Vice President of SalesWawona Frozen Foods • Clovis, CA (Fresno area) • On-site • Full-time, Exempt • Executive Leadership Team
About This RoleThe Vice President of Sales owns Wawona's revenue line across retail, foodservice, K-12, USDA, industrial, co-manufacturing, and emerging channels. You will set the commercial strategy and personally lead our largest accounts. Reporting to our Chief Operating Officer, the Vice President of Sales will oversee the commercial strategy, sales department, business development and customer service. Working closely with finance, supply chain and operations as member of the executive team.
We want the rare leader who thinks strategically and also coaches tactically. You have sat across from the buying desks of major retailers. You have built and run sales teams. You know how to turn a strong product and brand story into distribution, velocity, and margin.
As a member of the Executive Leadership Team, you will work directly with the ownership family, executives, and senior leaders. We expect you to tell the truth plainly, move quickly, and build processes that outlast any one person.
What You'll DoCommercial strategy and channel growth- Lead the development and execution of Wawona's sales and commercial strategy, translating company goals into channel strategies, sales priorities, and account-level growth plans.
- Own retail channel strategy across club, mass, conventional grocery, and private label. Defend and expand national accounts and open new retail doors.
- Build foodservice into the second growth leg: broadline distributors, K-12 bid season, and chain accounts.
- Identify and lead expansion into new customers, channels, regions, and product applications.
- Run regular SWOT, market, category, and competitor analyses to guide segmentation and opportunity prioritization.
Key accounts and customer experience- Personally lead relationships with our largest retail accounts, including annual line reviews, joint business planning, and executive-to-executive contact with buying decision makers.
- Set standards for responsiveness, reliability, and long-term partnership. Coach the Senior Account Manager on follow-through, escalation, and satisfaction tracking.
- Coordinate resolution of complex customer issues across sales, pricing, inventory, logistics, service, and accounting.
Account planning- Build and institutionalize a company-wide account planning discipline: one plan per major account with objectives, volume and margin targets, pricing actions, innovation pipeline, and review cadence. You will create this process and run it.
Pricing and profitability- Own list pricing, trade terms, promotional spending, and annual price negotiations, with accountability for margin outcomes.
- Partner with Finance to build cost-to-serve visibility so that every account and SKU earns its place.
USDA and co-manufacturing- Develop and lead strategy for the USDA bid process: opportunity evaluation, pricing, bid preparation, and execution planning.
- Lead commercial planning for co-manufacturing and copacker programs, including new business, customer requirements, operational alignment, and profitability.
- Develop, negotiate, and ensure fulfillment of USDA and co-manufacturing contracts.
Innovation and marketing- Represent the customer and channel while overseeing the innovation process: identify white space, sponsor concepts with retail buyers, and drive commercialization with Operations, Quality, and R&D.
- Lead Wawona's marketing efforts to strengthen brand positioning, customer engagement, and product launches.
Forecasting, planning, and commercial truth- Own the sales forecast that drives fruit procurement and production planning. Partner with Operations on S&OP so we pack what we can sell.
- Establish sales targets, KPIs, dashboards, and pipeline reporting. Maintain a single, accurate view of pipeline, pricing, volume, and account status, reported monthly to leadership.
- Build business cases and recommendations for Executive Leadership on strategic and investment decisions.
Team leadership- Lead, coach, and develop the sales and customer service team. Set territories, quotas, and incentive structures, and recruit where gaps exist.
- Manage the broker network for performance and cost.
- Lead regular sales and commercial strategy meetings to align priorities and remove obstacles.
- Represent Wawona at trade shows, customer meetings, and industry events.
Safety and quality- Champion Wawona's safety program and comply with all GMP, HACCP, Food Safety, Food Defense, and SQF policies and procedures.
What You BringRequired- 10+ years in food and beverage sales, including 7+ years in food sales leadership. Frozen, produce, or ingredient categories strongly preferred.
- Proven success selling into club, mass, and conventional grocery, including presenting to and negotiating with retail buying decision makers. Current, active relationships with buyers in relevant categories.
- 5+ years managing a sales force, including direct reports and broker networks, with a track record of developing people and upgrading teams.
- Hands-on experience creating or substantially improving an account planning process.
- Demonstrated ownership of pricing strategy (list pricing, trade spend, annual negotiations) with accountability for margin outcomes.
- Experience leading new product development from concept through retail commercialization.
- Strong people leadership: you coach, hold standards, and build a culture of accountability and honesty.
- Ability to read and interpret financial reports, and fluency with CRM, Power BI or similar analytics tools, and Microsoft 365.
- Bachelor's degree in business, marketing, communications, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
- Ability to work on-site in Clovis and travel approximately 40%.
Strongly preferred- Foodservice channel experience: broadline distribution, K-12 school nutrition and bid processes, and chain account development.
- USDA commodity bid experience.
- Private label and branded portfolio experience, including balancing the two without channel conflict.
- Experience with co-manufacturing or copacker channels, including contract negotiation.
- Familiarity with commodity-based products where crop, cost, and pricing move together.
- Experience in a family-owned or founder-led business.
Don't check every box? If you've built a food sales engine and this role excites you, we still want to hear from you.
Location, Travel & Schedule- Location: On-site at our Clovis, California headquarters (Fresno area). This is not a remote role.
- Residence: You must live within daily commuting distance or be willing to relocate. Relocation assistance is available.
- Travel: Approximately 40% (about 2 days per week) to visit customers, brokers, trade shows, and industry events.
- Schedule: Full-time, exempt. Flexibility is expected during harvest and peak pack season.
Compensation & BenefitsPay range: The base salary range for this position is
$175,000 - $250,000 per year. This is the range Wawona reasonably and in good faith expects to pay. Final base salary depends on factors such as job-related experience, skills, and qualifications.
Total rewards also include:- Relocation assistance.
- 401(k) with a generous company match.
- Medical, dental, and vision coverage.
- Employer-paid life insurance, plus voluntary life coverage.
- Employee Assistance Program.
- Section 125 flexible spending and dependent care accounts.
- Paid time off and paid holidays, including California paid sick leave.
- Culture perks: Wawona Wednesdays, End-of-Season Appreciation Events, Employee of the Month, and Wawona gear.
Physical Demands & Work EnvironmentThe following describes the essential functions of this role. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform them.
- Most of the workday is spent in an office setting using a computer, with regular sitting, standing, walking, talking, and listening.
- Occasionally lift and/or move items up to 40 pounds (for example, trade show materials or product samples).
- Travel approximately 40%, including air and ground travel and overnight stays.
- Periodic time in our production facilities, which involve noise, wet or humid conditions, moving mechanical parts, outdoor weather, and extreme cold. Floors in production areas may be wet and slippery, and slip-resistant shoes and required PPE must be worn there.
- Follow the dress code and PPE requirements for a food manufacturing facility when in production areas.
