Chief Commercial Officer
Location: US, NY, 
Employment type: Full-time
Required experience: Executive
Required education: Bachelor's Degree
Industry: Food & Beverages
Function: Sales
Company profile: ABOUT VERTO Verto Partners is a premier corporate performance acceleration firm that works with middle market companies - between $10M to $1B in revenue - across 28 industry sectors. Verto works with or on behalf of management, Boards of Directors, or investors to effect transformative changes in companies facing challenges such as high growth, stagnant performance, or decline. Verto's services include strategy, operations transformation, interim management, deal support, business development, capitalization, and human capital.   #URL_c9847e5a3b1d35edc0cb45391a3165ba47e17069e405f17eb811877ac37227a7#
Description: Chief Commercial OfficerVerto Partners has been retained by one of our clients, a fast-growing, Midwest-based packaged foods company, to assist in finding a top-notch Chief Commercial Officer (CCO).  The new CCO will lead the combined marketing and sales organizations for the company.  The CCO role is a new position being created as a direct report to the President.Our client is a storied company with a sterling reputation for high-quality niche gourmet items.  The company enjoys national and international distribution of its American made branded and private label products, through a variety of sales channels.    The DetailsRole – The CCO will primarily direct the sales operation, work to develop new markets and expand top level relationships with key distribution outlets while building a robust marketing platform including messaging and media.  The CCO will be responsible for all aspects of management of the company’s products, including packaging, channels, and pricing.  In addition, s/he will determine the promotion, selling, and marketing strategy and will define, budget, and recruit and/or contract the requisite resources to execute the strategy, acting in a hands-on manner where necessary and appropriate. The CCO will own all commercial aspects of the company’s business, and will be a regular point of engagement for strategic customers.  The CCO will be responsible for accelerating market penetration of the branded, self-service product offerings of the company.Level – The role will serve as one of three members of the company’s senior leadership team reporting directly to the company President. 
Requirements: Requisite Capabilities and Characteristics – First and foremost, the CCO must have a deep background in consumer packaged foods.  Ideally, this background will have involved service in at least one “food academy” company such as Kraft, Sara Lee, Nestle, Mars, General Mills, US Foods, etc.  S/He will possess major marketing gravitas and will have a deep rolodex of media and agency contacts, having managed multiple, successful packaged foods brands before and owned the go-to-market strategy, the business model, the product definition, and pricing.  In addition, the CCO absolutely must have deep experience as a senior executive sales leader who has led and grown a packaged foods business and owned key customer relationships while successfully driving significant growth in revenues and profits using a consultative selling approach.  S/he will be intimately familiar with both “hunter/lone wolf” and “team selling” compensation models, and will have successfully guided organizational transitions from the former to the latter.The CCO will also need to have a background that includes a collegial style in working with other C-suite members.  A propensity for articulate communication is essential.  Also mandatory are excellent budget development and management skills, and strong planning capabilities.Location – While some regular but brief headquarters time will be required, the nature of the role does not necessitate a location in any particular geography.  Thus, otherwise qualified candidates located anywhere in the continental United States will be considered.   However, an ability to travel both domestically and internationally is a must. 
Benefits: Compensation – The position will provide a base salary in the vicinity of the low $200’s plus a bonus, the latter subject to performance criteria to be developed in conjunction with the President. There will be substantial growth potential on all fronts given the expected growth trajectory of the company.  A strong package of standard benefits will be provided, including health care coverage.   
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