Director of Sales

Revised Date : September 2024

Job Title: Director of Sales

Classification: Salaried/Exempt

Reports To: Managing Director

Core Hours: Monday through Friday, occasional weekends and events.

Summary: The Director of Sales is responsible for the sales revenue of Cypress Grove products. This involves strategic planning, market analysis, and providing direction and leadership to the remote sales team. As a part of the leadership team, the Director of Sales works closely and collaborates with the other members to help create and support the vision of the company. The Director of Sales will interface with key retail and distributor partners and will provide leadership and training to the sales team. The position requires travel of approximately 60+%, including international travel. This position may be based remotely.

Essential Duties:

1. Strategic Sales Growth
   • Collaborate, define, and execute a sales strategy based upon a thorough understanding of the Cypress Grove brand, the market, competitive landscape, and consumer needs.
   • Meet or exceed company revenue targets.
   • Analyze sales trends and identify opportunities and risks.
   • Create account and distribution objectives for retail and food service channels.
   • Manage and monitor promotional programs and provide input when needed.
   • Manage and monitor regional sales trends and ensure that the sales managers are meeting their targets and objectives.
   • Work closely with the Marketing Director to identify goals that can improve brand exposure as well as drive consumer trials and sales.
   • Responsible for the key accounts at Cypress Grove.
2. Reporting and Analysis
   • Inform strategic planning by providing regular reporting on industry trends, client feedback, national account and distributor effectiveness, and new sales channel development.
   • Establish sales objectives by forecasting and developing annual sales goals for regions and territories, projecting expected sales volume and profit for existing and new products.
   • Review and analyze sales performances against programs, quotas, and plans to determine effectiveness.
   • Analyze and control expenditures of the sales department to conform to budgetary requirements.
   • Present quarterly reports outlining sales volume, potential sales, existing efficiencies, all areas of development, and opportunities for growth.
   • Responsible for Emmi sales reporting and initiatives.
   • Monitor market developments, competitor activity, consumer patterns, and product quality nationwide and develop programs, sales targets, and critical milestones for all regions.
   • Provide operations with sales forecasts and inform the operations team of any needed increase or decrease trends that will affect inventory levels and production volume.
3. Staff Management
   • Lead, mentor, train, and provide a continuous development program for the Sales Team.
   • Create a team of influencers that are respected by our customers and distributors.
   • Ensure that each Sales Team member is performing to their highest potential.
   • Make sure that each member of the team is growing in their understanding of our brand, the category, the retail market, and product distribution.
   • Conduct annual performance reviews and goals for each Sales Team member.
   • Provide guidance and management training to the sales support team member.
   • Engage with Regional Sales Managers’ activity by attending sales calls, market events, and business reviews at least once per quarter with each regional manager.
4. National Events
   • Attend, review, and direct team and needs for sales events.
   • Work with the Marketing Director to set product priorities, personnel schedule, and responsibilities.
   • Establish goals and key KPIs to evaluate effectiveness.
5. Leadership
   • Collaborate cross-functionally with fellow leadership team members on sales strategy, brand management, and overall company direction.
   • Work closely with fellow leadership team members on overall company activity, growth and planning, culture, and organizational structure.
   • Make executive-level decisions for the wellbeing of the company and culture.
   • Attend weekly leadership team meetings and company-mandated events.
6. Skills/Experience:
   • 5+ Years of Sales experience in a management or director role, preferably in specialty food (especially cheese!).
   • 5+ Years of experience in Consumer Packaged Goods, preferably in specialty food.
   • Proven success in sales growth and strategic planning, individually and as a sales team leader.
   • Superior verbal and written communication skills.
   • Growth mindset with a desire to see continuous improvement in all areas.
   • Strong analytical skills, including data-driven decision making.
   • ACS CCP desirable, but not required.
7. Expectations:
   • All Cypress Grove team members are required to perform their duties with the following expectations in mind:
   • Work together toward common goals and values including ethics, judgement, professionalism, adaptability, and dependability.
   • Perform all work in compliance with applicable quality and safety measures.
   • Take responsibility for learning the skills necessary to do your job.
   • Communicate any lack of understanding or confusion to address training needs.
   • Communicate effectively and positively with supervisors and coworkers.
   • Work efficiently always and fulfill management expectations.
8. Work Environment: The Cypress Grove sales environment will vary from those expected in a headquarters office to those encountered in travel accommodations and on client, distributor, and/or event properties.
9. Physical Demands: The demands described here are representative of those a Sales Director encounters.

• Remain stationary for long periods of time at a workstation desk, or in an upright position at a trade show or event (may exceed 8 hours), operating a computer keyboard, mouse, and other standard office equipment.
• Navigate to and move about inside Cypress Grove headquarters and client, distributor, and event properties. This may require ground or air transportation domestically and internationally.
• Communicate over the phone and in writing through resources such as mail, email, instant message, text.
• Position self to properly complete the task at hand. This may involve turning all or parts of the body, or bending downward in order to place or reach an object at a lower level.
• Extend above the shoulder in order to place or retrieve objects.
• Ability to grasp, raise, lower and/or move objects of various sizes and weights:
• Individually regularly manipulate objects weighing up to 20lbs
• Occasionally with assistance manipulate objects weighing up to 30lbs.

Note: Nothing in this job description restricts management’s right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities at any time, with or without notice. Reasonable accommodations may be made for individuals with disabilities.