Distributor Sales Manager - UNFI & KeHE

Kodiak Cakes · United States · $95k – $125k · posted today ago

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About this role

Job Type: Full-Time, Salaried / Exempt - $95,000 - $125,000
Job Location: Fully Remote / Central, Midwest location ideal

Individual base salary for this role ultimately will depend on numerous factors, including but not limited to experience, job-related skills, relevant education or training, certifications, etc. As such, pay for the successful candidate could fall anywhere within the stated range. Beyond base salary, we offer competitive health, dental, 401k, and wellness benefits beginning on the first day of employment. This role also is eligible to participate in Kodiak's annual discretionary bonus program, which is dependent on various factors, including individual and company performance.

The Distributor Sales Manager – UNFI & KeHE drives profitable sales growth across independent retail networks served by these distributors. This role owns the UNFI and KeHE headquarters relationships, distributor sales targets, trade budgets, annual business plans, promotional programs, forecasting, and operational performance. The manager leads broker partners responsible for independent retail execution, while coordinating with Kodiak account managers who separately own major retail customers. Working across Sales, Finance, Demand Planning, and Supply Chain, this role expands distribution, strengthens in-stock performance, and improves returns on trade investment.

What will you do?

Own UNFI and KeHE headquarters relationships, leading distributor-level strategy, business reviews, issue resolution, and joint initiatives to deliver agreed sales and distribution goals.
Own distributor sales targets and trade budgets; build account plans, monitor performance against revenue and spending goals, and adjust investments to drive profitable growth.
Lead broker partners covering independent retailers throughout both distributor networks; establish objectives, scorecards, field priorities, and accountability for distribution gains and retail execution.
Build and maintain distributor sales forecasts with Demand Planning and Supply Chain, incorporating baseline trends, new items, promotional lifts, and independent retail opportunities.
Own national UNFI and KeHE promotional calendars and evaluate independent retailer one-off requests; manage submissions, execution, trade spend, deductions, and post-event ROI analysis.
Lead new-item setup, authorizations, and item maintenance at UNFI and KeHE. Partner with brokers to convert distributor availability into independent retailer placement and reduce distribution voids.
Develop annual joint business plans and review performance by distributor
Represent Kodiak at the KeHE and UNFI trade shows to strengthen distributor and broker relationships, support independent retail opportunities, and advance sales priorities.

You bring the following capabilities to the role:

Extensive knowledge of distributors' workflow, portal, and strategies.
Translates distributor sales data, inventory trends, and promotional results into forecasts, investment decisions, and clear actions that improve sales and profitability.
Manages broker teams through measurable goals, performance reviews, and practical field priorities that improve independent retail distribution and execution.
Builds productive distributor headquarters relationships and resolves cross-functional challenges to keep joint business plans on track.
Manages trade budgets, promotional commitments, and deductions with financial discipline to maximize returns and control costs.
Travel: Attendance at KeHE and UNFI trade shows is required, along with periodic distributor headquarters meetings, broker reviews, and market visits.
Coordinates multiple distributor initiatives with Sales, Finance, and Supply Chain to deliver accurate setups, timely promotions, and reliable product availability.

Your experience should clearly demonstrate:

Experience owning distributor or wholesale customer relationships in consumer-packaged goods, preferably with UNFI, KeHE. Distributor portal experience a plus
Demonstrated accountability for sales targets, trade budgets, customer business plans, and profitable growth.
Experience directing broker organizations or external sales partners to achieve measurable independent retail distribution and execution results.
Hands-on experience with distributor promotional calendars, trade spending, billbacks or deductions, and promotional effectiveness analysis.
Experience with demand forecasting, distributor DC inventory management, and coordination with supply chain partners.
Experience managing distributor new-item setup, authorizations, item maintenance, and expansion into independent retail outlets.
Experience working well internally as there is plenty of crossover from large customers and distributor networks.

What else do I need to know? 
This role is fully remote. We offer competitive compensation and benefits that include: