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Role Description

The Sales Director is responsible for leading and accelerating growth within a rapidly expanding segment of our Dairy Channel across North America. This role drives the development and execution of sales strategies and is accountable for delivering sustainable top-line and bottom-line growth with both new and existing customers. Success in this position comes through leading a high‑performing sales team, building strong cross-functional partnerships, and bringing innovative solutions to market. The role reports to the Senior Sales Director for the Dairy Channel. Please note that we are open to remote candidates.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership & Business Growth
  • Own the sales P&L and deliver results aligned with Kerry’s growth pillars Taste, Enzymes, and Preservation.
  • Develop and execute robust sales strategies supported by strong account planning and a disciplined pipeline management process.
  • Build and maintain a sustainable growth pipeline through deep understanding of customer strategies, technical requirements, and market dynamics.
  • Lead commercial negotiations, including long-term supply and innovation agreements, ensuring margin management and long-term profitability.
• Industry & Technical Expertise
  • Apply deep knowledge of dairy processing—Cultured, Cheese, and Fluid—across both commercial and operational contexts to position Kerry’s technologies for maximum customer value.
  • Maintain strong awareness of customer needs, market trends, and consumer preferences within the dairy category to guide investment priorities.
  • Leverage extensive understanding of dairy industry networks, partnerships, and co-packers (e.g., Foodservice, Direct-to-Retail, Private Label) to drive growth across channels and routes to market.
• Customer & Stakeholder Engagement
  • Build and strengthen senior-level relationships across customer organizations and internally with cross-functional leaders.
  • Deliver a best-in-class customer experience through a structured channel review process and insights-driven engagement.
  • Ensure timely resolution of customer issues, including competitive threats, product or service concerns, and information discrepancies.
• Team Leadership & Talent Development
  • Create an empowering, inclusive, and engaging environment that attracts, develops, and retains top sales talent.
  • Provide coaching and career development opportunities that enable team members to perform at their best and grow within Kerry.
  • Foster strong communication and collaboration across peer groups and channel teams to drive shared strategy, insights, and execution excellence.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; preference for Business, Communications, Food Science, Chemistry, or related fields. An MBA is preferred.
• 10+ years of progressively responsible post‑baccalaureate experience in Sales, Technical, or R&D roles within the food industry.
• Experience in the F&B/CPG sector with established relationships in retail categories relevant to dairy and plant‑based dairy technologies.
• Proven ability to build deep customer relationships and translate them into increased sales, innovation opportunities, and top‑line growth.
• Exceptional communication skills with the ability to engage effectively with customers, peers, employees, North America leadership, and external industry associations.
• Demonstrated success in developing strategic plans, translating strategy into actionable initiatives, and delivering consistent year‑over‑year growth.
• Strong ability to allocate and leverage resources effectively, collaborating across teams to maximize the impact of Kerry’s technologies and capabilities.
• Commercially savvy decision‑maker with strong market and consumer insight.
• Experienced people leader with a track record of building, developing, and optimizing high‑performing teams.
• Willingness to travel extensively (>60%) for customer and industry engagements.

Requirements

• The pay range for this position is $129,000 - $239,500 in Annual Salary.
• Kerry typically does not hire an individual at the top or near the top of the range, as we are a pay-for-performance company.
• Compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case.
• The specific compensation offered to a candidate within the above range may be influenced by a variety of factors including skills, qualifications, experience, internal equity, and Location.
• This position is also eligible to earn a performance-based incentive compensation.

Benefits

• Kerry offers a competitive benefits package, including:
• Medical, dental, vision
• Paid time off
• A 401(k) plan with employee and company contribution opportunities
• Employee Share Plan
• Life, disability, and accident insurance
• Tuition reimbursement