At Russell Stover, not only do we love chocolate, but we love our jobs! Every day we go to work exhibiting our values of excellence, innovation, entrepreneurship, responsibility, and collaboration. Working at Russell Stover you’ll be part of the leading manufacturer of boxed, seasonal, and sugar-free chocolates. For over 100 years, Russell Stover Chocolates, Whitman’s, and Pangburn’s have been crafted with the finest ingredients to bring happiness to generations. Today, we produce over 55 million pounds of chocolate annually, and our legacy brands can be found in 13 company-owned stores and over 9,000 wholesale accounts. Join our team and let’s continue making chocolate lovers happy! 

A day in the life…

The Sales Strategy and Customer Development Team Leader is responsible for leading the overall Sales Strategy and Customer Development department at Russell Stover. This role is responsible for creating both short and long-term strategies at the Total, Channel and Customer levels. This team is responsible for leveraging data to create, implement, deploy and monitor go-to market sales strategies. Sales strategies will be focused on sales controllables, which consist of merchandising, assortment, pricing and shelving initiatives and align with the overall Russell Stover strategies. The Team Leader Sales Strategy will be able to work collaboratively with the Marketing, Innovation, Category Management, Retail Operations and Field Sales teams. The Team Leader will lead a team of Analysts and report to Director Strategic Customer Planning.

What you will be doing…

• Departmental leadership and team development
• Voice of the Customer: Advocate and represent the customer point of view internally.  Serve customer teams by securing internal alignment on efforts to win with customers and deliver against Brand strategies. Serve Brand teams by providing the voice of the customer and integrating Brand strategies into customer business plans.
• Serve as a Channel and Customer expert, advisor, and champion to internal and external stakeholders
• Develop an Annual Sales Planning process, holding the sales team accountable for achieving annual and monthly targets
• Work with cross-functional teams to analyze current go-to-market sales strategies and make recommendations for change, based on data
• Create and deploy Sales Playbook/Sales Materials for Field Sales execution
• Maintain reporting and monitor Playbook progress
• Communicate results across the business effectively
• Utilization and analysis of syndicated and panel data (IRI, Numerator, Kantar)
• Leverage available tools and processes while seeking ways (projects) to deliver continual improvement in the process (better, faster) that deliver best in class

Do you have what it takes? 

(Basic Qualifications)

• Bachelors' degree in Business, Marketing or Finance
• 10 years of business analytics experience preferably in Sales and/or Category Management
• Experience leading people and teams
• Experience using advanced functions within Microsoft Excel, Word and PowerPoint
• Experience using syndicated data (IRI, Nielsen)

(Preferred Qualifications)

• M.B.A
• Strong analytical, technical, and interpretations skills
• Insight and solution driven
• Ability to work under pressure and meet tight deadlines
• Strong interpersonal skills. Great team player.
• Ability to find unique and creative ways to add value through data and insights
• Excellent written communication skills

At Russell Stover Chocolates, we don’t just accept difference — we celebrate it, we support it, and we thrive on it for the benefit of our employees, our products, and our community. Russell Stover Chocolates is proud to be an equal-opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer.

We provide equal employment opportunities to all people without regard to race, color, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, religion, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, pregnancy, physical or mental disability, protected medical condition, genetic information, military service, veteran status, or any other status or characteristic protected by law.

Employment by Russell Stover Chocolates is contingent upon I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification, passing the urinalysis drug screen, education verification, and satisfactory reference and background checks.

Make Happy. Work Happy.