Sales Director, Natural Channel in Manteno, Illinois at Urban Farmer LLC

Overview:

The Sales Director, Natural Channel is responsible for leading Urban Farmer’s commercial growth strategy across the U.S. Natural Products channel, including natural and specialty retailers and natural distributors.. This role sells both Urban Farmer’s branded CAULIPOWER portfolio and its private label and co-packing manufacturing capabilities, developing new customer partnerships, managing key accounts, and driving long-term sales growth across both businesses. The Sales Director will identify opportunities within better-for-you, clean-label, and premium product segments while ensuring alignment with Urban Farmer’s operational capacity and brand partner requirements. The ideal candidate is an entrepreneurial, relationship-driven sales leader with deep, hands-on knowledge of the natural channel, including its retailers, distributors, and brokers and how products are bought, promoted, and merchandised there, and a proven ability to sell both a branded portfolio and private label programs.

Key Responsibilities:

Channel Development & Strategy

Lead sales and business development efforts across the Natural Channel, growing both the branded CAULIPOWER portfolio and Urban Farmer’s private label and co-packing business.Develop and execute go-to-market strategies for both branded and private label business, including account prioritization, product positioning, and pricing structures.Build and maintain relationships with key natural retailers, natural distributors (such as UNFI and KeHE), brokers, and strategic partners.Balance branded and private label opportunities within each account, positioning CAULIPOWER and private label programs so they complement rather than compete with each other.Collaborate with Marketing and Category Insights to identify consumer trends and growth areas within natural, organic, and health-forward categories.Partner with the Chief Revenue Officer to set annual sales targets, profitability goals, and channel expansion objectives.

Customer Relationship Management

Serve as the primary point of contact for strategic natural channel customers and distributor partners, for both branded and private label programs.Lead customer business reviews, line presentations, and joint planning sessions with retail and distribution partners.Negotiate contracts, pricing, and trade programs that ensure profitability and long-term growth.Maintain strong communication between customers and internal teams to ensure executional excellence and alignment with production schedules.Resolve customer issues and coordinate internal responses to maintain high satisfaction and service standards.

Sales Growth & Forecasting

Own sales forecasting, pipeline management, and performance tracking for assigned channels and customers, across both branded and private label business.Develop accurate sales projections that align with operational capacity and demand planning.Partner with Supply Chain, Finance, and Operations to ensure production and logistics support customer timelines and promotional activity.Monitor account profitability and identify opportunities for cost optimization and pricing improvements.Track and report on key performance indicators (KPIs) including sales growth, distribution gains, and trade spend ROI.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

Collaborate with Product Development and R&D on new product opportunities that meet the needs of natural channel customers, for both CAULIPOWER and private label partners.Partner with Marketing and Category Management to deliver data-driven insights, category reviews, and innovation recommendations.Work with Finance to manage pricing structures, margin analysis, and customer contract renewals.Align with Quality Assurance and Regulatory teams to ensure products meet natural channel and customer standards, including organic, non-GMO, and other certification and labeling requirements.Participate in cross-functional business reviews and strategic planning sessions to represent channel needs and priorities.

Market & Competitive Intelligence

Stay informed on consumer trends, regulatory changes, and competitive developments within the Natural Channel.Evaluate new product concepts, ingredients, and packaging innovations relevant to these segments.Provide feedback to leadership and product teams on category opportunities and customer requests.Identify new distributors, brokers, and strategic alliances that enhance Urban Farmer’s channel reach.

Qualifications

Deep, hands-on knowledge of the natural/organic marketplace, including retailers such as Whole Foods, Sprouts, and independent natural grocers; natural distributors such as UNFI and KeHE; and natural channel brokers.Established relationships with natural channel buyers, distributors, and brokers.Bachelor’s degree 10+ years of progressive sales experience in food manufacturing, CPG, or co-packing, with a focus on the natural/specialty channel.Proven success in developing channel-specific strategies and managing complex customer relationships.Proven experience selling both branded products and private label or co-manufacturing programs, including managing the distinct pricing, margin, and negotiation dynamics of each.Strong financial and analytical skills with experience in pricing, trade spend management, and margin analysis.Excellent negotiation, communication, and presentation skills.Experience collaborating with cross-functional teams including Operations, R&D, and Marketing.Willingness to travel up to 40% domestically.