Director of Sales - Berkeley Culinary

SUMMARY

The Director of Sales serves as a senior commercial leader within Whitsons’ Prepared Meals division, responsible for driving strategic revenue growth, expanding market presence, and executing long-range sales strategies aligned with company objectives.

Whitsons is hiring for two distinct Director of Sales roles, each focused on a specialized growth vertical:

• Director of Sales – Hospitality & Leisure: Leads growth across hospitality, travel, entertainment, and destination-based foodservice markets by developing new business, expanding strategic partnerships, and delivering experience-driven foodservice solutions.
  
  
• Director of Sales – Retail & Co-Manufacturing: Leads growth across national and regional retail accounts, private label partnerships, and co-manufacturing channels through data-driven selling, strategic account management, and cross-functional commercial execution.

Both positions require entrepreneurial, results-oriented leaders who can build strong customer relationships, influence cross-functional stakeholders, and deliver sustainable revenue growth while aligning with Whitsons’ operational, financial, and brand standards.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS, RESPONSIBILITIES & DUTIES

Strategic Sales Leadership

• Lead sales strategy, including customer acquisition, account expansion, and annual revenue planning.
• Translate market insights, category trends, and customer intelligence into actionable growth strategies.
• Identify new market segments, strategic partnerships, and opportunities to drive long-term revenue.
• Build financial projections, annual targets, and pipeline forecasts that align with corporate goals.

Customer Relationship & Account Management

• Develop and maintain strong, influential relationships within the segments that you serve, such as retail buyers, private label teams, supply chain partners, and co-manufacturing customers.
• Manage key account portfolios with a focus on retention, profitability, and strategic partnership.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to customers, providing insights, solutions, and recommendations that support their category objectives.
• Lead customer meetings, quarterly business reviews, and executive-level presentations.

Broker & Partner Management

• Direct broker networks to ensure alignment on priorities, promotions, and growth expectations.
• Evaluate broker performance and adjust coverage or strategy as needed.
• Ensure partners clearly understand product capabilities, timelines, and commercial goals.

Sales Process & Execution

• Oversee the full sales lifecycle, including strategic planning, prospecting, pricing preparation, contract negotiation, and close.
• Develop compelling, customer-centric proposals, product stories, and presentations.
• Collaborate with Operations, Culinary/R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing, and Finance to ensure program readiness, feasibility, and successful execution.
• Maintain disciplined documentation of sales activities, pipelines, and forecast accuracy.

Category, Market & Data Analytics

• Leverage syndicated data (IRI, Nielsen, or equivalent) to interpret category trends and build fact-based selling stories.
• Develop data-driven insights that enhance customer discussions and drive product innovation.
• Monitor industry trends, competitor activity, and shifts in consumer demand to inform strategic decision-making.

Cross-Functional Partnership

• Work closely with Marketing to support product positioning, branding, and go-to-market strategies.
• Partner with Operations and Quality to ensure co-manufacturing customers receive consistent, high-quality execution.
• Collaborate with Legal and Finance on pricing, contract structures, bid responses, and customer agreements.
• Support internal teams by providing market intelligence and customer feedback to help drive innovation.

Continuous Improvement

• Identify commercial, operational, or process enhancements that can improve efficiency, customer satisfaction, or competitiveness.
• Participate in professional development and industry engagement to ensu