Manager, Sales & Commercialization

Position Overview

The Manager, Sales Commercialization sits at the center of how our company brings its biggest commercial bets to life. This role owns the sales-side project management for innovation launches, retailer programs, and channel expansion — while also driving the analytics, storytelling, and strategic planning that help the Sales team win at the shelf level.

This is not a passive coordinator role. The ideal candidate is equal parts strategic thinker, execution driver, and insight translator — someone who can run a complex cross-functional launch plan in the morning and build a retailer sell-in narrative in the afternoon. They are a central voice in weekly Active Project Meetings and monthly stage-gate reviews, representing the Sales and Business Analytics team with clarity and credibility.

Key Responsibilities

Commercialization Project Management & Leadership

• Own the integrated project plan on the sales side for all major commercial initiatives — new itemlaunches, packaging transitions, customer-specific programs, and channel expansions.
  
• Act as the Sales & Business Analytics team lead in weekly Active Project Meetings and monthly stage-gate meetings, driving accountability and alignment across workstreams.
  
• Develop customer- and channel-specific launch strategies that reflect each retailer's unique dynamics, timing requirements, and growth priorities.
  
• Manage cross-functional launch readiness processes and milestone tracking
  
• Ensure alignment across Sales, Marketing, Operations, Demand Planning, and Finance at every stage of the commercialization process.
  
• Proactively surface blockers, trade-offs, and risks to leadership before they become execution failures.
  

Sales Strategy & Planning

• Partner with Sales Leadership to operationalize annual planning priorities: distribution targets, velocity goals, customer business plans, and channel growth strategies.
  
• Support customer business planning and commercialization execution across key retail partners including mass, grocery, natural, and convenience channels.
  
• Develop retailer-specific sell-in materials and launch recommendations that connect our innovation pipeline to customer growth objectives.
  
• Identify distribution, assortment, and channel whitespace opportunities and translate them into actionable commercial plans.
  

Innovation & New Item Commercialization

• Lead end-to-end commercialization for new SKUs, line extensions, and packaging changes — from sell-in readiness through in-store availability.
  
• Ensure customer requirements (item setup, lead times, promotional windows) are built into every launch plan from day one.
  
• Collaborate with Innovation and Marketing on packaging, positioning, and launch timing to maximize sell-through.
  
• Build and iterate on launch playbooks that improve speed-to-shelf over time.
  
• Partner with Demand Planning on launch forecasts, inventory build strategies, and in-stock readiness for new and existing items.
  
• Champion a culture of accountability and continuous improvement across the commercial organization.
  

Business Analytics & Performance

• Build launch forecasts and commercialization assumptions that inform demand planning, inventory readiness, and trade investment decisions.
  
• Track innovation performance against success metrics (distribution, velocity, share) and synthesize learnings into actionable recommendations.
  
• Analyze pricing, promotional, and distribution effectiveness using syndicated data (SPINS, IRI/Circana, Nielsen) and customer-provided data to identify growth levers.
  
• Develop recommendations to improve launch ROI and overall commercial performance, connecting data to decision-making at the leadership level.
  

Insights & Storytelling

• Translate consumer, shopper, and category insights into customer-facing recommendations that are relevant, timely, and persuasive.
  
• Build compelling retailer narratives that support innovation launches, distribution expansion, and growth initiatives — tailored to each customer's priorities.
  
• Partner with the Insights and Category Management teams to identify whitespace opportunities and category trends that unlock new commercial possibilities.
  
• Serve as a storytelling bridge between internal data and external customer conversations, turning complex analysis into clear, confident selling stories.
  

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

• 5–7 years of experience in Sales Commercialization, Sales Strategy, Sales Analytics, Commercial Planning, or related CPG function.
  
• Proven track record managing complex cross-functional projects from strategy through execution.
  
• Deep understanding of CPG go-to-market processes: retailer sell-in, item setup, trade planning, stage-gate reviews, and launch execution.
  
• Strong analytical skills with direct experience using syndicated data platforms (SPINS, IRI/Circana, or Nielsen) to build narratives and support commercial decisions.
  
• Demonstrated ability to build retailer-facing sell-in materials, category stories, and launch presentations.
  
• Exceptional organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple simultaneous initiatives without losing accuracy or urgency.
  
• Natural cross-functional collaborator who can drive alignment across Sales, Marketing, Finance, and Supply Chain without direct authority.
  
• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Supply Chain, Finance, or related field.
  

Preferred

• Experience at a high-growth emerging CPG brand scaling through the $50M–$500M revenue range.
  
• Background spanning both a large, structured Food Manufacturers and a leaner emerging brand — you know both playbooks and can adapt them.
  
• Experience in better-for-you food, snack, or protein categories.
  
• Familiarity with Walmart, Target, Kroger, Publix, Albertsons, or Sprouts customer planning processes.
  
• Experience managing or leading stage-gate and commercialization review meetings.
  
• Proficiency in project management tools (Asana, Monday.com, Smartsheet) and business intelligence or reporting platforms.