Position Summary
Sunstar Americas, Inc., a member of the global Sunstar Group, is dedicated to
improving overall health through better oral health. Headquartered in
Schaumburg, Illinois, we believe people are the foundation of our success. We
foster a collaborative, innovative and agile culture focused on delivering
high-quality, innovative products to consumers and oral care professionals
through our trusted GUM® brand portfolio.
We are seeking a Director of Sales – Walmart to lead one of Sunstar’s largest
and most strategically important customer relationships. This individual will
have end-to-end ownership of the Walmart business and will be accountable for
developing and executing the customer strategy required to deliver sustainable,
profitable growth.
The Director will serve as Sunstar’s primary commercial leader for Walmart,
building strong customer relationships while translating Sunstar’s brand,
innovation and business priorities into compelling customer strategies. This
individual will also be responsible for developing opportunities to establish
and grow a future business with Sam’s Club.
Success in this role requires a strategic, proactive leader who takes ownership
of the business, anticipates opportunities and risks, uses data to develop
recommendations, and drives cross-functional execution and results.
Key Responsibilities
Own the Walmart business end-to-end, including customer strategy, annual
planning, sales and profitability delivery, forecasting, assortment,
distribution, retail execution and overall account performance.
Develop and execute short- and long-term customer strategies that deliver
profitable growth, increased distribution, improved assortment productivity
and market share growth.
Serve as Sunstar’s primary commercial leader with Walmart, building trusted
relationships across merchandising, replenishment, supply chain, eCommerce
and other key customer functions.
Lead annual planning, line reviews, business reviews, innovation
presentations, negotiations and other key customer meetings.
Develop compelling, insight-based selling strategies that leverage shopper,
consumer, category and financial insights to influence customer decisions and
advance Sunstar’s business objectives.
Lead the successful sell-in and execution of innovation, new item launches,
modular changes, promotions and other key customer initiatives.
Maintain a strong command of business performance, utilizing Walmart systems
and data, syndicated data, POS, inventory, distribution and other relevant
sources to identify trends, opportunities and risks and translate them into
clear actions.
Own the commercial forecast for Walmart, partnering closely with Demand
Planning, Supply Chain and Operations to ensure forecasts reflect customer
plans, POS trends, inventory, distribution, promotions and innovation.
Proactively monitor inventory, replenishment and in-stock performance and
lead appropriate actions to address issues that could affect sales, execution
or the customer relationship.
Deliver revenue, gross margin and profitability objectives while managing
trade investment with strong financial discipline and evaluating investments
based on ROI and strategic value.
Act as the internal business leader for Walmart, partnering across Marketing,
Customer Marketing, Category Management, Finance, Supply Chain, Demand
Planning, Operations and other functions to align priorities and drive
execution.
Proactively identify business risks and opportunities, bringing forward clear
recommendations and proposed solutions and driving actions through
completion.
Develop and execute a strategic approach to establishing Sunstar’s business
with Sam’s Club, identifying the right portfolio, value proposition and
selling opportunities to gain entry and build a sustainable business.
Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree required; MBA or advanced business degree preferred.
10+ years of progressive CPG sales, customer development or related
commercial experience, with significant experience managing large, complex
national retail customers.
Direct Walmart experience strongly preferred, with demonstrated knowledge of
Walmart’s merchandising, replenishment, supply chain and customer planning
processes.
Demonstrated success developing and executing customer strategies that
deliver measurable sales, distribution and profit growth.
Strong understanding of retail fundamentals, including assortment,
distribution, pricing, promotion, merchandising, inventory, replenishment and
category management.
Strong financial acumen with demonstrated ability to manage revenue,
profitability, trade investment and ROI.
Advanced analytical capabilities with experience utilizing POS, syndicated
and customer data to develop insights, recommendations and selling
strategies. Experience with Walmart Retail Link/Luminate, Circana/IRI and/or
NielsenIQ preferred.
Proven ability to lead complex initiatives and influence cross-functional
teams and external stakeholders without direct authority.
Strong executive presence with excellent negotiation, presentation, written
and verbal communication skills.
Demonstrated ownership, strategic thinking, bias for action and ability to
independently identify problems, develop recommendations and drive execution.
Ability to travel as required.
Location Requirement
This is a remote position based in Northwest Arkansas. The individual must
reside in Northwest Arkansas to support close, consistent partnership with
Walmart’s Bentonville-based teams.
What Makes Sunstar Special is:
A business focused on health and wellness of people around the world
High Quality Products
Diversity and Inclusion
Corporate Social Responsibility Program and partnership with charitable
organization
Strong value placed on company culture
Excellent, comprehensive insurance coverage that includes Medical, Vision,
and Dental benefits.
Opportunities for career growth and advancement
Employee discount on Sunstar products
401K retirement plan with employer match (Pretax and Roth options)
401K profit sharing contribution based on company performance.
Paid holidays and generous paid time off. Pet, Legal and Identity Theft
Insurance Plans
Corporate Perks Discount Program (Auto, Retail, Electronics, Entertainment,
Computers, Personal Vacations, Cell Phones, Movie Tickets, Eating Out and
Much More)
Recognition and Rewards Programs
If you’d enjoy a career helping others attain overall health through oral
health, consider joining the Sunstar Americas, Inc. team.
The employer is subject to certain governmental record keeping and reporting
requirements for the administration of civil rights laws and regulations. In
order to comply with these laws, the employer invites employees to voluntarily
self-identify their gender, and race or ethnicity. Completion of this data is
voluntary and will not affect your opportunity for employment or terms or
conditions of employment. Information collected will be used for EEO-1 reporting
purposes only and will be kept separate from all other personnel records, only
accessed by Authorized Users. Information collected will be kept confidential
and will only be used in accordance with the provisions of applicable laws,
including those that require the information to be summarized and reported to
the federal government. When reported, data will not identify any specific
individual.
The anticipated base salary range for this position is $150,000-$170,000. This
role is also eligible for a target bonus incentive, bringing the target total
cash compensation opportunity to approximately $225,000-$255,000 annually, based
on achievement of sales performance goals. However, base pay offered may vary
depending on skills, experience, job-related knowledge and location.