This executive leadership role is accountable for the profitable growth, customer strategy, and performance of the Canadian sales organization. As a member of the executive team, this leader sets the national sales agenda, strengthens customer partnerships, and ensures the team manages its business end-to-end, from strategy, forecasting, and investment decisions through execution and financial delivery. The role also leads the modernization of sales processes by simplifying them, using data and technology to reduce administrative burden, developing AI-ready talent, and mobilizing sustainable change across the organization.
Responsibilities
Lead the national sales organization of 15 people (5 direct reports) including account leads and sales operations across all channels (retail, e-commerce, and foodservice)
Provide strategic oversight of broker relationships
Set and achieve sales, volume, revenue, and market share targets with the account team
Manage trade investment and profitability outcomes, with proactive management of opportunities and risks
Build a high-accountability culture in which customer teams understand and manage the full commercial and operational performance of their businesses
Act as a visible change leader who challenges established practices, removes barriers to selling, and builds adoption of new processes, tools, and capabilities
Set and communicate a clear multi-year sales strategy aligned with company growth, brand, customer, and profitability goals
Partner with Revenue Management, Finance, Marketing, Supply Chain, and Procurement to build the annual operating plan, including volume, net sales, market share, trade investment, and profit targets
Translate strategy into customer-specific priorities, joint business plans, measurable commitments, and disciplined operating rhythms
Anticipate risks and opportunities, decide corrective actions quickly, and maintain a forward-looking view of the business
Establish clear accountability for the complete customer business, including revenue, margin, trade spend, assortment, pricing, promotion, forecast accuracy, service, deductions, and fines
Ensure account leaders operate as general managers of their customers, connecting customer decisions to enterprise P&L outcomes
Create consistent performance scorecards and business reviews that identify gaps, assign owners, and drive timely follow-through
Maintain rigorous governance over pricing, customer terms, trade investment, and commercial commitments
Build trusted, senior-level relationships with key Canadian retailers, brokers, and industry partners, positioning Clover Leaf as a strategic category and growth partner
Lead high-stakes customer negotiations and executive engagements with a clear focus on mutual value, fact-based influence, and sustainable profitability
Millions of jobs, with real people getting hired every day
200,000+
New jobs added daily
7,000,000+
Verified job listings
1,000,000+
Tailored applications submitted
Create strong alignment with Marketing, Revenue Management, Finance, Supply Chain, Operations, Procurement, and Sales Operations so commitments are executable and decisions are made at the right level
Represent the company in relevant industry groups and forums like Food, Health and Consumer Products Canada and strengthen understanding of retailer strategies, market shifts, and regulatory or code-of-conduct expectations
Lead ongoing review of sales processes, meetings, reporting, and administrative work to eliminate duplication, clarify ownership, and increase customer-facing capacity
Work with Sales Operations and cross-functional teams to standardize workflows, establish practical RACI agreements, and resolve recurring hand-off issues
Measure whether process changes deliver real business value, including reduced rework, faster decisions, and more time focused on customers and growth
Act as the executive sponsor for major sales transformation initiatives, clearly defining the case for change, desired outcomes, decision rights, and measures of success
Build stakeholder alignment across functions
Ensure changes are supported by practical communication, training, and coaching
Balance urgency with thoughtful implementation, maintaining business continuity while holding teams accountable for adoption
Maintain a strong curiosity about emerging technology and continuously identify practical opportunities to improve selling, planning, communication, and decision-making
Champion responsible use of approved AI, analytics, and digital tools, with appropriate human review, data protection, and commercial judgment
Build clear adoption roadmaps, success measures, and governance for new tools, so innovations move beyond pilots and become embedded in daily work
Attract, develop, coach, and retain high-performing commercial talent, with clear expectations, regular feedback, and succession plans for critical roles
Assess current and future capability needs and deliver structured development in strategic selling, negotiation, financial acumen, category leadership, forecasting, analytics, technology, and AI literacy
