Senior Manager, Sales - Specialty Retail

Coca-Cola; Minnesota; On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

The Coca-Cola Company is seeking a Senior Manager, Sales - Specialty Retail to lead growth across specialty retail and on-site channels in the Southeast Region. You will drive strategic planning, customer relationships, and cross-functional collaboration to deliver sustainable growth and operational excellence.

Ideal candidates will translate insights into initiatives, guide negotiations, and manage multiple priorities with precision.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required in Business, Marketing, or a related field.
• 3+ years of successful sales or account management experience in consumer packaged goods, foodservice, or retail environments.
• Ability to develop and manage customer relationships that deliver long-term business results.
• Proven experience negotiating and executing sales programs across multiple purchasing tiers and retail models.
• Analytical strength in building data-driven business cases, interpreting customer feedback, and developing insights into actionable growth strategies.
• Ability to independently manage multiple priorities with accuracy and detail.
• Exceptional communication, presentation, and relationship-building skills across internal and external stakeholders.
• Comfort in fast-paced, entrepreneurial environments with a collaborative and solution-oriented approach.
• Understanding of retail and foodservice distribution channels strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated leadership abilities and a commitment to driving operational excellence across all aspects of sales engagement.

Responsibilities

• Lead annual and multi-year collaborative business planning processes with customers and internal teams, developing growth objectives and partnership initiatives.
• Forecast annual sales volume, revenue, and expenses aligned with strategic goals and account priorities.
• Negotiate and influence decision-making through fact-based selling, data insights, and business case development.
• Conduct regular business reviews with specialty retail partners to assess needs and opportunities.
• Monitor performance against plans and recommend product or program adjustments based on insights.
• Build and maintain trusted relationships with customer executives and internal stakeholders across the organization.
• Collaborate with supply chain and product teams to design direct supply strategies enhancing efficiency and availability.
• Analyze market trends and communicate competitive intelligence to inform planning.
• Work cross-functionally with finance, marketing, revenue growth management, and operations to leverage resources.
• Lead strategic discussions around innovation and new commercial opportunities.
• Use sales data and store insights to tailor business solutions and improve performance.
• Serve as go-to CRM expert within the Southeast Region to ensure consistent service and partnership engagement.
• Foster collaboration with bottling and distributor contacts to drive execution and shared success.

Skills

Customer relationship management

Data analytics

Strategic planning

Negotiation

Communication skills

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

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

Tools

CRM software

Job description

Job Description Summary:

At The Coca‑Cola Company, our vision is to create loved brands, done sustainably, for a better shared future. We combine innovation, design, and marketing excellence to help retailers deliver experiences that delight consumers and strengthen our shared business. The Senior Manager, Sales - Specialty Retail plays a key role in advancing this vision within the Southeast Region-including Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Florida, North Carolina, and Maryland-by driving growth across specialty retail and on‑site channels.This role leads strategic business planning, customer relationship management, and cross‑functional collaboration to deliver sustainable growth. The ideal candidate is a passionate, results‑oriented sales leader who thrives on building partnerships, translating insights into initiatives, and executing with discipline. By blending commercial strategy, operational leadership, and a deep understanding of customer dynamics, this leader will accelerate Coca‑Cola's beverage performance and ensure our brands continue to inspire consumers across diverse retail experiences.

What You’ll Do for Us

• Lead annual and multi-year collaborative business planning processes with customers and internal teams, developing clear growth objectives, category programs, and partnership initiatives.
• Accurately forecast annual sales volume, revenue, and expenses while aligning with strategic goals and account priorities.
• Guide complex negotiations and influence decision‑making through fact‑based selling, data insights, and business case development that creates mutual value.
• Conduct regular business reviews with specialty retail partners to assess needs, resolve challenges, and uncover opportunities for continued growth.
• Monitor performance against business plans, track progress toward goals, and recommend new product or program adjustments based on insights and results.
• Build and maintain trusted relationships with customer executives, outlet managers, distributors bottling partners, and internal stakeholders to ensure alignment across all levels of the organization.
• Partner with supply chain, product supply, and foodservice distributor teams to design direct supply strategies that enhance operational efficiency and product availability.
• Analyze market trends and communicate competitive intelligence across assigned territories to inform planning and strengthen commercial response.
• Collaborate across cross‑functional teams‑including finance, marketing, revenue growth management, and operations‑to leverage Coca‑Cola resources and deliver impactful results.
• Lead strategic discussions around innovation, sharing insights that anticipate consumer and customer needs while helping brands activate new commercial opportunities.
• Use data analytics and customer‑specific information such as sales patterns,store layouts, and traffic insights to recommend tailored business solutions and enhance performance.
• Serve as the go‑to resource for customer relationship management expertise within the Southeast Region, ensuring consistent service, operational excellence, and partnership engagement.
• Foster collaboration and accountability among bottling and distributor contacts to steward execution and promote shared success.

Requirements & Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, or related field required.
• Minimum of 3 years of successful sales or account management experience within consumer packaged goods, foodservice, or retail environments.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and manage customer relationships that deliver long‑term business results.
• Proven experience negotiating and executing sales programs across multiple purchasing tiers and retail models.
• Analytical strength in building data‑driven business cases, interpreting customer feedback, and developing insights into actionable growth strategies.
• Ability to independently manage multiple priorities while maintaining strong attention to accuracy and detail.
• Exceptional communication, presentation, and relationship‑building skills across internal and external stakeholders.
• Comfort in fast‑paced, entrepreneurial environments with a collaborative and solution‑oriented approach.
• Understanding of retail and foodservice distribution channels strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated leadership abilities and a commitment to driving operational excellence across all aspects of sales engagement.

What We’ll Do for You

• Provide an opportunity to represent Coca‑Cola's iconic and innovative brand portfolio‑including Coca‑Cola, Simply, fairlife, and Topo Chico‑across diverse specialty retail locations.
• Equip you with tools, data insights, and collaborative networks to deliver strategic customer engagement and measurable business growth.
• Enable opportunities to work with expansive customer segments spanning retail, entertainment, restaurant, and emerging on‑site environments.
• Foster development through exposure to sustainable business leadership practices, innovation