Regional Sales Manager, Independent Accounts (National)

About Solely

Solely is redefining snacking through simplicity, integrity, and real fruit. We create distinctive products made from whole, organic fruit and other clean ingredients, using proprietary processes that preserve the integrity, flavor, and delight of fresh fruit in a convenient form. We are a high-growth, mission-driven food company built on the belief that better food can be both joyful and radically simple.

We are looking for a commercially sharp, entrepreneurial, and highly accountable Regional Sales Manager, Independent Accounts (National) to accelerate growth across the independent channel in the United States. This role is responsible for leading the strategy, execution, and business management of independent retailers, regional distributors, and broker partners nationally, with a clear focus on profitable growth, brand-building execution, and disciplined expansion.

Position Summary

The Regional Sales Manager, Independent Accounts will own a broad portfolio of independent and regional retail accounts across the U.S. and will serve as the company’s lead commercial driver for this channel. This person must be equally strong at selling, prioritizing, influencing, analyzing, and executing.

The ideal candidate combines the grit and urgency of a challenger brand operator with the discipline of a best-in-class CPG sales leader. They know how to win distribution, grow velocities, improve assortment quality, manage trade investments carefully, and hold brokers and distributor partners accountable. They are comfortable selling with data, building joint business plans, and translating consumer, category, and retailer insights into practical action.

Key Responsibilities

1) National Independent Channel Ownership

• Lead the company’s national strategy for independent accounts, including natural, specialty, gourmet, regional independent grocery, and other high-potential non-chain retail customers.
• Build a clear account universe, segment opportunities, and prioritize resources against the highest-return customers, distributors, and markets.
• Develop and execute annual and quarterly plans to deliver net sales, distribution, velocity, merchandising, and profitability goals.
• Translate company priorities into actionable account and market plans that drive both immediate results and long-term channel health.

2) Account Development and Selling

• Own direct relationships with assigned buyers, distributors, and decision-makers across the independent channel.
• Develop persuasive, data-based selling stories grounded in category trends, shopper insight, brand performance, incrementality, and market opportunity.
• Drive new item authorization, assortment optimization, distribution gains, promotional support, display activity, and improved shelf positioning.
• Prepare and lead line reviews, business reviews, and new business presentations with clarity, confidence, and commercial discipline.

3) Broker and Distributor Management

• Lead broker and distributor relationships with rigor and consistency.
• Set clear KPIs and expectations across distribution, void closure, promotional execution, display placement, new item launches, pricing compliance, and speed of follow-through.
• Conduct regular business reviews with brokers and distributors and hold partners accountable for measurable results.
• Escalate issues quickly, solve proactively, and ensure external partners act with urgency and alignment.

4) Revenue Growth Management and Trade Discipline

• Partner internally to recommend pricing, promotional, and assortment choices that support both growth and profitability.
• Evaluate trade opportunities with a strong understanding of ROI, margin impact, post-event performance, and customer economics.
• Help ensure trade funds are invested where they improve productive distribution, sustainable velocities, and account quality.

5) Retail Execution and Market Excellence

• Work closely with field marketing, merchandising, and sales support resources to ensure execution matches strategy in market.
• Monitor shelf conditions, price points, promotional compliance, display presence, and competitive activity through store walks, market visits, distributor ride-alongs, and broker check-ins.
• Identify gaps quickly and drive corrective action.

6) Data Analysis and Business Planning

• Use syndicated data, shipment data, POS data, and internal analytics to identify trends, opportunities, risks, and priorities.
• Turn data into recommendations on distribution, assortment, pricing, promotion, placement, and market sequencing.
• Partner with Business Intelligence, Customer Success, Marketing, Operations, and Finance to ensure sound forecasting, clean execution, and aligned decision-making.

7) Cross-Functional Leadership

• Serve as a strong internal connector across Sales, Marketing, Field Marketing, Customer Success, Supply Chain, Finance, and Leadership.
• Ensure the independent channel has clear priorities, clean communication, and strong follow-through internally.
• Provide grounded feedback from the market that improves innovation, packaging, promotions, and customer support.

8) Culture and Leadership

• Model high standards of ownership, professionalism, responsiveness, integrity, and follow-through.
• Contribute to a high-performance culture built on transparency, urgency, teamwork, and mutual respect.
• Operate with the maturity to represent Solely exceptionally well with customers, brokers, distributors, and internal stakeholders.

Success Measures

Success in this role will be measured through a combination of:

• Net sales growth and shipment attainment
• Profitable distribution gains
• Velocity improvement by SKU and account
• Assortment quality and shelf productivity
• Promotional effectiveness and trade ROI
• Display and merchandising execution
• Broker and distributor performance against KPIs
• Forecast accuracy and quality of business planning
• Strength of customer relationships and internal collaboration

Qualifications

Required Experience

• 7–10+ years of progressive sales experience in consumer packaged goods, preferably food and beverage
• Strong experience managing independent accounts, regional distributors, and broker networks
• Demonstrated success growing a brand in a fast-moving, entrepreneurial CPG environment
• Experience using syndicated data and market insights tools such as SPINS, NIQ/Nielsen, Circana/IRI, or equivalent
• Proven ability to sell strategically, not just administratively
• Strong experience with pricing, promotions, trade spending, and financial evaluation of opportunities

Preferred Experience

• Experience in natural, organic, snack, or better-for-you categories
• Experience in both conventional and natural independent channels
• Experience working in a high-growth challenger brand environment
• Familiarity with distributor economics, route-to-market complexity, and regional market development

Skills and Capabilities

• Strong commercial judgment
• Excellent analytical ability
• Strong Excel and PowerPoint skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication
• Strong presentation and storytelling ability
• High accountability and follow-through
• Ability to influence without excessive hierarchy
• Ability to balance strategic thinking with hands-on execution
• Strong prioritization in a resource-constrained environment

Education

Bachelor’s degree required, ideally in Business, Marketing, Finance, or a related field. MBA is a plus, but not required.