Sales Director

FoodLuma, Inc. is seeking a Sales Director to lead and develop the sales team while accelerating growth across the Midwest and Eastern United States. This is a hands-on leadership role that combines coaching, pipeline ownership, and direct involvement with customers and distributor partners.

Working remotely and based within the Midwest or East, you will guide Business Development Managers and Senior Business Development Managers across a geographically dispersed territory, while also personally managing selected customer accounts and priority opportunities.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead, coach, and develop Business Development Managers and Senior Business Development Managers across the Midwest and East.
• Set clear expectations and create accountability for sales activity, follow-through, and results.
• Run regular one-on-one meetings, pipeline reviews, account reviews, and field coaching.
• Join the team in customer meetings, distributor calls, presentations, and priority sales opportunities.
• Help team members strengthen relationships, identify opportunities, and close business.
• Build an energetic, collaborative, results-focused sales culture and demonstrate FoodLuma’s values through leadership and communication.
• Drive sales growth across retail, foodservice, and distribution within assigned territories to align with company and team goals.
• Use industry knowledge and established relationships to create opportunities for FoodLuma’s vendor partners, including opening doors and supporting launches and initiatives.
• Develop relationships with retail buyers, category managers, foodservice operators, distributor leaders, and field sales teams.
• Secure new accounts, new item placements, expanded distribution, and growth within existing customers.
• Personally manage selected customer accounts and distributor relationships.
• Participate in customer presentations, business reviews, industry events, and strategic follow-up to keep momentum moving.
• Maintain a clear view of the territory pipeline, customer activity, and new business opportunities.
• Monitor progress against sales goals, forecasts, and key priorities; provide input into territory forecasts and budgets.
• Ensure CRM records, customer activity, and opportunity reporting are current and accurate.
• Use sales data, category insights, and market knowledge to identify opportunities and guide decisions.
• Communicate wins, challenges, priorities, and areas requiring additional support.
• Support and coordinate distributor onboarding, sales processes, systems, and routes to market.
• Coordinate product launches, distributor priorities, sales initiatives, and account activity, including cross-territory customer initiatives as needed.
• Work with distributor leadership, buyers, category teams, and sales representatives to develop customer opportunities.
• Translate vendor partner priorities, launches, promotions, and key-account initiatives into sales action while keeping vendor partners informed of territory activity and progress.
• Advance priority opportunities and keep the team focused on the most important business.

Requirements

• Strong sales and leadership experience within the specialty, natural, fresh, perishable, or broader food industry.
• Established relationships with retailers, foodservice operators, and distributors in the Midwest and/or Eastern United States.
• Proven track record developing new business, opening accounts, securing placements, and expanding distribution.
• Experience leading and coaching a geographically dispersed sales team.
• Strong understanding of retail and foodservice sales cycles, distributor networks, and routes to market.
• Experience working with regional or national distributors and their sales organizations.
• Ability to balance team leadership with direct customer and distributor responsibility.
• Strong communication, presentation, negotiation, and relationship-building skills.
• Experience using CRM systems, pipeline reporting, sales data, and category insights.
• Ability to manage multiple vendor partners, customer opportunities, and priorities.
• Ability and willingness to travel regularly throughout the territory.

Technologies

• CRM systems

Compensation & Benefits

• Base salary: $150,000.00 per year
• Medical, dental, vision: FoodLuma pays a portion of these benefits
• 401K matching
• Paid vacation
• Cell phone reimbursement
• 11 paid holidays
• A paid day to volunteer each year

Location, Territory & Travel

• Location: Remote (based within the Midwest or East)
• Territory: Midwest and Eastern United States
• Travel: Regular travel throughout the assigned territory

Potential Fit

• A natural relationship builder connected within the food industry.
• A hands-on leader who enjoys coaching in the field and working alongside the team.
• A business developer who can open doors and turn opportunities into business.
• Motivated by discovering strong products and supporting FoodLuma’s vendor partners’ growth.
• Accountable, responsive, organized, and known for following through.
• Comfortable moving between strategy, customer conversations, distributor relationships, and team leadership.
• Motivated by building something and making a visible impact.