Area Sales Manager

Area Sales Manager – Pacific Northwest

Location: Field Territory: Oregon / Washington (greater Seattle & greater Portland focus)
Schedule: Monday–Friday
Compensation: $80,000–$100,000 Base + Uncapped Variable Compensation (20% target / 40% stretch benchmark)

Why Join Downeast?

Building a world-class brand takes a world-class team. We front-load our sales roles with clear upside, high autonomy, and direct rewards for growth:

Uncapped Earning Potential: Quarterly variable compensation with a 20% target and 40% stretch benchmark — actual earnings may exceed benchmarks based on performance.

Work/Life Balance & Perks: Unlimited PTO, paid holidays, and a monthly phone stipend (up to $100/month).

Travel & Expenses: Full mileage and expense reimbursement.

Health & Financial Security: 401(k) with 4% company match, health & dental insurance, plus company-paid short-term disability.

Culture & Rewards: Sales training retreats, regular team contests with additional financial incentives, company-wide holiday party, eligibility for our annual Elite Slinger's Club trip (last year: Puerto Rico), and a cider allowance. Hope your fridge is big.

The Mission

As the Area Sales Manager for the Pacific Northwest, you will build Downeast's business in Oregon and Washington from the ground up. You are the primary owner of the market — wholesaler management, account execution, and local sales strategy all run through you. Your mission is to successfully launch the market and deliver sustainable distribution, volume, and brand presence in the country's largest cider market, moving Downeast toward becoming the #1 hard cider in America.

There is no playbook to inherit here, because there is no market to inherit. You build both.

What a Week Looks Like

You set the week's priorities with your wholesaler partners — goals, incentives, and where their reps should be pointing. Then you're in the field across greater Seattle and greater Portland: prospecting new accounts, pitching buyers, riding along with distributor reps, and locking in displays and promotional opportunities. Between account visits, you're managing the business end — budgets, point-of-sale, tastings, events — and reading the sales data to decide where next week's effort goes. You are Downeast's entire presence in the Pacific Northwest, which means the wins are yours, and so is the accountability.

What You'll Do

Launch the Market: Own the successful launch and ongoing development of Downeast across Oregon and Washington, with clear accountability for volume, distribution, and execution goals. Build the market's account universe from the ground up — identify the highest-potential opportunities, secure new placements, and develop early accounts into productive, long-term customers. Serve as Downeast's primary representative in the Pacific Northwest.

Sell, Sell, Sell: Conduct in-person sales and prospecting activity across on- and off-premise accounts. Prospect, pitch, and close new accounts across greater Seattle and greater Portland. Seek out and secure merchandising, display, and promotional opportunities.

Own the Wholesaler Relationship: Own all day-to-day communication, planning, and execution with assigned wholesaler partners. Build strong relationships with wholesaler leadership, sales managers, field representatives, chain teams, and key decision-makers, establishing Downeast as a preferred supplier partner. Establish clear goals and priorities for wholesaler sales teams and ensure consistent communication, training, incentives, tracking, and follow-up.

Run the Business End: Manage local wholesaler programming, budgets, incentives, point-of-sale materials, tastings, events, and other market investments. Ensure spending is aligned with commercial priorities.

Who You Are

Energized by prospecting, closing, and winning in the field.

Built for autonomy. You thrive in a remote market with limited day-to-day supervision, and you'd rather build something from scratch than maintain someone else's machine.

Highly organized. You can simultaneously manage wholesaler priorities, account coverage, inventory, budgets, reporting, and follow-up without dropping any of them.

Data-driven. You use sales and distribution numbers to prioritize opportunities and adjust execution.

A clear, consistent communicator — comfortable leading wholesaler meetings and presenting to sales teams.

A trust-builder with wholesaler leadership, sales reps, and account decision-makers.

Resilient. You handle rejection well and win markets with work ethic and hustle.

Genuinely excited to represent the Downeast brand.

What You Need

3+ years of experience in beverage alcohol sales, CPG sales, distributor management, or a similarly field-driven sales role.

Strong field selling ability — the confidence to prospect, handle rejection, build relationships, and close new business.

Strong communication, time management, organizational, and analytical skills.

Valid driver's license and a reliable vehicle.

At least 21 years old (federal & state alcohol regulations).

Must reside within the territory (Oregon or Washington).

Bonus Points

Existing relationships with Oregon/Washington wholesalers or key on-premise accounts.

Prior new-market launch or brand-building experience.

Experience in alcohol — beer, wine, spirits, or cider.

Comfortable using CRM software (VIP/KARMA).

Proficient in Google Suite.

One More Thing

After you apply, we'll send you a short Wonderlic assessment. Everyone who applies takes it — it's part of the process, not a trap. If you're going to complete it, apply. If you're not, this saves us both an email.

Don't check every single box? We value grit, hustle, and passion above all else. If this role speaks to you, apply with a one-page cover letter explaining why you — no "to whom it may concern" required.

About Downeast Cider

We first started fermenting batches of cider up at Bates College in 2011. We have a few more teammates now. You can now buy our cider in tens of thousands of retailers, not just a couple of bars in central Maine. It takes us 15 minutes to make a pallet of cider, not the 12 hours it took in the early days. We're diversifying beyond cider, but our aim remains the same:

We aspire to be an enduring company. If we create value for our customers, we create value for ourselves through fulfilling work and robust compensation. To do this requires a world-class brand, and a world-class team.

We define our culture by seven principles. You can read more about those principles on our website.

Unfiltered Hiring

We like to hire the way we like our cider: unfiltered. With the understanding that we can learn and grow from each other's differences, we are proud to hire regardless of gender, race, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, disability, age, or anything else that makes us who we are.