Sales Manager (protein)

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced Sales Manager to join a growing poultry business in the U.S. This is an excellent opportunity for a commercially driven sales professional with experience selling poultry, processed meats, or value-added protein products.

The successful candidate will be responsible for managing key customer relationships, driving revenue growth, developing new business, and expanding the company's presence across retail, foodservice, club, and distribution channels.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage and grow relationships with key retail, foodservice, club, distributor, and national accounts.
• Develop and execute sales strategies to achieve revenue, volume, and margin targets.
• Drive sales of fresh, frozen, fully cooked, RTE, and value-added poultry products.
• Identify and develop new customer and business opportunities.
• Manage pricing, contracts, promotions, forecasts, and customer negotiations.
• Build strong relationships with purchasing, merchandising, category management, and procurement teams.
• Develop annual business plans and sales forecasts for key accounts.
• Analyze customer, market, competitor, pricing, and volume data to identify growth opportunities.
• Partner with Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing, Product Development, and Finance to ensure customer requirements are met.
• Support new product launches and commercialization of new poultry products.
• Monitor sales performance, margins, volume, and profitability.
• Prepare and present customer reviews, sales reports, and business plans to senior leadership.
• Maintain a strong pipeline of new business opportunities.

Ideal Candidate

• 5+ years of sales experience within poultry, meat, protein, food manufacturing, or CPG.
• Strong understanding of the U.S. poultry market.
• Experience selling fresh, frozen, cooked, RTE, or value-added poultry.
• Existing relationships with major retail, foodservice, club, distributor, or national accounts is highly desirable.
• Proven track record of achieving and exceeding sales targets.
• Strong negotiation, account management, and business-development skills.
• Commercial understanding of pricing, margins, volume, forecasting, and profitability.
• Strong analytical and presentation skills.
• Ability to work cross-functionally with Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing, and Product Development.
• Entrepreneurial, results-oriented approach with the ability to operate in a fast-paced environment.

Target Background

Strong candidates may come from companies such as Perdue Farms, Tyson Foods, Pilgrim's, Wayne-Sanderson Farms, Mountaire Farms, Koch Foods, Foster Farms, Peco Foods, House of Raeford Farms, Wayne Farms, Amick Farms, Fieldale Farms, Harrison Poultry, or other poultry processors and value-added protein manufacturers.

Experience with Costco, Sam's Club, Walmart, Kroger, Publix, Albertsons, Sysco, US Foods, or other major retail and foodservice customers would be highly valuable.

Key Performance Areas

Success in the role will be measured through:

• Revenue growth
• Volume growth
• Gross margin and profitability
• New customer acquisition
• Existing account growth
• Customer retention
• New product sales
• Achievement of annual sales targets
• Expansion into new retail and foodservice channels

This is an excellent opportunity for a Sales Manager with strong poultry or value-added protein experience to take ownership of major customer relationships and play a key role in driving continued commercial growth.