Create an environment of continuous learning, experimentation, and knowledge sharing while maintaining high standards for results and behavior
Develop leaders who can make decisions, lead change, and hold themselves and their teams accountable
Provide category leadership to retailers, identifying, prioritizing, and pursuing opportunities for category growth
Persuasively convey the vision for category growth to the senior leaders of retail partners
Continuously assess market dynamics, consumer/shopper behavior, customer priorities, competitor activity, and channel evolution to identify growth opportunities and plans to address any risks
Use syndicated, customer, and internal data to turn insight into clear customer stories, category and assortment recommendations, and commercial actions
Partner with Marketing and cross-functional teams to drive best-in-class execution of innovation at retailers
Requirements
Enterprise-minded commercial leader with strong strategic judgment, executive presence, and the courage to make difficult decisions
Demonstrated success leading transformation, changing established ways of working, and sustaining adoption through ambiguity or resistance
Strong people leader who creates clarity, builds trust, coaches directly, and establishes a high-performance, high-accountability culture
Deep knowledge of Canadian grocery, customer negotiation, and branded CPG growth levers
Advanced business and financial acumen, including customer and enterprise P&L, pricing, trade investment, mix, margin, and return-on-investment decisions
Strong command of forecasting and demand-planning to help drive strong customer service
Data-literate and technology-curious, with the ability to translate business problems into practical improvements using analytics, automation, and approved AI tools
Change-management capability, including stakeholder mapping, communication, training, adoption measurement, and reinforcement
Ability to simplify complexity, clarify decision rights, and design operating rhythms that protect selling time and improve execution
Clear and compelling communicator who influences effectively with customers, peers, executive leaders, and teams
Humble, hungry, and people-smart, with the tenacity and continuous-improvement mindset to deliver results
Leads with integrity, treats others with respect, and models consistent values in every interaction
Ability to travel as needed for customer meetings, team meetings, industry events, and regional market visits
Bachelor's degree in business, marketing, finance, or a related field
Minimum 15 years of progressive sales or commercial leadership experience, with significant responsibility in Canadian branded CPG and national retail customers
Proven record of delivering profitable growth, leading customer negotiations, and managing complex commercial P&L outcomes
Experience influencing and negotiating within the executive level at the top five grocery retailers in Canada
Experience across retail is required
Demonstrated experience leading organizational change, process redesign, and capability building
Experience leading and developing multi-level teams, including succession planning
Practical experience using customer, syndicated, and financial data to shape decisions
Nice to have:
An advanced degree
Foodservice, e-commerce, omnichannel, and broker-management experience
Knowledge of NielsenIQ
Experience with Revenue Growth Management, trade-promotion management, and enterprise systems
Exposure to SAP, Power BI, Microsoft 365, and AI tools
Benefits
Career development through learning opportunities, the GROW program, and tuition reimbursement
Comprehensive health and wellness support, including employer-paid health and dental premiums, an Employee Assistance Program, and access to virtual health care
Recognition and rewards programs that celebrate employee contributions and bring company values to life
A company-matching pension plan that supports long-term financial wellbeing together with the opportunity to contribute to responsible and sustainable business practices
About the Company
Clover Leaf Seafoods, along with its U.S. affiliate, Bumble Bee Foods, forms one of North America’s largest branded seafood companies. Clover Leaf Seafoods markets under the Clover Leaf and Brunswick brands. Clover Leaf is consistently voted by Canadians as the #1 most trusted brand for canned seafood, with over 40% share of the market and 90% brand awareness. Brunswick is the #1 brand of canned sardines in Canada. Its International division, Bumble Bee Seafoods International, exports to over 40 countries around the world, and Brunswick is the #1 brand of Sardines in the Caribbean region. In 2020, Clover Leaf Seafoods, along with Bumble Bee Foods, was acquired by FCF Company Ltd., one of the world’s largest marine trading companies with over 50 years of experience in the supply of tuna and other seafood. The company's purpose is feeding people’s lives through the power of the ocean, offering trusted brands with delicious, nutritious, and accessible seafood products. It offers the largest range of certified-sustainable seafood in the Canadian canned seafood category.
