Zone Sales Manager

Since 1869, we've connected people through food they love. We’re proud to be stewards of amazing brands that people trust. Our portfolio includes the iconic Campbell’s brand, as well as Cape Cod, Chunky, Goldfish, Kettle Brand, Lance, Late July, Pacific Foods, Pepperidge Farm, Prego, Pace, Rao’s Homemade, Snack Factory, Snyder’s of Hanover. Swanson, and V8. 

Here, you will make a difference every day. You will be supported to build a rewarding career with opportunities to grow, innovate and inspire. Make history with us.

Why Campbell’s…

• Benefits begin on day one and include medical, dental, short and long-term disability, AD&D, and life insurance (for individual, families, and domestic partners).
• Employees are eligible for our matching 401(k) plan and can enroll on the first day of employment with immediate vesting.
• Campbell’s offers unlimited sick time along with paid time off and holiday pay.
• If in WHQ – free access to the fitness center. Access to on-site day care (operated by Bright Horizons) and company store.
• Giving back to the communities where our employees work and live is very important to Campbell’s.   Our “Campbell’s Cares” program matches employee donations and/or volunteer activity up to $1,500 annually.
• Campbell’s has a variety of Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) to support employees.

How you will make history here...

The Zone Sales Manager (ZSM) is responsible for leading a team of Market Development Leaders (MDLs) to achieve distribution, sales, merchandising and promotional targets through effective engagement with the Independent Distributor Partners (IDP) network and the local warehouse logistics organization.  Zone Sales Managers are responsible for +$100MM in revenue. The ZSM must develop and implement the zone business strategy to drive growth across brands and increase dollar share, including marketplace deployment of resources to maximize volume and minimize operating cost. The ZSM provides sales leadership across the Zone, personal development to the respective MDLs.

What you will do...

Retail Development

• Responsible for proactively managing, monitoring, evaluating and updating the overall business plan to meet Campbell Snacks objectives.

• Develop business plans for 60-90-180 days out across all retailers and multiple geographies, to support executional excellence and share growth.

• Communicate targets for distribution, merchandising, and promotional execution.

• Secure retail space for new items and points of interruption with key retail decision makers through partnership with IDPs.

• Forge and develop strong relationships with key retail decision makers.

• Assess the retailer’s competitive position, behaviors and strategies and understand how they align with Campbell Snacks strategic goals and identify opportunities to create win-win scenarios. 

• Track and evaluate competitive threats in the market and set strategic gap closure plans to win.

• Design and forecast quarterly business plans to attain key metrics across the portfolio to deliver the quarterly lock retailer business plan.

• Design go to market strategies through partnership with IDPs and utilize business analytics to recommend key business issues/plans related to base products and/or innovation and marketing activation.

• Conduct retailer specific analysis across portfolio of brands to identify opportunities to the plan and make appropriate recommendations.

• Provide insights, feedback and collaborate with internal retail customer teams with solution-oriented ideas and adjustments for continuous improvement and improved executional excellence.

• Communicate retail execution goals and monitor performance of MDLs to achieve business strategies.

• Lead retail development within assigned area with an emphasis on designing and maintaining a retail wiring plan for compression selling through partnership with IDPs. 

• Penetrate and establish retail relationships with elevated levels of management with focused compression selling through partnership with IDPs.

Independent Distributor Partner (IDP) Engagement

• Cultivate, develop and implement optional quality joint business engagement. 

• Participate in optional quarterly IDP business meetings to collaborate on operational matters with the IDPs.

• Offer syndicated and retailer supplied data to discuss the state of the snacks business, consumer trends, key business drivers, and discover incremental opportunities.

• Develop growth strategy to support route infrastructure growth and align on priorities with local Business Development Managers.

• Improve route viability by reengineering for growth and minimizing turnover of routes to support IDP engagement.

• Recommend potential IDPs for open routes as potential future business partner.

• Design and collaborate with internal sales operations team to create a route infrastructure strategy.

• Collaborate with internal sales operations team to provide clear and concise communication regarding sales and distribution opportunities and other key information utilizing available applications and tools, which will assist them in engaging with IDPs.  

• Coach, lead and influence internal team to develop strong relationships and improve engagement with IDPs.

• Clear understanding of IDP contracts and the independent distributor partner business model.

Team Development

• Review weekly MDL deployment plans to improve execution, IDP engagement, retailer visibility and deliver on the Campbell Snacks objectives.

• Collaborate with Sales Operations to improve the efficiency of the market and drive growth.

• Seek out and provide support as needed to the different functions on assigned categories (e.g. new product development, process improvement, brand marketing).

• Track monthly forecasts in order to maximize supply chain efficiencies and provide constructive feedback on shipments, consumption data and inventory changes. Proactively identify potential risks or threats to monthly forecasts.

• Utilize performance management plans with MDLs to develop and enhance individual skills, capabilities and behaviors to build a team culture.

• Conduct MDL team meetings as necessary to share best practices, role play and communicate deployment plans and other strategic initiatives.

Job Complexity / Scope:

• Engage with a diverse set of outside stakeholders, including retailers and IDPs, while navigating complex route to market distribution model, distributor model and market trends

• Able to assess market needs and deploy resources against business issues and demands

• Utilize iPad business applications to provide up to date information regarding business trends

• Train, coach and develop new MDLs on processes and best practices

• Identify and implement growth strategies for infrastructure opportunities

• Deliver gross revenue target, share growth and executional excellence metrics.

• Deliver ACV display gains in key accounts and region geography

• Establish strong selling relationships with key retailers and divisional leaders of top retail accounts within zone

• Ensure MDL team is engaging IDPs in collaborative spirit to build relationships and maximize growth potential

• Build, recruit & develop high performing MDL team that promotes positive IDP engagement & culture

• Periodic strategy meetings with MDL team to align on goals and opportunities

• Identify & mentor MDLs so that they can achieve personal development and career progress.   Effectively manage the performance of those MDLs struggling to meet role expectations.

• Requires cross functional interaction within the retailer, sales strategy, operations team, supply chain, plant operations, depot management, and IDPs

Who you will work with...

Key members of the DSD Snacks organization.

What you bring to the table... (Must have)

• With Bachelor’s degree, minimum 5 years’ of Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) or Direct Store Delivery (DSD) sales experience required

• Without Bachelor’s degree, minimum 10 years’ of Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) or Direct Store Delivery (DSD) sales experience required

• Minimum 2 years managing and influencing sales teams

• DSD route to market, warehouse experience is a plus

• Excellent leadership and communication skills

• Must be a strategic thinker, operational and retail knowledge and have strong business acumen

• Ability to travel as needed, both local and overnight within district, to company meetings, company training and other regions as business needs demand.

It would be great if you have... (Nice to have)

• Bachelor’s degree preferred, but not required

Compensation and Benefits:

The target base salary range for this full-time, salaried position is between 

Individual base pay depends on work location and additional factors such as experience, job-related skills, and relevant education or training. Total pay may include other forms of compensation. In addition, we offer competitive health, dental, 401k and wellness benefits beginning on the first day of employment. Please ask your Talent Acquisition Partner for more information about our total rewards package.

The Company is committed to providing equal opportunity for employees and qualified applicants in all aspects of the employment relationship, including consideration for employment, without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, citizenship, marital status, protected veteran status, disability, age, religion, or any other classification protected by law.