Sales Director, Foodservice

Seaman Paper Co.; Leominster (MA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Seaman Paper, a global manufacturer of specialty paper and sustainable packaging, seeks a Sales Director, Foodservice to lead commercial sales and marketing strategy across the U.S. and Europe. This senior role drives revenue growth, pricing and profitability while aligning with manufacturing and operations.

The candidate will lead and develop sales teams, build executive-level relationships with major customers, and translate market insights into growth initiatives across markets and products.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Finance, or a related discipline is required; MBA or advanced degree preferred.
• 10+ years of progressive sales and commercial leadership experience.
• Experience in Foodservice, paper, packaging, converting, or a related manufacturing industry is preferred.
• Demonstrated experience leading and developing sales teams across multiple markets, regions, or countries.
• Strong pricing, margins, product mix, customer profitability, forecasting, and commercial analysis knowledge.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute the Foodservice Division's sales and commercial strategy across the U.S. and Europe.
• Lead, coach, and develop the U.S. and U.K. sales teams with clear goals and accountability.
• Strengthen CRM usage, pipeline management, forecasting, and sales reporting.
• Build strategic customer relationships and lead major commercial negotiations.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic accounts

Sales strategy

Pricing & profitability

CRM & forecasting

Team development

Negotiation

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Finance, or related discipline

MBA or advanced business degree preferred

Tools

CRM platforms

Job description

Are you ready for new challenges and new opportunities?

Join our team!

Current job opportunities are posted here as they become available.

Location: United States (Eastern/ Central Time Zone Preferred)
Department: Commercial
Employment Type: Full-Time
Reports To: Chief Strategy & Commercial Officer

Lead Strategy. Drive Growth. Build the Future of Foodservice.

Seaman Paper is a global manufacturer of specialty paper and sustainable packaging solutions. Family-owned and headquartered in Leominster, Massachusetts, the company has been operating since 1946 and serves customers across North America, Europe, and Asia.

We are looking for an experienced Sales Director, Foodservice to lead the commercial sales and marketing strategy for Seaman Paper's Foodservice business across the U.S. and Europe.

This is a senior commercial leadership role with responsibility for revenue growth, customer development and retention, pricing and profitability, forecasting, and overall commercial performance. The Sales Director will lead and develop sales teams, build strategic customer relationships, identify new market opportunities, and work closely with manufacturing and operational teams to connect customer demand with Seaman Paper's capabilities and long-term growth strategy.

The ideal candidate is a commercially focused leader with strong experience in sales strategy, strategic accounts, team leadership, and manufacturing environments.

What You'll Do

• Develop and execute the Foodservice Division's sales and commercial strategy across the U.S. and Europe.
• Establish annual budgets, sales forecasts, growth plans, and commercial priorities aligned with company objectives.
• Identify market opportunities and develop strategies to expand Seaman Paper's Foodservice business.
• Monitor market conditions, competitive activity, customer needs, and industry trends to inform commercial strategy.

Drive Profitable Growth

• Grow revenue, market share, and profitability across existing and new customer relationships.
• Identify opportunities for growth through new accounts, products, markets, and geographic expansion.
• Manage pricing, product mix, margins, and commercial risks.
• Evaluate business opportunities and make recommendations based on revenue potential, profitability, and strategic fit.

Lead and Develop the Sales Organization

• Lead, coach, and develop the U.S. and U.K. sales teams.
• Establish clear goals, performance expectations, and accountability.
• Strengthen CRM usage, pipeline management, forecasting, and sales reporting.
• Build organizational capabilities and develop talent and succession plans.

Manage Strategic Customer Relationships

• Build and maintain executive-level relationships with key customers.
• Develop and execute strategic account plans for major customers.
• Lead significant commercial negotiations and agreements.
• Serve as an escalation point for major customer issues and opportunities.
• Develop a deep understanding of customer strategies, business needs, and growth opportunities.

Drive Innovation and Market Development

• Partner with Marketing, Product Management, Product Development, and Operations to identify new opportunities.
• Translate customer insights, competitive intelligence, and sustainability trends into actionable commercial strategies.
• Support new product development and commercialization initiatives.
• Develop go-to-market strategies for new products and markets.
• Provide recommendations regarding investments and opportunities that support long-term growth.

Align Commercial and Operational Execution

• Work closely with Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Customer Service, Quality, and Finance.
• Ensure customer commitments align with manufacturing capacity, inventory, service levels, and profitability objectives.
• Improve demand forecasting and communication between commercial and operational teams.
• Help balance customer requirements with operational capabilities and business objectives.
• Provide strategic direction to the Foodservice customer service organization across the U.S. and U.K.
• Promote a consistent, high-quality customer experience across markets.
• Partner with Customer Service and other internal teams to resolve significant customer issues.
• Identify opportunities to improve service, communication, and customer retention.

Contribute to Enterprise Leadership

• Report business performance, opportunities, risks, and recommended actions to executive leadership.
• Contribute to company-wide strategic planning and commercial initiatives.
• Use market and business data to support strategic decision-making.
• Promote Seaman Paper's commitment to safety, sustainability, integrity, innovation, and operational excellence.
• Reinforce Seaman Paper's One World culture across commercial and cross‑functional teams.

Who We're Looking For

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Finance, or a related discipline required; MBA or advanced business degree preferred.
• 10+ years of progressive sales and commercial leadership experience.
• Experience in Foodservice, paper, packaging, converting, or a related manufacturing industry is strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience leading and developing sales teams across multiple markets, regions, or countries.
• Experience leading or working closely with customer service organizations strongly preferred.
• Proven success developing and executing commercial strategies that drive sustainable revenue and profitable growth.
• Strong strategic account management experience, including executive-level relationships with large and complex customers.
• Strong understanding of pricing, margins, product mix, customer profitability, forecasting, and commercial financial analysis.
• Experience working within a manufacturing environment and partnering closely with Operations, Supply Chain, Finance, Quality, and Product Development.
• Experience developing annual budgets, sales forecasts, strategic account plans, and long-term growth strategies.
• Strong working knowledge of CRM platforms and commercial reporting tools.
• Experience supporting new product commercialization, capital investment decisions, and business cases is preferred.
• Experience working across U.S. and international markets, particularly the U.K. or Europe, is strongly preferred.
• Strong leadership, communication, negotiation, and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to travel domestically and internationally as required.

Why Join Seaman Paper?

At Seaman Paper, you'll be part of a global, family-owned company with a long history of innovation in specialty paper and sustainable packaging.

Our Foodservice business plays an important role in developing paper-based alternatives that help customers meet changing sustainability and packaging needs.

This role offers the opportunity to:

• Lead commercial strategy for a global Foodservice business.
• Work directly with major customers and executive leadership.
• Lead and develop sales teams across multiple markets.
• Influence product, market, and growth strategies.
• Partner across Sales, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Finance, Product Development, and Operations.
• Help shape the future growth of a global specialty paper and packaging business.
• Make an impact on the development of more sustainable packaging solutions.

Seaman Paper is committed to providing an inclusive workplace where employment decisions are based on qualifications, skills, experience, and business needs.

This job description is not intended to be a comprehensive list of all duties, responsibilities, or activities required of the employee. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time based on business needs.