General Manager Northeast

BOURBON

$90K — $130K *
Food & Beverages
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 5-7 years of sales experience, ideally in the alcoholic beverage industry.
  • Established relationships within the beverage community in the Northeast.
  • Strong oral and written communication skills for effective information conveyance.
  • Ability to provide exceptional customer service and understand buyer mindsets.
  • Passion for and knowledge of Bourbon, Whiskey, and Spirits is essential.
  • Excellent organizational and time management skills for effective task prioritization.
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Office and CRM software.

Responsibilities

  • Achieve sales goals in profitability and distribution across the Northeast.
  • Seek new on-premise and off-premise distribution through active coordination.
  • Build and maintain strong relationships with retailers and distributors.
  • Present and reinforce annual brand plans to distributor partners regularly.
  • Engage existing accounts for new distribution and promote limited releases.
  • Execute on-premise/off-premise promotions and special brand events.
  • Train distributors and consumers about products and brand story.

Benefits

  • Opportunity for a full-immersion training at the distillery upon onboarding.
  • Participation in a Company Bonus Program tied to performance.
  • Eligibility for travel reimbursement for job-related expenses.
Full Job Description
Position: General Manager Northeast

Status: Full Time Exempt

Schedule: Days, Monday - Friday, evenings, weekends and travel as required

Location: Remote / Home-Based (Ideal Candidate will reside in New York City, Massachusetts or Connecticut)

Reports To: Division Vice President East

Job Summary

As the General Manager for the Northeast region, your primary objective is to effectively execute the strategic plan by expanding sales within the designated territory. You will lead efforts to develop personnel, foster growth, and strengthen enduring, mutually beneficial partnerships with our accounts and distributors, all while exemplifying the core values of trust, team, accomplishment, fun, and agility.

Your responsibilities include direct sales management for both Bardstown Bourbon Company and Green River Bourbon. Daily activities should support distributor engagement and communication, maintain open dialogue with key partners across your region, including business development managers in each area, along with prominent on-premise and off-premise accounts. You are tasked with acquiring new business within existing and new accounts and collaborating closely with the distributor network to sustain and expand all accounts.

As the chief representative of the brand throughout the Northeast, you will execute marketing strategies, including 'pull" tactics, and organize trade and consumer-focused events.

The Northeast region comprises New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and the North-Northeast Control States, which include Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The ideal candidate will reside in either New York, Massachusetts, or Connecticut, as these locations are central to the territory.

Key Responsibilities:

Specifically, the responsibilities of the position include, but are not limited to, the following activities:
• Achieve region-specific goals for volume, profitability, distribution, and velocity of branded products.
• Direct and coordinate with representation to actively seek new on-premise and off-premise distribution in your designated region.
• Develop and maintain strong, positive relationships with retailers and distributors.
• Present the annual brand plan along with supporting programming to distributor partners. Reinforce this through regular interactions, general sales meetings (GSMs), and relevant touchpoints like focus days and trade shows.
• Engage existing key accounts to secure new distribution, deliver timely presentations, and introduce new and "limited release" bourbons.
• Work with the National Chain Team to ensure authorizations and mandates are fulfilled locally as needed.
• Execute both on-premise and off-premise promotions, along with periodic special events like Bourbon Dinners, whiskey festivals, and account-level activations that boost brand awareness and encourage consumer sampling.
• Train accounts, distributors, and consumers on our products, and promote the story of both Lofted Spirits' brands.
• Travel to and leverage the distillery's assets to strengthen brand and product knowledge among our commercial partners.
• Oversee and implement our Single Barrel programs at the local level to create a positive impact in the market by rewarding our key supporters.
• Attend market blitzes, ride-withs, and sales meetings to ensure distributor partners are accountable for executing and meeting the sales plan.
• Complete all required administrative reporting and communications promptly, on a daily and weekly schedule.
• Maintain all sales goals and personal budgets outlined to you and your territory.
• Oversee the distribution and deployment of all merchandise and POS from the distilleries for events, accounts, and distributor staff.
• Late night and weekend account visits and event attendance as needed
• Maintain records of sales calls, account information, and key personnel in Karma, ViP, and SalesForce.
• Build selling stories for distributors and retailers using localized data to uncover new opportunities for brand development.
• Other duties as periodically assigned.

Desired Qualifications:
• Prior experience in sales positions; prior alcoholic beverage sales experience preferred.
• The desirable candidate has prior experience in sales management within both "Control States" and "Open States".
• Strong ties and established relationships in the beverage community in the assigned region.
• Strong oral communication skills: ability to talk to others to convey information effectively; strong written communication skills.
• Customer Service - Going above and beyond what the customer expects
• Trade knowledge - Understanding the retail and on-premise buyer mindset - experience buying or bartending is a plus.
• Knowledge of, and passion for, Bourbon, Whiskey, Spirits
• Excellent time management skills: ability to be proactive and take initiative.
• Excellent organization and coordination skills - managing priorities and routine functions effectively and efficiently.
• Empathy- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
• Teamwork - Ability to flex the scope of responsibility and do whatever needs to be done, regardless of job description
• Transparency - Ability to communicate with teammates and freely exchange ideas and thoughts without ego or pretense
• Proficiency with personal computers/laptops and associated programs (Windows, Microsoft Office suite).
• Business Acumen -Ability to collect, assess, and interpret relevant information and make sound decisions.
• A College Degree from an accredited University, preferred.

Job Requirements:

It is required for the position, you must have a reliable transportation, a valid driver's license, the ability to drive to and from accounts continuously, the ability to work nights and weekends and, at times, more than 40 hours a week, ability to lift up to 50 pounds and that you must currently reside in the assigned territory.

Sales Specific Offerings

As part of our onboarding process, all New General Managers will have a full-immersion learning/training experience at our state-of-the-art distillery in Bardstown & Owensboro. In addition to a base salary, our General Managers participate in our Company Bonus Program which works to maintain our culture of results-focused personal management, and continuous learning & development. This position will also be eligible to participate in our travel reimbursement program for job-related transportation expenses.

NOTE: The Company reserves the right to modify or apply this Job Description in any manner necessary to conduct its business and meet its goals and objectives. This Job Description does not imply that these are the only functions of the job, or the only essential functions of the job. Other duties and responsibilities may be required in this position.

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