Director of Sales, Natural Channel

Company Description

Simple Mills is on a mission to transform the way food is made, creating nourishing products with astounding ingredients and amazing taste. Founded in 2012 by Katlin Smith, our brand has redefined center-aisle grocery by delivering better-for-you products made with unique, nutrient-dense ingredients. Today, we’re a category leader and the #1 natural brand in multiple segments, with distribution in over 30,000 stores nationwide.

Now, as part of Flowers Foods, we’re entering an exciting new phase of growth—expanding our reach, accelerating innovation, and amplifying brand awareness, all while preserving the integrity of what makes Simple Mills special. Our commitment to using simple, high-quality ingredients ensures that every bite is both delicious and nutritious. Whether it’s watermelon seed flour in our cookies or butternut squash in our crackers, we craft our products with innovative, wholesome ingredients that deliver extraordinary taste.

Our work has been recognized by Fast Company as a Brand That Matters and a Most Innovative Company, and has been featured in Vogue, Forbes, Women’s Health, and NPR’s How I Built This. In 2024, Inc. named us one of its Best Workplaces, reflecting our dedication to fostering an inspiring and inclusive environment where passionate individuals can make a difference.

Join us as we shape the future of food. Learn more at www.simplemills.com.

Company DescriptionSimple Mills is on a mission to transform the way food is made, creating nourishing products with astounding ingredients and amazing taste. Founded in 2012 by Katlin Smith, our brand has redefined center-aisle grocery by delivering b...

Role Description

The Sales Director, Natural Channel is responsible for leading the strategy, growth, and execution of the Natural Channel. This leader will own the development and delivery of the channel's annual and long-range commercial plan, building strong partnerships with key natural retailers and distributors while identifying opportunities to expand distribution, accelerate velocity, and grow market share.

This role requires someone who can balance strategic thinking with hands-on commercial leadership: setting the vision for the channel while staying close to customers, distributors, the team, and the details required to deliver results.

The Sales Director will lead and develop the Natural sales team and broker/distributor network. This role reports to the VP of Sales, while partnering closely with Marketing, Category Management, Revenue Growth Management, Finance, Supply Chain, and Commercial Excellence.

Build and Own the Natural Channel Strategy

• Develop the 3-year vision and annual operating plan for the Natural Channel.
• Define where and how the brand should win across natural retailers, independents, and distributors.
• Identify whitespace opportunities across customers, geography, assortment, merchandising, and emerging natural accounts.
• Translate company strategy into clear customer and distributor priorities.
• Protect Natural's role as an innovation and brand-building channel
• Partner with Marketing and Innovation to ensure the product pipeline reflects Natural consumer and customer opportunities.
• Act as the internal voice of the Natural shopper, customer, and channel.

Deliver profitable growth

• Own Natural Channel revenue, trade investment, distribution, velocity, and profitability objectives.
• Build customer-level growth plans alongside team members that deliver both short-term results and sustainable brand growth.
• Drive distribution expansion while protecting productivity of existing SKUs.
• Optimize assortment, pricing, promotions, merchandising, and innovation.
• Establish clear KPIs and proactively address performance gaps.

People Management:

• Build a high-performing Natural sales team with clear roles, priorities, and accountability.
• Coach team members on customer strategy, negotiation, storytelling, financial acumen, and executive presence.
• Effectively manage broker and agency partners where applicable.
• Create development plans and succession opportunities for future sales leaders.
• Establish a culture of ownership, collaboration, curiosity, and high standards.

Leadership & Collaboration:

• Partner with Finance and Revenue Growth Management on pricing, trade investment, customer economics, and ROI.
• Partner with Demand Planning and Supply Chain to improve forecasting and ensure successful promotional and innovation execution.
• Partner with Category Management and Insights to create compelling retailer-specific selling stories.
• Partner with Marketing and Innovation to translate consumer trends into customer opportunities.
• Represent the Natural Channel in senior Sales and cross-functional leadership discussions.

Customer Expertise

• Build senior-level relationships with priority Natural customers.
• Lead annual planning, JBP conversations, major negotiations, and support team in new-item selling, and strategic business reviews.
• Lead the strategic relationship and business performance with key Natural distributors, particularly UNFI and KeHE.
• Optimize distribution, inventory, service levels, programming, and economics across distributor partners.

Position Requirements

• A Bachelor’s degree with substantial experience (10+ years) working in account management across Natural retailers and distributors
• Proven success creating and implementing a sales strategy across multiple channels.
• Experience leading a team of high-functioning & experienced employees.
• Strong analytical skills and attention to detail – excellent in managing multiple projects at once and defining action steps
• Substantial experience with syndicated data (Nielsen, IRI, SPINS, etc.)
• Excellent verbal/written/presentation and communication skills
• Proven ability to produce visually compelling presentations
• Strong knowledge of food retail environment/practices
• Passion for food and healthy eating/belief in company’s goals and mission
• Willingness to be flexible, adaptable, and proactive in a constantly changing industry and company
• Self-starter that thrives in fast paced environment
• Ability to travel approximately 50% of the time
• A passion for natural food and healthy eating as well as a desire to change the way we think about ingredient labels territory.