Director, Customer Dev

Aspire Bakeries; Los Angeles (CA); Remote; USD 140,000 - 175,000; Full time

Job summary

Aspire Bakeries is seeking a Director of Customer Development for a remote position. You will drive profitable sales growth, expand distribution, and lead a high-performing team across national and regional grocery, wholesale, and broker channels.

Responsibilities include developing customer plans, negotiating terms, coaching the sales team, and building distributor growth strategies. Travel 50-75% is required; salary range is $140K-$175K with comprehensive benefits.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive Consumer Packaged Goods sales and customer development experience.
• 5+ years of experience leading, coaching, and developing sales teams.
• Proven experience managing major grocery retail, wholesale, distributor, or regional retail customer accounts.
• Demonstrated experience leading broker organizations and performance.
• Strong financial acumen, strategic business planning, analytical, and negotiation skills.
• Experience using customer, category, and syndicated data platforms (Circana, Nielsen).

Responsibilities

• Lead strategic customer relationships across national and regional grocery retailers, wholesalers, distributors, and broker partners.
• Develop and execute customer business plans that deliver sales growth, profitability, distribution gains, and market share expansion.
• Drive brand growth through innovation selling, assortment optimization, category development, and new business acquisition.
• Negotiate pricing, contracts, promotional programs, and joint business plans to maximize customer and company value.
• Coach and develop a high-performing sales team through performance management, talent development, and succession planning.
• Direct broker strategy and execution to achieve distribution, placement, promotional, and performance objectives.
• Build wholesale and distributor growth strategies that improve market penetration and support profitable expansion.

Skills

CPG sales

customer development

sales leadership

negotiation

strategic planning

data-driven decisions

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, or related field

Tools

Circana

Nielsen

Job description

Hungry for a career that's as rewarding as it is delicious?

At Aspire Bakeries, we don't just bake breads, cookies, and cakes - we create foods that bring people together. From La Brea Bakery artisan breads to Otis Spunkmeyer cookies, our products are enjoyed by millions of people every day. And behind every bite are talented manufacturing and support teams who take pride in their work and our food.

We're looking for hard-working people who will bring integrity, creativity, and a passion for excellence to everything they do - whether that's on the bakery floor, in the office, or supporting customers. In return, we offer a workplace culture built on care, ownership, and growth - where your contributions matter and your career can rise as high as our bread loaves!

With 13 commercial bakeries across North America and a reputation as an industry leader, Aspire Bakeries is rising together with our people and our customers to be the best all-around bakery solution. If you're ready to grow with us, we'd love to hear from you

Why You'll Love Working At Aspire Bakeries

• Culture - Our culture thrives on collaboration, diversity, and a shared passion for excellence. We support team members, empower growth, and encourage everyone to bring their authentic selves to work.
• Health & Wellness - Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, plus company-paid life insurance and additional voluntary options to fit your needs.
• Work-Life Balance - Paid parental leave, generous paid time off, and holidays so you can recharge and spend time on what matters most.
• Financial Security - A competitive 401(k) with immediate company match, plus short- and long-term disability coverage for peace of mind.
• Growth & Development - Opportunities to build skills, grow your career, and develop expertise through Aspire Bakeries' learning and development programs.
• Flexibility & Support - HSA and FSA plans to help you manage everyday expenses.
• Recognition & Rewards - Performance incentive plans that celebrate achievements across sales, bakery performance, and individual contributions.

About the Role

We are seeking a Director of Customer Development to join our team in a Remote role. As the Director of Customer Development, you will be accountable for driving profitable sales growth, expanding distribution, strengthening strategic customer partnerships, and leading a high-performing team across national and regional grocery retail, wholesale, and broker channels.

This role is critical to advancing Aspire Bakeries' branded and in-store bakery business through customer development strategies, innovation commercialization, broker leadership, and execution excellence across key customer accounts.

Compensation

• Salary Range: $140K-$175K
• Travel: Required (50%-75%)

Core Accountabilities (What You'll Be Doing)

• Lead strategic customer relationships across national and regional grocery retailers, wholesalers, distributors, and broker partners.
• Develop and execute customer business plans that deliver sales growth, profitability, distribution gains, and market share expansion.
• Drive brand growth through innovation selling, assortment optimization, category development, and new business acquisition.
• Negotiate pricing, contracts, promotional programs, and joint business plans to maximize customer and company value.
• Coach and develop a high-performing sales team through performance management, talent development, and succession planning.
• Direct broker strategy and execution to achieve distribution, placement, promotional, and performance objectives.
• Build wholesale and distributor growth strategies that improve market penetration and support profitable expansion.

Minimum Qualifications (What You Bring to the Table)

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Sales, or a related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 10+ years of progressive Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) sales and customer development experience.
• 5+ years of experience leading, coaching, and developing sales teams.
• Proven experience managing major grocery retail, wholesale, distributor, or regional retail customer accounts.
• Demonstrated experience leading and managing broker organizations and performance.
• Strong financial acumen, strategic business planning, analytical, and negotiation skills.
• Experience utilizing customer, category, and syndicated data platforms (e.g., Circana, Nielsen) to drive business decisions.

Preferred Qualifications (Extra Ingredients for Success)

• Experience within bakery, fresh foods, frozen foods, or broader food and beverage categories.
• Experience leading regional or national account teams in a multi-channel retail environment.
• Strong understanding of wholesale channel operations and distributor business models.
• Experience commercializing innovation and launching new products with retail customers.
• Advanced knowledge of category management principles and retailer analytics platforms.

Aspire Bakeries LLC values the contribution each Team Member brings to our organization. The final determination of a successful candidate's starting pay will vary based on a number of factors, including, but not limited to location, shift, education, skill, and experience within the job or the industry. The pay scale listed for this position is generally for candidates that meet the specified qualifications and requirements listed in this specific job description. Additional pay may be determined for those candidates that exceed these specified qualifications and requirements. We provide a competitive compensation package that recognizes your experience, credentials, and education alongside a robust benefits program to meet your needs. For union-represented postings, wage rates and ranges are governed by applicable collective bargaining agreements.

Aspire Bakeries is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristic. We do not use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to screen, assess, or select applicants.