Director of Sales, Target & Drug

About the role

As our Director of Sales, Target & Drug, you'll drive our expansion and growth efforts across Target and Drug - owning the commercial strategy end-to-end, managing the P&L, elevating senior buyer relationships, and developing the team executing beneath you. This is a high-visibility role that sits at the center of Grüns' retail growth, partnering closely with marketing, operations, finance, and supply chain to deliver sustainable, profitable results. You'll report directly to the Chief Sales Officer.

This role is part of our remote HQ! We have a fully remote, high-trust work environment - and also come together on a quarterly basis for amazing off-sites where we can connect IRL. We have a strong preference for candidates based in or near the Minneapolis metro area, as this role involves monthly travel to key retailer markets.

In this role, you will:

• Own the commercial strategy across Target and Drug - setting direction, investment priorities, and go-to-market approach across both channels simultaneously
• Hold full P&L accountability - managing trade investment, promotional ROI, and margin discipline, and setting the financial standard the team operates within
• Lead, coach, and develop two direct reports into independently excellent, commercially sharp account leaders
• Own and elevate senior buyer relationships at Target, CVS, and Walgreens
• Build and maintain end-to-end operating infrastructure for both channels - promo grids, key date calendars, SKU setup, execution standards - and drive cross-functional cadences that eliminate reactive decision-making
• Surface cross-channel insights and build a continuous pipeline of incremental opportunity across items, placements, features, and category expansion
• Serve as the strategic owner of the broker relationship at Target

We're looking for someone who:

• Has 10+ years of CPG sales experience with direct headquarters-level management of Target and drug channel (CVS/Walgreens)
• Has held full P&L accountability across major retail accounts - track record of owning trade investment, promo ROI, and margin discipline at scale
• Has directly managed and developed account-level direct reports in a CPG sales org, with concrete examples of raising the commercial bar on their team
• Has a deep command of Target's merchant structure, multi-buyer architecture, JBP process, and vendor expectations
• Is proficient with Target systems (POL, Roundel), Drug retailer platforms (STIBO, VFM, ExtraCare), and syndicated data tools (SPINS, Nielsen, IRI, Numerator)
• Builds sharp financial models and senior-level presentations without a support team behind them

Approach to the role:

• Thinks and operates like a CEO - owns strategy, execution, relationships, and outcomes end-to-end, across two channels at once
• Develops others without lowering standards - holds the team accountable while genuinely investing in their growth
• Translates complex data into compelling narratives for buyers, leadership, and cross-functional partners
• A fierce negotiator - defends margin, pushes back when it matters, and never caves to retailer pressure without the math to back it up
• Deeply retailer-obsessed - understands the structures, rhythms, and merchant mindsets at both Target and Drug; anticipates needs before they're voiced
• Humble and hands-on - equally comfortable in a buyer meeting at Target HQ and pulling store audit data
• Driven by Grüns' mission - brings genuine passion for health and nutrition to every buyer conversation and retail touchpoint

To Apply:

Please enter your info and share a bit about yourself with us below. We ask that you do not use Chat GPT or similar tools to answer these questions, as it is our hope to genuinely get to know you and the way you communicate and think! We do love integrating these tools into our work though, and you'll hear plenty more about that if you join us.

Compensation & Benefits:

At Grüns, we're committed to providing a competitive total compensation package — grounded in market data that considers our size, stage, industry, and location. For this role, the base salary range is between $160,000 - $200,000 depending on experience. Beyond base salary, we offer competitive equity packages and a comprehensive set of benefits designed to support the well-being, growth, and balance of our team.