Job Description:Director, Customer Development - ValueFranklin, TNThe Director Customer Development, Value Channel is responsible for leading the strategic direction, customer relationships, and commercial performance of Mars Pet Nutrition's Value Channel business across North America, including Dollar General, Family Dollar, and Dollar Tree. This role drives sustainable revenue growth, profitability, market share expansion, and customer partnership excellence while aligning channel strategies with the Company's broader commercial and brand objectives.
This role reports to the Sr. Vice President Customer Development. As a member of the North America Sales Leadership Team, the Sr. Director, Value Channel plays a critical role in shaping sales strategy, influencing cross-functional priorities, and ensuring best-in-class execution across the Value Channel. The role leads a team of five sales professionals and serves as the executive relationship owner for Dollar General, Family Dollar, and Dollar Tree.
What are we looking for?- Bachelor's Degree
- 7+ years' experience in CPG / Retail Sales and Customer Leadership
- Significant experience managing Value Channel customers, including Dollar General, Family Dollar, and/or Dollar Tree.
- Demonstrated success leading high-performing sales teams and delivering profitable growth.
- Strong financial acumen, negotiation skills, and strategic planning capabilities.
- Proven ability to influence cross-functional stakeholders and lead within matrixed organizations.
- Excellent communication, executive presentation, and relationship management skills.
What would be your key responsibilities?Strategic Leadership- Develop and execute the North America Value Channel strategy aligned with enterprise growth objectives and annual OMNI Growth plans.
- Maintain multi-year mutual growth cycle with Dollar General and stand up multi-year growth strategies with Family Dollar.
- Identify and capture opportunities for distribution expansion, assortment optimization, innovation launches, and category growth across Dollar General, Family Dollar, and Dollar Tree.
- Lead annual business planning processes across the Value Channel, to include Joint Business Planning, Innovation Summits, and QBR's.
- Partner with Marketing, Supply Chain, Finance, Strategic Revenue Management, Category Management, and Demand Planning to deliver integrated customer solutions and profitable growth.
- Define and lead Mars' Value Channel OPP/pack size strategy, engineering value-centric and channel-exclusive items that allow Mars' brands to compete and win at critical price points, including the fixed price-point environment at Dollar Tree.
Customer & Commercial Leadership- Own executive-level relationships with Dollar General, Family Dollar, and Dollar Tree leadership teams.
- Lead customer negotiations including pricing, promotional programs, assortment, contract terms, and annual agreements.
- Lead limited-assortment and small-format merchandising strategy, optimizing core-SKU resets, planogram productivity, and shelf execution within constrained space and backroom environments.
- Deliver revenue, profit, market share, and volume targets for the Value Channel portfolio.
- Monitor customer, consumer, and competitive trends to inform channel strategy and identify growth opportunities.
- Ensure flawless execution of innovation, seasonal programs, and promotional initiatives.
Team Leadership & Talent Development- Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing team of five direct reports responsible for customer management and execution.
- Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, inclusion, and continuous improvement.
- Build organizational capability in strategic selling, negotiation, category management, and customer planning.
- Establish clear performance expectations and succession planning for key roles within the team.
Cross-Functional Collaboration- Serve as the primary Value Channel representative within the North America Sales Leadership Team.
- Influence enterprise priorities and resource allocation to support Value Channel growth objectives.
- Partner closely with Operations and Supply Chain to manage inventory, forecasting, service levels, and customer-specific requirements.
- Collaborate with Finance to optimize trade investment, profitability, and pricing strategies.
Performance Management- Analyze sales performance, customer profitability, and key business metrics to drive informed decision-making.
- Lead forecasting, budget management, and financial planning for the Value Channel business.
- Ensure compliance with customer requirements, company policies, and operational standards.
- Drive continuous improvement initiatives to enhance execution effectiveness and operational efficiency.
What can you expect from Mars?- Work with over 150,000 diverse and talented Associates, all guided by The Five Principles.
- Join a purpose driven company, where we are striving to build the world we want tomorrow, today.
- Best-in-class learning and development support from day one, including access to our in-house Mars University.
- An industry competitive salary and benefits package, including company bonus.
