Director, Private Label Account Development - Food Manufacturing

The Director, Private Label Account Development is responsible for driving the strategic growth, profitability, and long-term success of the Company’s private label business. This role leads the development and execution of private label sales strategies, manages key national and regional customer relationships, and partners cross-functionally to deliver profitable growth aligned with the Company’s manufacturing capabilities and strategic priorities.

This position is a senior-level commercial leadership role requiring strong customer acumen, P&L ownership mindset, and the ability to translate market opportunities into scalable, sustainable private label programs.

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Key Responsibilities

Private Label Growth & Strategy

• Develop and execute the Company’s private label growth strategy, aligned with overall commercial and operational objectives.
• Identify, evaluate, and pursue new private label opportunities across retail, foodservice, and strategic customer segments.
• Build multi-year account development plans that drive revenue growth, margin improvement, and capacity optimization.

Customer & Account Leadership

• Serve as the executive relationship owner for assigned key private label accounts.
• Lead complex commercial negotiations, including pricing, contracts, volume commitments, and long-term supply agreements.
• Partner with customers to understand category trends, consumer insights, and innovation opportunities to strengthen long-term partnerships.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with Operations, Supply Chain, R&D, Quality, Finance, and Marketing to ensure customer programs are operationally feasible and financially sound.
• Collaborate on new product development, packaging, cost-reduction initiatives, and continuous improvement efforts tied to customer needs.
• Align forecasts and demand planning with manufacturing capacity and inventory strategies.

Financial & Performance Management

• Own revenue, margin, and profitability performance for assigned private label accounts.
• Develop pricing strategies and margin improvement plans while maintaining customer competitiveness.
• Monitor KPIs, customer performance metrics, and market trends to drive informed decision-making.

Leadership & Talent Development

• Lead, mentor, and develop private label sales and account management talent (directly or indirectly).
• Establish best practices for private label account development, customer engagement, and commercial execution.
• Act as a senior commercial leader and role model for collaboration, accountability, and ethical business practices.

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, or a related field (MBA preferred).
• 10+ years of progressive sales and account leadership experience, with significant private label or strategic account experience in a manufacturing, food, or CPG environment.
• Proven success managing large, complex customer relationships and driving profitable growth.
• Strong negotiation, financial acumen, and contract management skills.
• Experience working cross-functionally with manufacturing and operations teams.

Preferred

• Experience with multi-plant manufacturing environments.
• Demonstrated ability to lead through influence in matrixed organizations.
• Experience supporting national or multi-regional retail or foodservice customers.

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Key Competencies

• Strategic thinking and execution
• Customer-centric leadership
• Commercial and financial acumen
• Executive presence and communication
• Results-driven mindset
• Collaborative leadership style

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Work Environment & Travel

• Office-based or hybrid, with regular interaction with manufacturing facilities.
• Travel up to 30–40%, including customer meetings, plant visits, and industry events.

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Why Join Us

This role offers the opportunity to shape and lead the future of our private label business, influence strategic growth decisions, and partner closely with senior leadership in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.