Sr. Director, Foodservice (Sales)

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Description

Ready for more than just a job? Build a career with purpose.

At Lactalis in the USA, we’re committed to providing meaningful opportunities for our people to learn, grow, and thrive-whether you’re just starting your journey with us or looking to take the next step in your career. From day one, we offer the tools and support to help you succeed.

As the world leader in dairy, Lactalis is a family-owned company with over 85,000 pragmatic and ambitious professionals across the globe. Each day, we’re proud to produce award-winning dairy products that bring people together.

In the US, we proudly offer an unrivaled house of beloved brands, including Galbani Italian cheeses and ricotta, President specialty cheeses and butters, Kraft natural and grated cheeses, Breakstone’s cottage cheese, Cracker Barrel, Black Diamond cheddar, and Parmalat milk. Our yogurt portfolio includes siggi’s, Stonyfield Organic, Brown Cow, Oui, Yoplait, Go-Gurt, :ratio, Green Mountain Creamery, and Mountain High, along with a growing family of ethnic favorites like Karoun, Gopi, and Arz.

At Lactalis, we live by our core values-Ambition, Engagement, and Simplicity. We foster a workplace where innovation thrives, diverse perspectives are celebrated, and everyone’s unique background and ideas are valued. Even if you don’t meet every qualification, we encourage you to apply. We want to hear about your PASSION, your STORY, and how your EXPERTISE can help us shape the future of dairy.

From your PASSION to ours

Midwest Yogurt, part of the Lactalis family of companies, is currently hiring a Sr. Director, Foodservice, based in Minnetonka, MN.

The Sr. Director, Foodservice is the leadership team architect Lactalis USA’s Yogurt go-to-market strategy in Foodservice. This leader holds full P&L accountability for the entire U.S. Foodservice channel, spanning both Commercial (National Chains, Broadline Distribution) and Non-Commercial (FMCs, GPOs, K-12) segments.

The leader will be responsible for defining the long-term vision, scaling the organizational infrastructure, and driving high-margin growth for the Lactalis U.S. Yogurt portfolio. This role requires a sophisticated leader who can navigate complex supply chain dynamics, negotiate multi-million dollar contracts, and inspire a high-performing, multi-tiered sales organization to outperform the market.

From your EXPERTISE to oursKey responsibilities for this position include:

Executive Strategy & P&L Ownership (40%)

• Develop and execute a 3-5 year strategic roadmap for the total Foodservice division, ensuring alignment with corporate financial objectives and channel share leadership goals.
• Full P&L responsibility for the Foodservice channel; managing revenue, volume, margin expansion, and a significant trade and marketing budget to maximize ROI.
• Direct the channel strategies to ensure an authentic voice for each unique space in Foodservice, to demonstrate industry leadership separation from competition.
• Lead the “Sales & Operations Planning” (S&OP) collaboration for Foodservice to ensure demand forecasting accuracy and supply chain synchronization.

Enterprise Relationship Management & Growth (30%)

• Act as the executive face of the company with C-Suite leaders at Distribution Broadliners (Sysco, US Foods, PFG), Power Regionals, UniPro, FMC’s, GPO’s, all Foodservice industry events.
• Oversee the strategic evolution of the Broker network, ensuring field-level execution matches national contract wins and channel penetration strategies.
• Champion the “Value-Added” selling proposition, leveraging R&D and Culinary insights to secure proprietary placements and custom solution partnerships.
• Monitor competitive landscapes and M&A trends to pivot strategy and defend/gain market share.

People Leadership & Organizational Excellence (30%)

• Lead, mentor, and scale a high-caliber leadership team, fostering a culture of “Extreme Ownership” and commercial excellence.
• Design and implement incentive structures and KPIs that drive the right behaviors across different sales channels.
• Partner with HR on succession planning, executive development, and building a diverse talent pipeline for the Foodservice organization.
• Serve as the primary advocate for Foodservice at the Executive Leadership Team (ELT) level, securing resources and cross-functional buy-in.

Metrics & Success Criteria

• Total BU Profitability: Achievement of Top-Line Metric Ton Growth and Bottom-Line contribution margin / kg.
• Market Share Expansion: Outpacing category growth in both Commercial and Non-Commercial segments (measured via Circana SupplyTrack).
• Channel Mix Optimization: Improving the ratio of high-margin volume through channel strategies, promotions, trade levers, and broker incentives.
• Organizational Health: Retention of key talent and high internal “Promotion Readiness” scores for the sales team.

Work Conditions:

• Travel is required up to 50% monthly.
• Extended hours may be necessary depending on the project needs.
• To fulfill these responsibilities, tools such as a computer, phone or, and / or allowance(s) may be provided.
• To fulfill these responsibilities, a cell phone is required.
• Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential duties and responsibilities.
• This position requires physical presence in the office (MN), in accordance with the guidelines of the Hybrid Work Policy.
• Demonstrate commitment to a safe working environment that promotes the health and well-being of all employees and that will further contribute to the Company’s overall performance and success.

Requirements

From your STORY to oursQualified applicants will contribute the following:

education

• Bachelor’s degree is required. MBA highly preferred.
• Majors in a business-related field are favored.

experience

• 20+ years of progressive sales leadership experience in the Food/Beverage industry (CPG preferred) is required.
• 10 years of senior leadership experience within the Foodservice space is required.
• Proven Impact: A documented history of managing $200M+ P&Ls and leading teams through periods of significant scale or transformation.
• Network: Deep-seated relationships within the Foodservice community and executive-level contacts at major Broadliners and FMCs/GPO’s.

Certifications and specific knowledge

• Expert Non-Commercial knowledge is highly favored.

Competencies

• Visionary Thinking: Ability to see beyond the current quarter and build a business that is resilient to commodity fluctuations and changing consumer habits.
• Financial Acumen: Mastery of complex trade math, margin analysis, and the levers of a Foodservice P&L.
• Executive Presence: High-level storytelling and negotiation skills; ability to command a room and influence stakeholders at the Board or C-Suite level.
• Change Management: Comfortable leading teams through organizational shifts, acquisitions, or system implementations.
• Collaborative Influence: Exceptional at breaking down silos between Sales, Marketing, R&D, Finance, and Supply Chain.

At Lactalis, we offer a comprehensive Total Rewards Program with a variety of affordable benefits and coverage options. We support insurance costs significantly, contribute generously to retirement plans, and offer Paid Time Off from day one. We are committed to your professional growth, providing training and development opportunities, including Education Reimbursement. Join us and grow your career

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Lactalis is an equal employment opportunity employer. We will not discriminate against applicants with regard to any legally-recognized basis including, but not limited to: veteran status, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, sexual orientation, and physical or mental disabilities. Further, any division of the Company that is an Affirmative Action Employer will comply with all related legal obligations.

 

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