The Opportunity:
We are hiring a Sales Manager to own new CPG brand-partner acquisition and lead the field and merchandising execution that keeps those brands winning on shelf. This is a builder role for a hands-on hunter who can also lead people: you will personally prospect, pitch, and close new brand partners, then stand up and manage the contractor and merchandising team that delivers reliable in-store results across the territory. You will be a primary point of contact for our brand-partner vendors and the person who defines and holds the KPIs that prove our field execution is best-in-class.
This role reports directly to the General Manager while we accelerate brand acquisition, giving you visibility and influence over the company's growth trajectory from day one.
Key Responsibilities:
Outbound Sales & Brand-Partner Acquisition
- Build and work a pipeline of new CPG brand partners across bakery, frozen, and specialty food categories that fit DNW's Western Canada and adjacent retail channels.
- Run the full outbound cycle
- Support the near-term goal of replacing recently departed clients and adding new brand relationships, then scaling the partner roster in line with the company's multi-year growth plan.
- Represent DNW's value proposition credibly to founders and national-account teams
Vendor & Brand-Partner Relationship Management
- Serve as the key point of contact for brand-partner vendors through onboarding and into an ongoing commercial relationship.
- Coordinate Launchpad onboarding — compliance, pallet configuration, forecasting, and go-live — in partnership with operations and the platform team.
- Drive retention and account growth: expand SKUs, categories, and channels within existing partners, and identify Brainiac subscription upsell opportunities.
- Act as the escalation point for partner issues, ensuring fast, professional resolution.
Contractor & Merchandising Team Leadership
- Manage and coach the field and merchandising network across Western Canada footprint.
- Establish consistent merchandising standards, in-store activation playbooks, and reset/demo processes that protect on-shelf availability and presentation.
KPIs, Reporting & Performance
- Define, implement, and own the KPI framework for both sales (pipeline, new signings, revenue ramp, retention) and field execution (on-shelf availability, compliance, void reduction, demo completion).
- Report performance to the GM on a regular cadence, with clear read-throughs on what is working and where to intervene.
- Use velocity and compliance data to prioritize territory coverage and coach the field team toward measurable outcomes.
Travel
This role is Calgary-based, with regular travel across Western Canada — approximately 20 to 30% of time — to meet prospective and existing brand partners, visit retail accounts, and support and audit the field and merchandising team in market. A valid driver's license and the ability to travel within AB, BC, SK, and MB are required.
What You Bring
Required
- 3-5+ years in CPG, food, or consumer-goods sales, with a demonstrated track record of closing new business.
- Direct experience selling into or working with grocery, club , convenience, or foodservice retail channels.
- Proven people leadership — managing contractors, field reps, or merchandising teams, ideally across a multi-city territory.
- Comfort building process from the ground up: you can define KPIs, structure a team, and create playbooks where none exist yet.
- Strong commercial and negotiation skills, and the credibility to be a founder's or buyer's primary point of contact.
- Valid driver's license and willingness to travel across Western Canada.
Preferred
- Experience with distribution, 3PL, or broker/agency models and commission-based commercial structures.
- Familiarity with retail compliance, EDI, pallet/case configuration, and demo/merchandising execution.
- Comfort using data platforms or CRMs to manage pipeline and field execution.
- Existing relationships with Western Canada CPG brands, buyers, or specialty food networks.
- Club experience
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: From $70,000.00 per year
Application question(s):
- Are you located in Edmonton, AB or surrounding areas?
Experience:
- Sales and Marketing: 2 years (required)
Work Location: In person
