Job Description:
Sales Director is a customer leadership role responsible for leading our largest customer along broadened channel, while delivering profitable sales growth for the business.This role leads a team of four Associates, so the right candidate has a passion for building capability and developing others, a high performing team, elevating customer partnerships and culture. The leader in this role will be responsible for delivering the financial plan and key growth initiatives while overseeing trade funding, category leadership, T2T customer engagement, and in‑store execution across Walmart, Target, Meijer and Value channels.
We are looking for a proven leader that is strategic, data-driven, and results oriented with a deep understanding of Walmart and interest in broadened channels. They have demonstrated creating joint-value and long-term strategic partnerships with top customers. The successful candidate should have strong people and enterprise leadership skills that can bring to life Mars’ 5 Principles. Someone who is highly collaborative and can lead crucial conversations with internal and external partners to drive the right focus and deliver business results. This role is a key member of the Sales U.S Leadership Team (SLT) reporting to the Chief Customer Officer.
What are we looking for?
10+ years of consumer-packaged goods retail sales experience is required
2+ years of major account sales management experience required
2+ years of people management
Proven retail analytic application & management capabilities, i.e. syndicated data (Nielsen and/or IRI), customer specific data, and annual customer planning
Category Management and Customer/Trade Marketing experience
Ability to travel 25% of the time
Minimum bachelor’s degree in business or relevant field, advanced degree or MBA is preferred
What will be your key responsibilities?
Responsible for actively leading sales activities and providing team members direction on:
Elevate customer relationship and drive joint-value-creation.
Develop objectives that delivers assigned financial targets.
Develop account specific KPI’s to track and evaluate team performance against product assortment, placement, shelving and merchandising.
Own T2T relationship.
Total omni share growth strategy (digital/e-commerce experience preferred)
Drive significant distribution gains and increase household penetration through strategic initiatives, innovative programs, and building strong relationships with customers.
Conduct thorough market analysis and consumer research to identify growth opportunities and address challenges.
Leverage external & internal insights to continually bring new growth ideas to Customer and Company; incorporate in all Customer solutions.
Collaborate w/ SLT counterparts to develop retail (instore and digital) KPI’s to deliver improved in store conditions leveraging our “perfect store” initiative.
Manage Walmart Team P&L shape and deliver financial targets.
Ensure team is fully leveraging all Mars tools including trade and category to deliver financial and category objectives.
Ensure all accounts deliver and exceed assigned targets for NSV, Trade & Distribution during Mars Food Financial year.
Prepare and present accurate and timely sales forecasts.
People Leadership and Development:
Assessing potential and co-creating development plans with direct reports, providing coaching, championing individuals’ development and career progression.
Developing and retaining talent, ensuring succession plans are in place for critical roles.
Championing talent development and succession as part of the Sales Leadership Team (SLT).
Setting expectations and overseeing the achievement of individual objectives, managing performance and providing timely and ongoing feedback.
Coaching and directing priorities to achieve and exceed business, customer and individual objectives.
Setting overall tone, motivation common purpose and specific expectations for the team to ensure team success in the achievement of business and customer business goals.
Planning talent needs, recruiting, hiring and selecting talent.
What can you expect from Mars?
Work with diverse and talented Associates, all guided by the Five Principles.
Join a purpose driven company, where we’re striving to build the world we want tomorrow, today.
A strong focus on learning and development support from day one, including access to our in-house Mars University.
An industry competitive salary and benefits package, including company bonus.
Skills Required
- 10+ years of consumer-packaged goods retail sales experience
- 2+ years of major account sales management experience
- 2+ years of people management experience
- Retail analytics experience using syndicated data such as Nielsen or IRI, customer-specific data, and annual customer planning
- Category Management and Customer or Trade Marketing experience
- Bachelor's degree in business or a relevant field
- Advanced degree or MBA
- Digital or e-commerce experience
Mars Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Mars and has not been reviewed or approved by Mars.
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Healthcare Strength — The benefits package is positioned as comprehensive, with broad medical coverage and additional protections like life insurance and short- and long-term disability. Mental health support is emphasized, including free mental health services and wellbeing programming under initiatives such as Mars Be Well.
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Parental & Family Support — Paid parental leave is highlighted as market-leading in the U.S., with an example of 18 weeks fully paid for both parents. Additional family-related leave types such as sick time for caregiving and bereavement leave are also described as part of the overall package.
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Retirement Support — Retirement offerings are described as strong, including 401(k) matching (with a 6% match cited) and pension plans in some cases. The broader package also references retirement savings options and contributions aligned to local market practice, supporting long-term financial security.
Mars Insights
What We Do
For more than a century, Mars, Incorporated has been driven by the belief that the world we want tomorrow starts with how we do business today. This idea is at the center of who we have always been as a global, family-owned business. Today, Mars is transforming, innovating and evolving in ways that affirm our commitment to making a positive impact on the world around us. Across our diverse and expanding portfolio of confectionery, food, and petcare products and services, we employ 133,000 dedicated Associates who are all moving in the same direction: forward. With $40 billion in annual sales, we produce some of the world’s best-loved brands including DOVE®, EXTRA®, M&M’s®, MILKY WAY®, SNICKERS®, TWIX®, ORBIT®, PEDIGREE®, ROYAL CANIN®, SKITTLES®, WHISKAS®, COCOAVIA®, and 5™; and take care of half of the world’s pets through our pet health services AniCura, Banfield Pet Hospitals™, BluePearl®, Linnaeus, Pet Partners™, and VCA™. We know we can only be truly successful if our partners and the communities in which we operate prosper as well. The Mars Five Principles – Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Efficiency and Freedom – inspire our Associates to take action every day to help create a world tomorrow in which the planet, its people and pets can thrive.
