Director of Sales - Caribbean and International

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Director of Sales – Caribbean and International

Palm Bay International, a dynamic family-owned company, offers one of the nation’s most comprehensive portfolios of imported wines and spirits, including over 50 suppliers from around the globe. Among Palm Bay’s most valued assets is its remarkable network of long-term partnerships with the foremost wholesale companies in all 50 states, as well as the Caribbean, Mexico and Central America. With the crucial collaboration of these partners, Palm Bay’s portfolio is able to meet the needs of every level of the industry, from independent restaurants and retail stores, to chain accounts, supermarkets, hotels, airlines, cruise ships, duty-free accounts and U.S. military bases. This impressive roster of brands, accounts and relationships positions Palm Bay as a major source of fine wines and spirits and an industry leader in the U.S. marketplace. For more visit: www.palmbay.com.

Location: Caribbean Region (Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Panama, Puerto Rico, St. Martin, Turks & Caicos, and the U.S. & British Virgin Islands). Additional business opportunities to be explored in Asia, South and Central America and ultimately Canada. Travel Retail will also be in scope for the role. Remote-based; ideal candidate will reside in South Florida (Miami/Fort Lauderdale) or Puerto Rico for ease of regional travel access.

Position Overview

Reporting to the CSO , the Director of Sales Caribbean and International is a senior sales role responsible for business planning, development and execution of the Palm Bay International portfolio across the territory. The position is responsible for driving profitable growth through effective distributor management and market plan execution. This role is the key point of contact for senior level Distributor leadership in the territory to effectively develop and execute the annual sales plan

The expectation of this position is to deliver depletion and shipment growth, expand distribution, strengthen brand equity across the portfolio, and ensure flawless execution of pricing, programming, and trade marketing investments in a complex, multi-country environment and to open new countries where applicable.

The effectiveness of this role will be judged by a variety of key performance indicators:

· Profit plan delivery

· Depletion and shipment plan delivery

· New distribution gained in territory

· Territory expansion

· Sustainable Growth

· Key account progress

· Brand Management skills

· Team effectiveness and people leadership

· Distributor partnership and planning and execution

· Direct Market Relationship and sale

Responsibilities / Essential Functions

 

Planning & Forecasting

• Establish an annual business plan to meet target volume and profit goals across all Caribbean markets, partnering with Trade Marketing to leverage effective trade programming tailored to tourism-driven and local consumption channels.

• Develop distribution expansion targets at both Country and Account level. Manage execution and delivery

• Develop and execute new country expansion plans

• Develop and execute Travel Retail strategy and plans

• Develop market-specific plans for each country/island, accounting for seasonality, tourism cycles, cruise calendars, and local trade dynamics.

• Monitor plan to performance and develop contingency and gap-closing alternatives as needed.

• Monitor market conditions, currency fluctuations, import regulations, and competitive activity to proactively mitigate issues and capitalize on share and profit growth opportunities.

• Submit updates to plan and forecast throughout the year as needed.

 

Budget & Pricing

· Responsible for the Caribbean and International P&L

· Work with Finance Team to review pricing strategies to ensure optimal ROI on investment spend.

· Ensure pricing structures are in place to optimize Palm Bay International profitability while managing Distributor margin and maintaining brand integrity and positioning.

· Establish annual budget to support the execution of approved plan.

· Monitors spend and adjust as needed to achieve appropriate profitability.

· Provide operating financial parameters to team and monitor to ensure compliance.

· Manage brand deferred discount levels and tactical budgets to achieve operational leverage.

 

Distributor Management

· Directly responsible for leading the development and effective management of key senior level management relationships across all Distributor partners to ensure appropriate focus and optimization of the Palm Bay International portfolio, growth and profitably.

· Drive Distributor performance to plan, proactively identifying gaps and implement corrective action plans as needed across volume, distribution and profit

· Set and develop materials for Distributor Business Review Meetings – lead discussions and ensure follow-up as needed.

· Conduct regular in-market visits with distributor sales teams, including ride-withs, account calls, and staff trainings.

 

Market Management

· Drive the development of effective market assessments and convert to effective business plans that drive profitable growth across on and off premise, travel retail/duty free, resorts, and yacht charters located in the Caribbean.

· Manages new product introductions to ensure on target shipments and depletions. Actively coordinates with Brand Management and/or Trade Marketing to optimize programs for successful in market launch plans.

· Partner with the On Premise and National Account teams to ensure the smooth coordination and execution of key trade programs.

· Leverage Trade Marketing to effectively implement the trade marketing programs to drive profitable growth appropriate to each market’s legal and cultural context.

· Proactively monitor key area account activity and drive opportunistic growth.

· Plan and host supplier market visits, ensuring high-impact itineraries that strengthen relationships and drive results.

 

Qualifications / Requirements

 

Experience Required

· Ten to Fifteen (10-15) years of alcohol beverage sales experience in progressively responsible roles.

· Fine Wine and Spirits Product and Category Experience

· Plan and host supplier market visits, ensuring high-impact itineraries that strengthen relationships and drive results.

· Demonstrated experience managing the Caribbean and/or Latin American regions, including direct work with island distributors.

· Budget and pricing responsibilities.

Education / Professional Qualifications

· Four year college/university degree with a focus in Business Administration preferred.

· Advanced degree a plus.

Skills - Functional

· Exceptional Sales leadership skills with demonstrated ability to grow a profitable business across diverse markets.

· Strong command of effective Distributor leadership skills, influencing action to meet/exceed the business plan.

· Strong understanding of the alcohol beverage category and a proven ability to successfully manage a growing business through multiple Distributor points of contact.

· Sound understanding of business financials and experience in managing a budget.

· Proven ability to manage distributor teams and execute business plans reflecting year-on-year growth.

· Experience in planning and managing new product launches and supplier market visit planning.

· Familiarity with product sales – ability to develop compelling selling stories to grow distribution and volume sales.

· Analytics – ability to take large amounts of data and mine the key insights that are helpful in developing a compelling sales presentation.

· Ability to manage multiple priorities and experience in working with a multi-brand portfolio.

· Results oriented; thrives in a dynamic; fast-paced environment.

· Ability to work independently across time zones and geographies.

Skills - Technical

· Proficient in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint required.

· Excellent verbal and written communication skills; strong presentation skills.

· Excellent Analytics – ability to take large amounts of data and mine the key insights that are helpful in developing a compelling sales presentation.

· Experience in the utilization of pricing, forecasting and other Sales tracking and monitoring tools

· Bilingual English/Spanish strongly a plus.

Skills - Managerial

· Proven ability to manage a team with strong retention and development results.

· Coach, mentor and develop performance of others to meet standards and drive effective results.

· Cultural agility and emotional intelligence in working with island and Latin American business cultures.

 

Essential Job Functions

· Must be able to lift 45lbs

· Must be able to travel 40-60% of the work week.

· Must be able to work some weekends and travel overseas for business purposes.

· Must possess a valid passport and the ability to obtain any required visas; ability to travel internationally without restriction is required.

· Must be willing to travel by small/regional aircraft, ferry, and other regional transportation as required by market geography.

 

Benefits Overview:

Palm Bay offers a competitive compensation package including medical, dental, vision, life insurance, 401(K), paid vacation, personal time off and 11 paid company holidays.

Palm Bay International is an equal opportunity employer.