Associate Sales Director, Grocery

At Eagle Foods we are builders.  We are builders of brands, categories, and people.  Eagle Foods enjoys a rich heritage with brands that have proven category leadership for more than 150 years.  Eagle is a diversified food company producing and marketing sweetened condensed and evaporated milk, snacks and convenient meal solutions products.  As a company, Eagle Foods is passionate about fostering an entrepreneurial spirit that boldly builds better people and better brands while focusing on the positive impact our company, our products and our people have on the world.  Eagle Foods has a bold family of brands that consumers have come to rely on for decades, including Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk and Evaporated Milk, Magnolia® Sweetened Condensed Milk, PET® Milk, Popcorn Indiana, Cretors Popcorn, Helper and Suddenly Salad.  Eagle Foods products are marketed and distributed across all U.S. retail channels, including grocery stores, club stores and mass-merchandisers, as well as foodservice and export, U.S. military, and private label business.

Job Description Summary

The Associate Sales Director plays a critical role in growing Eagle’s business by managing a mix of strategic and tactical retail accounts. This role is hands-on, focused on building and executing customer plans, managing P&Ls, and improving performance across both national chains and independent retailers. The Associate Sales Director understands the unique needs of each customer, leads day-to-day tactical planning, and works closely with agency and broker partners to deliver at retail. Success in this role means helping Eagle expand its presence in key markets, supporting cross-functional efforts, and driving sustainable, profitable growth in a fast-paced, competitive environment.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Customer and Channel Sales Management

• Manage a customer base with annual volume between $15–$40 million, with a mix of tactical and moderately strategic accounts.
• Build and maintain relationships with key retail partners.
• Identify and capitalize on opportunities for growth by developing tailored customer business plans aligned to company goals.
• Lead annual planning and negotiations related to pricing, promotional activities, and retail programs to support account growth.
• Work closely with broker and distributor partners to ensure consistent execution and alignment with business plans.
• Focus on tactical account optimization while contributing to overall market share and brand visibility

Sales Operations and Execution

• Translate customer insights and performance data into clear, executable tactics to improve account-level performance.
• Coordinate with internal teams, primarily within Sales, but also with Operations, Marketing, and Demand Planning as needed, for seamless delivery on customer programs.
• Monitor in-market execution through agency and broker partners, ensuring program compliance and alignment with KPIs.
• Take ownership of tactical planning activities, adapting quickly to shifting priorities and market dynamics to meet business needs.

Financial and Analytical Responsibility

• Manage account-level P&L responsibilities, ensuring delivery of sales, margin, and trade spend targets.
• Develop and track annual budgets and forecasts, working closely with finance and operations teams to ensure accuracy and accountability.
• Analyze the impact and efficiency of trade promotions and customer programs to inform future investments and improve return on spend.
• Support demand planning by providing timely, data-driven volume forecasts.

Strategic and Tactical Planning

• Lead development and execution of tactical-level plans, with a strong focus on near-term growth opportunities, customer-specific initiatives, and market responsiveness.
• Align internal and external stakeholders around clearly defined execution plans, performance metrics, and deliverables.
• Serve as the tactical lead for assigned accounts, making day-to-day decisions that drive business outcomes while escalating broader strategic needs when necessary.

Leadership and Problem Solving

• Manage low to mid-level agency and broker resources, providing clear direction to ensure effective execution at the store and customer level.
• Demonstrate strong judgment and practical problem-solving in fast-paced, changing environments.
• Prioritize multiple projects effectively while maintaining high standards of accuracy, professionalism, and confidentiality.
• Provide recommendations and feedback to leadership to support account performance, customer satisfaction, and long-term business goals.

Skills & Knowledge

• Strong selling, relationship-building, and leadership skills
• Proficient in digital and eCommerce sales
• Excellent communication, analytical, and presentation abilities
• Skilled in syndicated data, consumer trends, and trade tools (TPM, forecasting software)

Education

• Bachelor’s Degree required (or equivalent experience)

Experience

• 5–8 years in sales or customer management
• 3+ years leading strategic customers; experience with wholesale distributors preferred
• Broker management across large territories
• Experience with dry grocery and salty snacks; branded and private label a plus
• Background in large CPG or private equity-backed companies preferred

Other Requirements

• Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and build senior-level trade relationships
• Team-oriented with a results-driven mindset
• Willing to travel 30–50%

Physical Demands: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to use hands to finger, handle, or touch objects or controls.  The employee is occasionally required to stand, walk, sit, reach above shoulders, taste and/or smell, or talk and/or hear. The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.  Specific vision requirements of this job include close vision, peripheral vision, color vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

Working Conditions:  The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. The employee occasionally works in proximity to fumes or air-borne particles, toxic or caustic chemicals, and in non-weather related extreme cold.  The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Equal Opportunity Statement:

Eagle Foods is an equal employment opportunity employer. The Company’s policy is not to discriminate against any applicant or employee based on race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, disability, military status, genetic information or any other basis protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws. Eagle Foods also prohibits harassment of applicants or employees based on any of these protected categories. It is also Bel Brand’s policy to comply with all applicable federal, state and local laws respecting consideration of unemployment status in making hiring decisions.