Senior Sales Leader: Specialty Retail & Partnerships

Coca-Cola; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 117,000 - 146,000; Full time

Job summary

Coca-Cola is seeking a Senior Manager, Sales - Specialty Retail to drive growth across the Southeast region by building strategic plans and strong customer partnerships across multiple states.

The role requires leading cross‑functional collaboration with finance, marketing, and supply chain to forecast, negotiate, and implement programs that maximize beverage performance in specialty retail and on‑site channels.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, or related field.
• Minimum of 3 years of successful sales or account management experience in consumer packaged goods, foodservice, or retail.
• Proven 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.
• 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 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.

Skills

Account Management

Business Planning

Collaboration

Communication

Cross-Functional Teamwork

Customer Relationship Management

Customer Relationships

Financial Analysis

Negotiation

Strategic Business Planning

Education

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

Job description

Coca-Cola is seeking a Senior Manager, Sales - Specialty Retail to drive growth across the Southeast region by building strategic plans and strong customer partnerships across multiple states.

The role requires leading cross‑functional collaboration with finance, marketing, and supply chain to forecast, negotiate, and implement programs that maximize beverage performance in specialty retail and on‑site channels.