Vice President - Regional Sales

Vice President - Regional Sales

A successful candidate is results-oriented, strategic thinker, able to develop and deliver their agenda.  This leader must have a diverse background in Sales, Commercial and Marketing and have excellent relationship management skills with a proven track record of results in shopper/customer marketing.  Broad understanding of the various Direct-Store-Delivery routes to market, and particularly the Independent Operator model we utilize in NY, is critical to support the development of the KDP portfolio of brands with a laser-like focus on growth of our brands, business, and our people.

The Regional Sales Leader must excel in strategic planning and execution on a regional level while achieving Business Unit goals as well as broader KDP priorities. This individual sets direction for the team and creates proactive solutions to achieve these goals. This role will lead the creation and delivery of the business unit's long-term agenda and short-term activity plan while minimizing costs through an effective operating strategy. Partnering with and clearly communicating to our Independent Operators is critical to the success of this role.

This individual consistently demonstrates KDP values and competencies, builds a high-trust and high-performing culture. Critical also to the success of this role is the partnership they must create with the broader organization. This role will work closely and cross-functionally with the Sales Operations leadership team. The ability to influence senior leaders and cross-functional partners, such as Sales Operations, Sales Effectiveness, Supply Chain, National Sales Teams, Finance, Marketing, and HR, is critical as this role will be driving both strategic and executional direction for the Region and Business Unit while being mindful of KDP wide enterprise priorities and goals.

Accountabilities:

Lead, coach and develop team to deliver top-notch execution and achieve sales excellence

• Lead teams in annual planning process in partnership and alignment with national DSD leadership team, including development of SMART objectives, strategies, and sales plans.
• Drive decision-making that will lead to enhancements and process improvements.
• Leverage consumer insights to develop programs that will increase conversion at the point of purchase and measure the effectiveness of account-specific programs.
• Build a high-performing team and build bench strength for future leadership roles - ability to identify top talent, provide ongoing coaching/feedback, manage dynamic change, identify training needs to enhance skill sets, and conduct career path discussions and progression planning.
• Identify and reinforce positive leadership behaviors to drive change and raise the bar on performance.
• Safety First focus with employees and customers.

Grow Employee Engagement & Inclusion

• Work with location leadership teams to ensure proactive, consistent approach to driving engagement and inclusion.
• Strategically partner with leadership team and recruiting to ensure the workforce represents our local communities.
• Encourage and support employees to engage in Employee Resource Groupss.

Set the strategic direction and vision for the Business Development and Customer Marketing Teams

• Identify and drive cross-functional alignment behind priority channels and customers.
• Provide leadership and management of AOP development and the planning process.
• Developing customer retention, retail execution and growth plans and strategies for developing profitable business with assigned accounts and territories.
• Developing medium to long-range sales plans and preparing strategies to protect, grow, and diversify the relationship with a defined group of existing customers.
• Leverage both data and knowledge of market landscape to drive customer acquisition.

Collaboration/Alignment with Key Stakeholders

• Work in close partnership with region sales operations leader and the NY Independent Operators to design and execute on strategic plans and customer service
• Partner and effectively build relationships with Sales and Marketing leadership including Fountain Foodservice Sales, Warehouse Direct, Packaged Beverages Immediate Consumption, Cola/ISO Systems, Managed Services, Convenience, Brand Marketing, Category Management, Market Research and Finance.
• Work closely with cross functional partners to identify potential business risks.
• Identify and drive cross-functional alignment behind priority channels and customers, including supply chain and demand planning

Continuous Improvement

• Lead the Sales teams and Business Development teams in their efforts to deliver a positive point of difference for our accounts.
• Leverage functional expertise, supplier/partner knowledge and industry information to drive thought leadership and assist business leaders with tackling pressing issues.
• Evaluate, streamline and create change to existing sales processes and tools. Lead and coach teams to increase productivity and efficiency on all projects.

Ensure high performance results of your team:

• Foster a culture of trust and wellbeing that prioritizes the team and values employee contributions
• Drive a shared vision with clear goals and accountability, supported by regular conversations to maximize talent
• Embrace diverse perspectives to foster innovation, learning from both successes and failures
• Establish a safe environment where team members are motivated, heard, and aligned with clear expectations