Senior Director, Strategic Accounts & Business Development

Crofters is growing and we are seeking an energetic, reliable & flexible team player to join our Team. Here’s your chance to join a highly skilled team of professionals at one of North America’s pioneering brands in the organic food movement! Crofters Food Ltd, known in the grocery aisles as Crofters Organic Fruit Spreads, is the leading manufacturer of organic jams, jellies and fruit spreads in North America. Headquartered in picturesque Parry Sound, Ontario, about two hours north of Toronto, we manufacture a vast array of fruit-based spreads sold in stores across Canada, the United States, and select international markets. From the way we source our fruit, to the way we carefully manufacture our products using forward-thinking sustainable processing techniques, to our innovative, health-conscious formulations, every aspect of our operations receives the care and attention they deserve. A small but mighty team, join us as we look to aggressively scale our business on our mission to become one of the leading organic food brands in North America.

Position Summary

The Sr. Director of Strategic Accounts & New Business Development is responsible for growing Crofter’s largest US retail relationships and building the pipeline of new customers and channels that will drive the company’s next stage of growth. This role directly owns Walmart US, Kroger, Publix, HEB, Trader Joe’s and Harris Teeter, leads the e-commerce channel including Amazon, and supports the Costco business in partnership with the VP of Strategic Accounts, with the long-term goal of owning the Club channel.

Key Responsibilities

1. Strategic Account Leadership

• Directly own the Walmart US, Kroger, Publix, HEB, Trader Joe’s and Harris Teeter relationships, including annual customer plans, joint business plans, line reviews and annual negotiations.
• Build and execute customer plans that deliver sales, distribution and profit targets for each account within the approved trade budget.
• Manage trade spend, the promotional calendar and pricing execution for assigned accounts, with a clear focus on trade ROI.
• Develop senior-level relationships with buyers, category managers and customer leadership teams.
• Use retailer POS, portal and syndicated data to identify growth opportunities and lead fact-based business reviews.

2. E-Commerce

• Own the e-commerce channel, including Amazon, with accountability for sales, profitability and channel strategy.
• Manage the Amazon relationship, including vendor or seller operations, assortment, pricing, promotions and advertising investment.
• Drive digital shelf execution across Amazon and retailer .com sites: content, ratings and reviews, search visibility and in-stock performance.
• Partner with Brand and Commercial Strategy & Insights on retail media and digital programs at strategic accounts.
• Identify and evaluate new e-commerce and direct-to-consumer opportunities.

3. Costco Support & Club Channel

• Partner with the VP of Strategic Accounts to support the Costco US and Canada business, including item submissions, programs and business reviews.
• Work alongside the Sales & Marketing Admin Assistant on Costco admin, reporting and day-to-day account execution.
• Build Club channel knowledge, buyer relationships and program expertise in preparation for taking full ownership of the Club channel.
• Long term, own the Club channel, including strategy, annual plans, item and program management, and growth targets.

4. New Business Development

• Build and manage the new customer and channel pipeline, with priority targets set in partnership with the SVP of Commercial.
• Lead new customer pitches, new item presentations and listing negotiations from first meeting through to first order.
• Evaluate new channel opportunities for strategic fit, profitability and supply capacity before committing resources.
• Set new business priorities and commercial terms within the approved trade budget.
• Track pipeline progress and conversion, and report new customer sales against plan.

5. Account Coverage & Operations

• Shape and evolve the coverage model for assigned accounts, building direct customer relationships and internal capability over time.
• Own the operating model for retailer portals, promotional planning, deductions and paperwork alongside the Sales Analyst.
• Ensure flawless service, promotional execution and retailer compliance across all assigned accounts.

6. Team Leadership

• Directly manage the Sales Analyst.
• Provide leadership, coaching, development and performance oversight.
• Build repeatable account management processes that can scale as the business grows.

7. Cross-Functional Partnership

• Partner with Commercial Strategy & Insights on category reviews, selling stories, pricing and promotional ROI.
• Provide sales input to the monthly S&OP forecast and work with S&OP and Supply Chain on promotional volumes, new item launches and service levels.
• Work with Finance on trade spend, gross-to-net and customer profitability.
• Partner with Brand and Product Development on innovation sell-in and launch plans for strategic accounts.
• Coordinate with the Sr. Director of Sales and Directors of Sales on shared programs, national initiatives and best practices.

8. Success Measures

• Strategic account and e-commerce sales vs. FY27 AOP.
• New customer sales vs. plan.
• Trade ROI and forecast accuracy (sales input) for assigned accounts.
• Account coverage and execution standards met; Club channel transition on schedule.

9. Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Economics or a related field; MBA an asset.
• 10+ years of CPG sales experience, including direct management of one or more of Walmart US, Kroger, Publix or HEB.
• Proven record of winning new customers and listings, and of building joint business plans with national retailers.
• Hands-on experience growing an Amazon and e-commerce business, including retail media.
• Experience in the Club channel, ideally Costco, and in building direct customer coverage and internal account management capability.
• Strong command of trade management, promotional analytics, retailer portals and syndicated data (Circana / NielsenIQ).
• Experience leading and developing direct reports.
• Ability to travel to customer headquarters and industry events as required.