candidate will combine the structure and commercial discipline gained from working within a major global spirits supplier with the entrepreneurial experience of helping an emerging spirits brand achieve significant growth.

We are specifically looking for a leader who has previously built a commercial organization and sales team from the ground up and understands what is required to take an emerging brand through its next stage of growth.

Key Responsibilities

Develop and execute the overall US commercial strategy, identifying the markets, channels, customers and investments that will deliver sustainable growth.

Work closely with the CEO and executive leadership team to establish revenue targets, commercial priorities, budgets and longer-term growth plans.

Take ownership of commercial performance across the business, ensuring the organization has the right people, processes and route-to-market strategy to achieve its objectives.

Build & Lead the Sales Organization

Build, structure and develop a high-performing national sales organization capable of supporting the company's next stage of growth.

Recruit and develop sales leadership and market-level talent as the company expands into new territories.

Establish clear KPIs, sales processes, reporting structures and accountability throughout the commercial organization.

Create a high-performance culture while remaining a visible and hands-on leader within the market.

Own and develop senior-level relationships with distributor partners across the United States.

Lead annual planning, programming, pricing, incentives and performance management with distributor partners.

Evaluate the company's route-to-market strategy on a market-by-market basis and identify opportunities to improve distribution, velocity and profitability.

The successful candidate should have experience working across multiple distributor networks and models, rather than being reliant on relationships with a single distributor.

National & Regional Accounts

Develop and leverage relationships across the on-premise, off-premise and retail channels.

Build strategic relationships with key national and regional accounts, including major retailers, hospitality groups, restaurant groups, bars and other influential customers.

Identify opportunities to increase distribution, improve rate of sale and secure high-value placements across priority accounts.

Growth & Market Expansion

Develop a disciplined market expansion strategy, prioritizing states and channels based on the greatest commercial opportunities.

Build the infrastructure required to successfully enter new markets and scale existing ones.

Partner closely with marketing to ensure brand investment and commercial execution are aligned.

Balance aggressive growth with sustainable economics, ensuring investments ultimately translate into revenue, velocity and long-term brand value.

Candidate Profile

We are looking for an established spirits executive with 15+ years of industry experience and a demonstrable track record of building and scaling commercial organizations.

The ideal candidate will have:

• 15+ years of experience within the spirits industry.
• Earlier career experience with a major/global spirits supplier, providing strong foundations in commercial strategy, distributor management and key account development.
• Subsequently moved into the emerging or high-growth spirits environment, ideally as a VP Sales, SVP Sales, Chief Sales Officer or Chief Commercial Officer.
• Played a significant role in taking an emerging spirits company through a period of substantial revenue, distribution and organizational growth.
• Personally built and scaled a sales team from scratch, rather than only inheriting an established commercial organization.
• Deep relationships throughout the US spirits industry across distributors, retailers, on-premise and off-premise customers.
• Experience managing relationships with multiple major and regional distributors across different US markets.
• Strong knowledge of the three-tier system and the nuances of building an emerging spirits brand nationally.
• A track record of developing and winning business with national and regional key accounts.
• Experience establishing commercial processes, compensation structures, KPIs, forecasting and performance management.
• Strong commercial and financial acumen, with experience owning significant revenue targets and ideally broader P&L responsibility.

Leadership Profile

This role requires an executive who can combine strategy with execution.

The successful candidate will be entrepreneurial, commercially aggressive and highly relationship-driven, but will also bring the structure and discipline required to build a scalable organization.

They must be comfortable operating in an environment where they may need to personally open doors, negotiate with distributors, meet key customers and solve problems in the market while simultaneously building the team and infrastructure that will support the company's longer-term growth.

This is not a position for someone who has spent their career exclusively within large, highly resourced suppliers. Equally, we are looking for someone who brings the commercial foundations, relationships and industry knowledge developed through experience within a leading spirits organization.

Why Join?

This represents an opportunity for an accomplished spirits executive to have a significant impact on an ambitious brand during a pivotal stage of its development.

The incoming CCO will have the opportunity to shape the commercial organization, build the team, influence the company's route-to-market strategy and play a leading role in scaling the business across the United States.