Director, Sales Distribution

About Us

If you are interested in applying for this job, please make sure you meet the following requirements as listed below.

At Zevia we're creating a world of better-for-you flavor, better for people and the planet. Our team is made up of builders who are passionate about our mission.

Together we aim to impact global health, provide affordable better-for-you products, and aid the planet through reduction of plastic.

We operate with passion, openness, gratitude, accessibility, humanism, humility, and scrappiness as we fight the good fight to change the beverage industry for good.

Summary

Location West Coast : OR, WA, CA

The Director of Distribution drives long-term growth for Zevia by leading sales national distribution network development, expansion, and market results.

They will be responsible for delivering against revenue & volume targets by ensuring Zevia’s DSD network expansion is implemented with urgency, ambition, and consistently impactful ongoing engagement of each market’s distribution partner.

In addition, they will oversee an existing network of national distributors in the natural channel (UNFI, KeHE). As customer opportunities evolve in new channels, they will oversee partnering with relevant foodservice & specialty distributors.

Their successful leadership directly with each distributor’s management team will ensure seamless customer transitions, impactful Brand execution at retail, increased depth of distribution in current accounts, and new breadth of distribution in white space accounts (primarily independent and C-Store accounts).

As the network evolves and expands, they will spearhead new-distributor implementation by taking the lead of setup (after contract signing) through to first shipments, installing reporting and communication routines, and installing a staff of regionally local distribution managers as the business grows.

As a part of the Sales Leadership team , they will align with functional leaders in all departments across the organization to drive solutions and take fast action, advocating for a successful distributor network that increasingly drives Zevia’s revenue trajectory and delivery.

They will be uniquely responsible for building the foundation on which Zevia can build a billion-dollar brand.

Requirements

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

DSD Network Expansion & Implementation

• Own Each New Distributor Implementation, Setting the Foundation for Zevia’s Future Growth
• Hands-on ownership of the setup process from signature to store shipments
• Setup and lead kick-off meetings with the right contributions from internal peers
• Ensure Brand education and product understanding through to sales rep level
• Lead market-level goal setting and objective attainment for each Distributor
• Set aspirational and quantified volume goals by market, customer, channel level
• Benchmark and drive channel-specific distribution goals by customer-type and SKU (depth and breadth of distribution)
• Define qualitative market execution objectives that improve Zevia’s in-store presence
• Merchandising, secondary placements, displays, promotional execution / activation
• Design consistent management and reporting routines
• Lead a clear action plan for success
• Spend time in each market understanding and assessing the landscape, working with distributor management and reps to lead success by example
• Define strategic initiatives that deliver against Zevia commercial priorities; overcoming hurdles and support sales-rep level success in-store
• Continually educate and engage distributor teams, enlisting incremental efforts for Brand growth
• Develop and Maintain Relationships with Key Distributor Stakeholders
• Wire to General Sales Managers & Directors at Market level
• Maintain connection between Key Accounts leaders with Zevia Staff as viable to success in each Distributor

National & Channel Specific Distributor Management

• Staff and train high-performing manager to lead day-to-day operations with UNFI, KeHE, and other smaller 3rd party distributors as needed
• Create clear reporting and management routines for volume forecasting and monitoring
• Understand and diagnose drivers of month-to-month business performance, resulting in action plans to course correct where needed
• Maintain senior level relationships, enabling transition from transaction order-delivery to strategic volume driving partnership
• Install quarterly business review practices
• Enable Zevia Leadership to support accountability and partnership from distribution partners as executive level
• Propose initiatives, contract terms, and course corrections where needed to drive healthy business trends
• Including cross-functional customer-specific plans with Key Accounts team
• Develop connections between customer and sales rep teams with Zevia staff

Business Planning & Delivery

• Set Annual Distribution Business Plan
• Develop National Volume and Distribution Targets
• Set Sales-Lever objectives and required investments to deliver
• Create and maintain staffing and org design with marketing expansion
• Design effective initiatives, programs, calls-to-action that step change key market areas of opportunity annually
• Lead Effective Results-Oriented Business Reviews
• Lead monthly business review at executive level
• Facilitate team review at market and distributor level
• Drive Customer Volume Through Cross Functional Partnership with Key Accounts
• Create deeply ingrained connections and alignment with Key Accounts team
• Identify how distribution management can leverage (and be leveraged) to increase velocities in existing accounts

Channel-Specific Business Development

• Identify and setup channel specific distribution agreements for Foodservice and Specialty Channels (Quick-serve restaurants, office / at-work, travel, etc.)
• Enable clear product flow and reporting
• Maintain low-touchpoint communications pathways / routines
• When viable, staff appropriately for deeper management as volume opportunities require
• Ensure alignment with future RTM strategy and avoid conflicts with DSD network while supporting Zevia’s ability to expand reach to consumers

Preferred Education, Experience, and Competencies

• Proven track record of success in Distribution management, specifically DSD in major markets.
• Proven track record of clear market development and execution in the Beverage industry specifically, high-growth early-to-mid stage company a plus
• Proven track record of people management, including driving accountability, setting priorities, problem-solving, establishing ways-of-working, onboarding, and performance management
• Experience with syndicated data reporting platforms a strong plus
• Demonstrable competency in annual business plan development, budget oversight, and strategic priority and initiative creation
• Experience leveraging data to assess performance, create scorecards, set KPIs, and measure impact
• Track record of excellent cross-functional leadership with high ambitions a must
• Strong verbal and presentation skills

Supervisory Responsibility

This position functions in a supervisory capacity with direct reports.

Work Environment

Under normal operations, this position operates in a hybrid environment (home and in-person). This job operates in a professional office environment.

This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, filing cabinets, and fax machines.

Hybrid role, working from home office and in DSD markets with team as needed. Limited requirement to be in HQ office outside of occasional team and management meetings, unless living within range of in-office parameters for Encino HQ.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

The employee is occasionally required to sit; climb or balance; and stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl. The employee must frequently lift and / or move up to thirty (30) pounds and occasionally lift and move up to fifty (50) pounds.

Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.

Position Type

Full-time, Exempt

Travel

This position may require up to 40% travel.

Work Authorization / Security Clearance

Must be eligible to work in the U.S.

EEOC Statement

We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all qualified job candidates and employees. To that end, Zevia maintains a workplace free of discrimination and harassment on the basis of an individual’s race, color, religion, creed, sex, gender, sexual orientation, disability, national origin, marital status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Other Duties

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job.

Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

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