Director, Retail Sales- Large Store Central

fairlife, LLC is a Chicago-based nutrition company that creates great-tasting, nutrition-rich and dairy products to nourish consumers.

With over $3B in annual retail sales, fairlife’s portfolio of delicious, lactose-free, real dairy products includes: fairlife® ultra-filtered milk; Core Power® High Protein Shakes, a sports nutrition drink to support post-workout recovery; fairlife® nutrition plan™, a nutrition shake to support the journey to better health.

A wholly owned subsidiary of The Coca-Cola company, fairlife, LLC has been recognized by both Fast Company and Nielsen for its industry leading innovation.

To learn more about fairlife and its complete line of products, please visit fairlife.com.

job purpose: 

The Director, Retail Sales – Large Store Central Retail Channel is responsible for driving sales growth, market share, and customer development across major grocery and large-format retail accounts within the Central U.S. region. This role leads the development and execution of strategic sales plans that support company objectives, customer growth, and overall business performance.

As a key sales leader, the Director will build strategic relationships with National and Regional Grocery Retailers, Coca-Cola North America Customer Teams, Coca-Cola Bottling Partners, and Acosta Sales Teams to accelerate growth across the fairlife portfolio. This individual will lead a high-performing sales team, foster a culture of accountability and results, and partner cross-functionally with Marketing, Finance, Insights, Supply Chain, and Commercial teams to deliver profitable growth and best-in-class execution.

responsibilities: 

• Drive revenue growth, market share gains, and distribution expansion across key grocery and large-format retail customers within the Central Retail Channel. 

• Lead customer development through Joint Business Planning (JBP), annual negotiations, promotional planning, and assortment optimization that align with company growth objectives. 

• Partner with Marketing, Finance, Insights, Supply Chain, and Commercial teams to develop and execute customer growth strategies. 

• Identify opportunities through market trends, syndicated data, shopper insights, and competitive analysis. 

• Manage trade spending, customer investments, and marketing budgets to maximize ROI while maintaining fiscal responsibility. 

• Build, coach, and develop a high-performing sales team through effective leadership, talent development, and performance management. 

• Develop and maintain strong executive-level relationships with key customers and business partners.

skills/qualifications required: 

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Sales, Marketing, Finance, or related field required; MBA preferred. 

• Minimum of 8 years of progressive experience in Sales, Account Management, Customer Development, National Accounts, or Retail Sales within the CPG, food and beverage, or consumer products industry. 

• Minimum of 2 years of successful sales leadership experience with responsibility for leading and developing high-performing teams. 

• Strong knowledge of CPG sales strategy, customer development, category management, trade promotion management, and revenue growth management. 

• Demonstrated success delivering sales growth, market share expansion, distribution gains, and customer profitability objectives. 

• Strong strategic planning, negotiation, and relationship-building skills. 

• Excellent written, verbal, presentation, and communication skills. 

• Strong financial and business acumen, including budget management, forecasting, trade spend optimization, and P&L accountability. 

how fairlife nourishes you:

At fairlife, we believe in better — and that includes how we support our people. We offer a comprehensive suite of benefits and wellbeing resources designed to support you physically, emotionally, socially, and financially, both in and out of work.

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, effective day one!

• Supplemental health plans (hospital indemnity, accident, and critical illness insurance)

• Paid Time Off to recharge and support work-life balance

• Paid parental leave & adoption assistance (up to $10,000)

• Parental support & family care benefits, including childcare resources and lactation support

• 401(k) to support retirement planning with up to 9% in employer match

• Wellness reimbursement (up to $500 for qualified wellbeing expenses)

• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for emotional wellbeing and work-life support

• Company-paid life insurance and short-term disability

• Employer HSA funding (for HDHP participants)

• Tuition reimbursement (up to $10,000) and student loan repayment ($200/month)

• Learning & development programs to unlock your full potential

• Rewards & recognition, matching gifts, free product, and Business Resource Groups

fairlife’s nour!sh program is designed to meet you where you are — supporting your individual wellbeing journey while enabling you to do your best work every day.

position location: Chicago, or Cincinnati

reports to: Heald of Large Store Sales  

travel requirements: 50-75%

exempt/nonexempt:  exempt

fairlife, LLC is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. All qualified applicants and employees will be given equal opportunity. Selection decisions are based on job-related factors.

In addition to its nondiscrimination commitment, the Company will also provide reasonable accommodation of qualified individuals with known disabilities unless doing so would impose an undue hardship on the Company. If you have a disability and would like to request accommodation in order to apply for a position with us, please email careers@fairlife.com.

For Recruitment AgenciesAt fairlife, we manage the majority of our hiring internally through our dedicated Talent Acquisition team, which is actively engaged in direct candidate sourcing. Most of our roles are filled through applications submitted via our careers site or through direct outreach by our team.