Vice President of Sales

Summary

The Vice President of Sales will drive customer acquisition and revenue goals in both Retail and Foodservice channels within the U.S. They will be chiefly responsible for building, managing, and overseeing the team, strategy, and performance of the Sales department at Eclipse Foods.

Who are we?

We’re the next massive plant-based food company, revolutionizing the $100B dairy sector.  At Eclipse Foods, we make plant-based dairy products that are indistinguishable in flavor, texture, and functionality from conventional dairy. We are the team behind JUST Mayo, have chef’d/ staged at 16 Michelin stars, and have investment from Y Combinator, the chairman of Beyond Meat, the founder of Reddit, the creator of Gmail, and a former Dreyer’s exec. We’re people of integrity. We do what we say we will do, we treat others right, we care deeply about those around us, and we put our hearts into our work. Our mission is to create a more sustainable, healthy, and humane food system by making amazing plant-based foods that require no sacrifice in taste. 

What you will do

• Work with the Eclipse Executive Team to outline a comprehensive channel strategy to provide a roadmap for scaling the business

• Hire, manage, and retain a sales team (both internal and contract/broker) in line with the budget, goals, and channel strategy of the company

• Develop, manage, and support the sales team, including creating sales plans, developing pricing policies, setting standards/goals, and performing reviews

• Roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty; call on key accounts, attend sales meetings, and generally do whatever it takes to grow sales

• Attend trade shows and events as necessary, as well as travel to potential & existing customers 

• Establish and maintain strong internal and external working relationships

• Meet financial objectives through forecasting requirements; prepare an annual budget; schedule expenditures; analyze variances; initiate corrective actions

• Resolve customer and distributor problems; identify trends; determine areas for improvements and implement them

• Maintain continual awareness of the competitive environment

Who are you?

In addition to experience with the above responsibilities the ideal candidate will:

• Be a true sales leader with at least 10 years of sales and account management experience in the food industry (dairy/frozen experience strongly preferred) with proven success prospecting, closing, and growing various types of accounts (including national and regional grocery chains, mass, club, and foodservice - distributors, operators, and non-commercial accounts)

• Have established contacts and relationships with potential customers and channel partners (examples include - but are not limited to - US Foods, Sysco, PFG, UNFI, KeHE, Kroger, Albertson’s/Safeway, Target, and Costco)

• Have at least 3 years of sales management experience overseeing teams of 5 or more sales reps

• Be an experienced promotion and trade spend planner, always seeking ways to maximize lift with every dollar spent

• Have proven broker management experience

• Demonstrate exceptional skills in the following areas: consultative selling, customer presentations, negotiation, analysis, customer service, communication, organization

• Thrive in ambiguous situations and startup environments. You take ownership and create solutions to problems. You are known to drive your own projects with little guidance and oversight. 

• Be the definition of an “out-of-the-box” thinker; you proactively brainstorm and relentlessly pursue new and innovative approaches

• Be a great person, in and out of work; you are smart, proactive, collaborative trustworthy, kind, humble, organized and hard-working

This is a full-time exempt role based in the U.S. (must live in an area with convenient access to a major airport).  We are headquartered in Alameda, CA, where we provide free parking, vegan snacks, free Wednesday lunch, and unlimited coffee/beverages and more.

Eclipse Foods is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and thrive on it for the benefit of our employees, our products, and our customers. We are deeply committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.