Director of Retail Sales

Grand River Foods is a leading food solutions company serving customers in the North American grocery and food service industry. As a member of the Sunrise Farm family, we remain as dedicated as ever to both providing a quality work environment for our employees, as well as producing only the highest quality products for our customers. We are known for the great care we take with clients and employees alike.

Position Overview:
The Director of Retail Sales oversees the development and execution of retail sales strategies across the full product range. This role leads initiatives to drive growth within the Canadian grocery retail market, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and market trends. The Director builds and nurtures relationships with key retail partners, leveraging insights and analytics to optimize performance and deliver results. Acting as a strategic leader, the position guides the retail sales team, fosters collaboration across departments, and champions innovative approaches to strengthen market presence

Priority:
Develop and nurture relationships with national and regional retailers and distributors; identify new business opportunities; and drive revenue through targeted sales strategies. Lead and mentor the sales team, align cross-functional efforts, and leverage market insights to optimize product positioning and customer engagement. A strong focus on profitability, customer satisfaction, and long-term partnerships is essential to success in this role.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead all sales efforts for the company in the retail channel.
• Develop and mentor direct reports by providing regular coaching, performance feedback, and professional development opportunities to build individual capabilities and support career growth.
• Foster a positive and collaborative team environment that encourages continuous learning, accountability, and high performance.
• Direct customer responsibilities for Loblaws / Shoppers Drug Mart.
• Leverage and develop relationships with institutional and multi-unit foodservice operators and national distributors to establish and grow the Grand River Foods footprint in the retail channel.
• Develop and implement overarching sales and business development strategy, sales processes, structure, and best practices across the company for the retail channel.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with key retail partners, ensuring alignment with company goals and objectives.
• Generate new leads, identify, and contact decision-makers, screen potential business opportunities.
• Conduct market research and analysis to identify trends, opportunities and competitive threats.
• Take a lead role in the development of proposals and presentations for new business materials to prospective customers.
• Build a short/medium/long-term sales pipeline in accordance with targets.
• Assist in the coordination and implementation of marketing strategies, including new product development.
• Manage proposal response process, including detailed RFP requirements, content creation, and inputs from various sources.
• Utilize and apply customer profitability and pricing models to negotiate customer agreements.
• Maintain and share professional knowledge through education, networking, events, and presentations. Attend trade shows as necessary.
• Work closely with all functional teams (R&D, Operations, Purchasing, Finance etc.) as a key contributor to the company's overall success and profitability.
• Manage the results monthly vs sales targets/budget.

Qualifications:

• University degree or college diploma in Marketing, Commerce, or related field.
• Minimum of 10 years experience with at least 5 of those in Protein / CPG retail sales.
• Self-starter who can work independently, is self-motivated and adaptable to a changing environment.
• Proven proficiency with Microsoft (focus on Excel and PowerPoint).
• Frequent collaborator.
• Exceptional communication skills.
• Manufacturing sales experience is an asset.
• Project management and planning is an asset.

Competencies

• Strategic Sales Leadership: Ability to develop and execute long-term sales strategies aligned with company goals and market dynamics.
• Channel Expertise: Deep understanding of the grocery retail landscape, including distributors.
• Customer Relationship Management: Proven ability to build and maintain strong relationships with key accounts and decision-makers.
• Team Development & Leadership: Skilled in coaching, mentoring, and motivating sales teams to achieve high performance and professional growth.
• Negotiation & Closing Skills: Strong negotiation capabilities to secure favorable terms and close complex deals.
• Data-Driven Decision Making: Proficient in analyzing sales data, market trends, and customer insights to inform strategy and drive results.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Ability to work effectively with marketing, operations, finance, and R&D to align efforts and deliver value to customers.
• Financial Acumen: Understanding of pricing strategies, margin management, and P&L accountability.

Key Attributes

• Results-oriented with a strong sense of accountability
• Adaptable and resilient in a fast-paced, evolving market
• Excellent communication and presentation skills
• Customer-centric mindset with a focus on long-term partnerships
• High integrity and professionalism

Working Conditions

• Daily attendance in office environment requirement with occasional exposure to plant environment.
• Visit to existing and potential customers sites.
• Occasional travel is required within Canada.
• Must have a valid driver's license and vehicle.

At Sunrise Farms we are proud to be an equal-opportunity employer. All qualified individuals, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or any other identifying characteristic are encouraged to apply.

Please note that the expected new hire salary range provided is derived from a group of like roles within Sunrise Farms. The final offer amount for this role will be dependent on geographical region, applicable experience, and skillset of the candidate.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.