Director, Retail Sales- Walmart (Northwest Arkansas)

Position Summary

Sunstar Americas, Inc., a member of the global Sunstar Group, is dedicated to improving overall health through better oral health. Headquartered in Schaumburg, Illinois, we believe people are the foundation of our success.  We foster a collaborative, innovative and agile culture focused on delivering high-quality, innovative products to consumers and oral care professionals through our trusted GUM® brand portfolio.

We are seeking a Director of Sales – Walmart to lead one of Sunstar’s largest and most strategically important customer relationships. This individual will have end-to-end ownership of the Walmart business and will be accountable for developing and executing the customer strategy required to deliver sustainable, profitable growth.

The Director will serve as Sunstar’s primary commercial leader for Walmart, building strong customer relationships while translating Sunstar’s brand, innovation and business priorities into compelling customer strategies. This individual will also be responsible for developing opportunities to establish and grow a future business with Sam’s Club.

Success in this role requires a strategic, proactive leader who takes ownership of the business, anticipates opportunities and risks, uses data to develop recommendations, and drives cross-functional execution and results.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the Walmart business end-to-end, including customer strategy, annual planning, sales and profitability delivery, forecasting, assortment, distribution, retail execution and overall account performance.
• Develop and execute short- and long-term customer strategies that deliver profitable growth, increased distribution, improved assortment productivity and market share growth.
• Serve as Sunstar’s primary commercial leader with Walmart, building trusted relationships across merchandising, replenishment, supply chain, eCommerce and other key customer functions.
• Lead annual planning, line reviews, business reviews, innovation presentations, negotiations and other key customer meetings.
• Develop compelling, insight-based selling strategies that leverage shopper, consumer, category and financial insights to influence customer decisions and advance Sunstar’s business objectives.
• Lead the successful sell-in and execution of innovation, new item launches, modular changes, promotions and other key customer initiatives.
• Maintain a strong command of business performance, utilizing Walmart systems and data, syndicated data, POS, inventory, distribution and other relevant sources to identify trends, opportunities and risks and translate them into clear actions.
• Own the commercial forecast for Walmart, partnering closely with Demand Planning, Supply Chain and Operations to ensure forecasts reflect customer plans, POS trends, inventory, distribution, promotions and innovation.
• Proactively monitor inventory, replenishment and in-stock performance and lead appropriate actions to address issues that could affect sales, execution or the customer relationship.
• Deliver revenue, gross margin and profitability objectives while managing trade investment with strong financial discipline and evaluating investments based on ROI and strategic value.
• Act as the internal business leader for Walmart, partnering across Marketing, Customer Marketing, Category Management, Finance, Supply Chain, Demand Planning, Operations and other functions to align priorities and drive execution.
• Proactively identify business risks and opportunities, bringing forward clear recommendations and proposed solutions and driving actions through completion.
• Develop and execute a strategic approach to establishing Sunstar’s business with Sam’s Club, identifying the right portfolio, value proposition and selling opportunities to gain entry and build a sustainable business.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; MBA or advanced business degree preferred.
• 10+ years of progressive CPG sales, customer development or related commercial experience, with significant experience managing large, complex national retail customers.
• Direct Walmart experience strongly preferred, with demonstrated knowledge of Walmart’s merchandising, replenishment, supply chain and customer planning processes.
• Demonstrated success developing and executing customer strategies that deliver measurable sales, distribution and profit growth.
• Strong understanding of retail fundamentals, including assortment, distribution, pricing, promotion, merchandising, inventory, replenishment and category management.
• Strong financial acumen with demonstrated ability to manage revenue, profitability, trade investment and ROI.
• Advanced analytical capabilities with experience utilizing POS, syndicated and customer data to develop insights, recommendations and selling strategies. Experience with Walmart Retail Link/Luminate, Circana/IRI and/or NielsenIQ preferred.
• Proven ability to lead complex initiatives and influence cross-functional teams and external stakeholders without direct authority.
• Strong executive presence with excellent negotiation, presentation, written and verbal communication skills.
• Demonstrated ownership, strategic thinking, bias for action and ability to independently identify problems, develop recommendations and drive execution.
• Ability to travel as required.

Location Requirement

This is a remote position based in Northwest Arkansas. The individual must reside in Northwest Arkansas to support close, consistent partnership with Walmart’s Bentonville-based teams.

What Makes Sunstar Special is:

• A business focused on health and wellness of people around the world
• High Quality Products
• Diversity and Inclusion
• Corporate Social Responsibility Program and partnership with charitable organization
• Strong value placed on company culture
• Excellent, comprehensive insurance coverage that includes Medical, Vision, and Dental benefits. 
• Opportunities for career growth and advancement
• Employee discount on Sunstar products
• 401K retirement plan with employer match (Pretax and Roth options)
• 401K profit sharing contribution based on company performance.
• Paid holidays and generous paid time off. Pet, Legal and Identity Theft Insurance Plans
• Corporate Perks Discount Program (Auto, Retail, Electronics, Entertainment, Computers, Personal Vacations, Cell Phones, Movie Tickets, Eating Out and Much More)
• Recognition and Rewards Programs

 If you’d enjoy a career helping others attain overall health through oral health, consider joining the Sunstar Americas, Inc. team.

The employer is subject to certain governmental record keeping and reporting requirements for the administration of civil rights laws and regulations. In order to comply with these laws, the employer invites employees to voluntarily self-identify their gender, and race or ethnicity. Completion of this data is voluntary and will not affect your opportunity for employment or terms or conditions of employment. Information collected will be used for EEO-1 reporting purposes only and will be kept separate from all other personnel records, only accessed by Authorized Users. Information collected will be kept confidential and will only be used in accordance with the provisions of applicable laws, including those that require the information to be summarized and reported to the federal government. When reported, data will not identify any specific individual. 

The anticipated base salary range for this position is $150,000-$170,000. This role is also eligible for a target bonus incentive, bringing the target total cash compensation opportunity to approximately $225,000-$255,000 annually, based on achievement of sales performance goals. However, base pay offered may vary depending on skills, experience, job-related knowledge and location.