Fractional Head of Sales

Overview

This opportunity is for a Fractional Head of Sales supporting a global beverage company focused on expanding its U.S. market presence. The company already maintains a solid foundation in Costco and Asian grocery channels and seeks to broaden into mainstream retail. This role involves crafting and leading the commercial strategy, building partnerships, and developing the sales organization to sustain growth over the long term.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and implement the expansion plan for U.S. retail markets, prioritizing channels and sequencing accounts accordingly.
• Leverage existing connections with retailers to secure meetings, direct product reviews, negotiate deals, and secure new retail listings.
• Oversee the complete commercial cycle up to securing initial purchase orders and successful product launches in stores.
• Research, assess, and manage relationships with distributors and brokers, initially focusing on California and Texas before scaling nationally.
• Provide guidance on pricing strategies, product assortment, packaging, promotional offers, and marketing collateral tailored to specific retailers.
• Collaborate with marketing and leadership teams to synchronize sales plans with retail calendars, product introductions, inventory planning, and promotional activities.
• Assist in building the commercial infrastructure and future sales team needed for national scale.
• Mentor the current sales team and advise on future sales roles, systems, and resource requirements.

Candidate Profile

• 10 to 15 years of leadership experience in beverage or consumer packaged goods (CPG) sales.
• Proven success helping emerging beverage brands enter and grow within mainstream U.S. retail environments.
• Established relationships with mass and conventional grocery retailers.
• Demonstrated ability to open new retail accounts and navigate buyer engagements including product reviews, negotiations, and launch executions.
• Experience selecting and managing brokerage and distributor partnerships.
• In-depth knowledge of route-to-market strategies, retail reset periods, category management, and shelf placement techniques.
• Capability to devise comprehensive go-to-market strategies while actively participating in operational execution.
• Experience thriving in entrepreneurial, lean settings with international leadership structures.
• Valued connections with key retailers such as Walmart, Target, Sam’s Club, Kroger, Albertsons, Publix, H-E-B, BJ’s Wholesale, Ahold Delhaize, Meijer, Wegmans, or 7-Eleven.
• Strong multi-account retail network is more important than relationships with every individual retailer.

Additional Information

This role is a remote, part-time (20–30 hours per week) contract position with flexibility to collaborate with a global team and requires domestic travel within the United States. There is potential to transition to a permanent Head of Sales role contingent on mutual fit and performance.