Sales Director - Food Service

Sales Director

The Sales Director is responsible for leading and developing a team of two Account Managers across North America. Reporting to the VP of Sales, this position plays a strategic role in driving sales growth and achieving ambitious targets. As part of Synergy's Core Commercial Team, the Sales Director will leverage exceptional leadership skills to set the vision, inspire the team, and provide coaching to ensure high performance. This role requires close collaboration across all company functions to find solutions and support both account executives and customers. With 60% travel, the Sales Director will visit key customers and prospects alongside the account executives to foster strong relationships and drive business growth.

Key Responsibilities

• Identify and pursue new business opportunities within the food service markets, targeting national QSRs and convenience programs.
• Collaborate with Marketing to generate leads, enhance brand activity, and execute regional and national trade shows and events.
• Lead, coach, and mentor Account Executives and sales teams to achieve their full potential, exceed sales quotas, and foster a culture of continuous learning through tactical and strategic selling skills training.
• Develop and execute strategic business development and sales plans, aligning with company goals, expanding market share in the Food Service Beverage Industry, and ensuring a realistic sales pipeline.
• Build strong relationships with key customers and prospects, managing contracts, negotiating placements, and identifying new sales opportunities.
• Partner with R&D, Marketing, and Product Management to prioritize customer projects, identify cross-selling opportunities, and optimize channel contracts and customer investments.
• Guide pricing strategies and decisions, ensuring alignment with company goals and market trends.
• Monitor and manage T&E expenses within budget and provide regular reports to evaluate progress, forecast trends, and support informed decision-making.

Skills and Requirements

• Bachelor's degree required, preferably in Science or Business; an advanced degree in Marketing or Business (MBA) is preferred.
• 15+ years of experience in industrial flavors, extracts, and functional ingredient sales, with a minimum of 3-5 years of management experience.
• Proven track record of exceeding sales goals and leading teams to achieve ambitious targets.
• Experience in the B2B sales environment with proficiency in CRM systems.
• Demonstrated expertise in pricing strategies, including executing price adjustments and making informed pricing decisions.
• Strong proficiency in maintaining and utilizing opportunity pipeline reports.
• In-depth knowledge of products, services, competitors, and company-wide marketing plans and promotions.
• Exceptional leadership skills with the ability to inspire, motivate, and hold team members accountable.
• Coaching and mentoring expertise, including identifying training needs and developing selling skills.
• Proven ability to develop and execute strategic business and account plans in collaboration with Account Executives.
• Experience managing budgets, including T&E expenses.
• Expertise in planning and executing regional and national trade shows and events.

Key Competencies

• Strategic Agility: Anticipates trends, identifies opportunities, and develops innovative solutions to drive long-term growth and success.
• Inspiring Others: Creates a motivating environment by fostering accountability, celebrating achievements, and supporting continuous learning.
• Customer Focus: Builds strong, trust-based relationships with customers and prospects, ensuring their needs are met while driving new business opportunities.
• Business Acumen: Demonstrates a deep understanding of the business landscape, aligning decisions and actions with company objectives and market demands.
• Drive for Results: Maintains a strong sense of urgency and focuses on achieving measurable, impactful outcomes aligned with organizational goals.
• Developing Others: Invests in the growth and development of team members, enhancing their skills and empowering them to succeed.

Salary range: $179,208.00 - $268,812.00

The actual compensation that you will be offered will depend on a variety of factors including geography, skills and abilities, education, experience and other relevant factors. This role will remain open until filled.

For more information on our benefits click here.