Sales Director

ForceBrands; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Vehicle allowance

Job summary

ForceBrands is seeking a Business Unit Manager / Regional Sales Director to lead the U.S. retail business in the New York metro area.

This hybrid role reports to the Country Manager, North America, and includes overseeing account management, new-location launches, field merchandising, staffing, inventory, and store-level execution. The ideal candidate will be a high-energy, relationship-driven leader who excels in field operations, customer management, and coaching teams to deliver outstanding

Qualifications

• Extensive leadership experience in field/sales operations for consumer brands.
• Strong ability to manage multi-location field teams and relationships with retail partners.
• Proven track record in driving in-store execution and customer satisfaction.

Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day field operations and account management across multiple locations.
• Oversee onboarding launches, staffing, and inventory coordination for new and existing accounts.
• Coach merchandisers, manage schedules, and ensure execution standards.

Skills

Field leadership

Customer management

Field operations

Team coaching

Retail operations

Job description

*THIS IS NOT A JOB WITH FORCEBRANDS*

*MUST BE BASED IN NYC METRO AREA*

Business Unit Manager / Regional Sales Director

Location: New York Metro Area — Hybrid

Reports to: Country Manager, North America

Direct Reports: Brand Manager and field merchandising team

Travel: Approximately 30%

Compensation: $140K–$160K base salary, plus a 10%–20% annual bonus and vehicle allowance

Company Overview

Our client is an established international confectionery company growing its presence in the U.S. market. The company offers a broad portfolio of candy, chocolate, and other confectionery products, including a fun, highly visual retail concept that has built a strong following across Europe.

The Role

We are looking for an energetic, commercially minded people leader who loves being in the field, building customer relationships, and motivating teams to deliver a great consumer experience.

The Business Unit Manager will manage the day‑to‑day execution and performance of this growing U.S. retail business. This is a hands‑on field and customer operations role overseeing account management, new‑location launches, field merchandising, staffing, inventory coordination, and store‑level execution.

A separate sales leader will be responsible for prospecting and securing new retail accounts. Once a customer is signed, the Business Unit Manager will become the face of the business for that account—building the relationship, leading onboarding, managing launches, and ensuring the program performs successfully over time.

The ideal candidate will be an engaging, relationship‑oriented leader who combines strong customer‑management skills with the organization and discipline of an effective field operator. They should enjoy spending time with customers, visiting stores, coaching employees, and solving operational challenges.

This person will be visible, approachable, and actively engaged with retail partners, store managers, merchandisers, and internal stakeholders. They will bring energy and personality to the business while holding the team accountable for strong execution.

Key Responsibilities

Customer and Account Management

• Partner with the sales leader to transition newly signed customers into the business.
• Take ownership of customer relationships after the initial sale.
• Coordinate customer onboarding and new‑location launches.
• Translate customer agreements into clear launch plans, staffing requirements, service schedules, and execution standards.
• Serve as the primary day‑to‑day contact for grocery, cinema, and other retail partners.
• Build strong, long‑term relationships with customers and store‑level stakeholders.
• Conduct regular customer check‑ins and performance reviews.
• Resolve service, merchandising, inventory, and operational issues.
• Identify opportunities to improve performance or add locations within existing accounts.
• Maintain high levels of customer satisfaction and responsiveness.

Field Operations and Merchandising

• Manage, coach, and motivate the field merchandising team responsible for servicing retail locations.
• Build schedules, assign store coverage, and adjust routes as the number of locations grows.
• Determine appropriate staffing levels for each customer and market.
• Monitor labor hours, productivity, attendance, and execution quality.
• Ensure stores are visited and serviced according to established schedules.
• Maintain standards for stocking, replenishment, cleaning, sampling, and merchandising.
• Conduct regular field visits to observe execution, support employees, and address issues.
• Train and coach field employees on service expectations and operating procedures.
• Create a positive, accountable team culture across a distributed workforce.
• Coordinate with third‑party merchandising or service partners when needed.
• Help develop a practical and scalable field‑service model.

New‑Location Launches

• Manage the operational launch of new stores and customer locations.
• Coordinate fixtures, products, inventory, staffing, training, and launch timing.
• Work with customers and internal teams to ensure locations are ready to open.
• Remain closely involved during the initial launch period.
• Resolve implementation issues and document learnings for future openings.
• Ensure each new location meets the company’s operating, merchandising, and brand standards.

Business and Financial Management

• Monitor the day‑to‑day financial performance of the business.
• Track sales, labor, inventory, service costs, and location‑level profitability.
• Manage operating budgets and identify opportunities to improve costs or execution.
• Prepare regular performance updates for the Country Manager.
• Use customer and store‑level data to identify performance issues and opportunities.
• Support annual planning, forecasting, and budgeting activities.
• Help ensure the business meets its commercial and financial targets.
• Partner with finance on reporting and performance tracking.

  Inventory and Cross‑Functional Coordination

  • Partner with supply chain and logistics teams to maintain appropriate inventory levels.
  • Monitor product availability and address potential out‑of‑stock issues.
  • Coordinate demand planning for existing and upcoming locations.
  • Support assortment, merchandising, pricing, and promotional decisions.
  • Work closely with marketing on in‑store activations, sampling, and customer programs.
  • Coordinate with international teams to apply established processes and operating standards to the U.S. market.
  • Share feedback from customers, stores, and field teams with internal stakeholders.

  Candidate Profile

  Required Experience

  • Approximately 7–10 years of experience in CPG, retail, beverage, foodservice, distribution, or another relevant consumer sector.
  • Experience in field operations, retail operations, account management, sales operations, or commercial operations.
  • Previous responsibility for managing field‑based employees, merchandisers, sales representatives, or service teams.
  • Experience working directly with grocery stores, cinemas, retailers, distributors, or other customer locations.
  • Strong understanding of retail store operations and store‑level execution.
  • Experience onboarding customers or launching new retail locations.
  • Ability to manage schedules, routes, labor hours, and service standards.
  • Experience monitoring budgets, costs, inventory, and business performance.
  • Strong customer‑management and problem‑solving skills.
  • Willingness to spend significant time in the field working directly with employees and customers.

  Preferred Experience

  • Experience with store‑within‑a‑store concepts, self‑service food, bulk retail, experiential retail, or other service‑intensive retail models.
  • Experience working with grocery or cinema customers.
  • Familiarity with direct‑store delivery, beverage distribution, route‑based service, or field merchandising.
  • Experience supporting a growing or early‑stage business.
  • Exposure to P&L management or location‑level profitability.
  • Experience working with third‑party merchandising or field‑service providers.

  Key Attributes

  Energetic, engaging, and customer‑focused.

  Enjoys managing and motivating field‑based teams.

  Hands‑on and willing to work alongside employees when needed.

  Organized, responsive, and attentive to operational details.

  Comfortable solving problems in a fast‑growing environment.

  Collaborative across sales, marketing, finance, supply chain, and international teams.

  Why Join

  Take ownership of the day‑to‑day operations of a differentiated confectionery retail concept.

  Build and manage a growing field merchandising team.

  Develop meaningful relationships with retail customers and store teams.

  Help launch and improve new locations across grocery, cinema, and future channels.

  Bring a fun, established international retail experience to U.S. consumers.

  Join an established international company during an early stage of its U.S. growth.

  Compensation and Benefits

  • Base salary: $140K–$160K, commensurate with experience
  • Annual bonus: 10%–20%, based on performance
  • Vehicle allowance
  • Medical, dental, and vision coverage
  • Retirement plan with company match
  • Paid time off
  • Professional‑development benefits