Director of Sales Planning and Strategy

Job Title: Director, Sales Planning & Strategy

Location: Evanston, Chicago IL (Hybrid)

Department:  Sales

Reports To:  Sr. Director of Sales

Company Background:

The most important element of our company background is our purpose.  We are a dairy cooperative of cooperatives.  That means that we exist to create value for our cooperatives and the 14,000 Irish family dairy farms they support.  This is central to how we operate, critically important for our employees and what fuels our ambition to win.

With that, Ornua is Ireland’s largest exporter of Irish dairy, exporting to over 110 countries with annualised sales of €3.4 billion.

We are multi-national, operating from 19 subsidiaries worldwide and employing over 2,300 staff. Ornua has teams working in-market across all four corners of the globe from Algiers to Beijing, to Lagos and LA.

The business is structured across two core divisions: Ornua Foods and Ornua Ingredients.

Ornua Foods owns the iconic Kerrygold brand, as well as the Pilgrims Choice, Dubliner, Forto and BEO Milk Powder brands.

Ornua Ingredients supplies superior quality dairy ingredients to leading global food manufacturers from some of the world’s most technically advanced manufacturing and prepacking facilities located in Africa, China, Ireland, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Spain, the UK and the US.

Ornua Foods North America is headquartered in Evanston, IL with additional teams located throughout the US.  The consumer foods product portfolio is spread across butter, cheese and powders.

The North America division is a powerhouse within Ornua, with an iconic and beloved brand and a highly-engaged, highly inclusive, and high-performing team that, together, have delivered double-digit, profitable growth on the business for the last twenty years.

Position Summary: 

This is a one-in-a-lifetime opportunity to join a purpose-led organization, own transformational projects to drive growth for an iconic brand, and make a difference.

The Director, Sales Planning & Strategy at Ornua Foods North America would play a pivotal role in driving profitable growth for brands like Kerrygold and Dubliner. This position sits at the intersection of sales, marketing, category, finance and supply chain and is designed to enhance our go-to-market, retail execution and category performance through data-driven strategy and trade activation.

You’ll translate insights and brand strategy into compelling plans that optimize promotional spend, build and support product launch plans, ensure effective in-store presence, collaborate with supply on demand forecasting, and inform long-term business planning with major retailers.

Key Components of the role:  

• Stakeholder Collaboration & Cross Functional Influence:
• Influence internally through working closely with Marketing, Sales, Finance, Supply Chain, and Category teams to ensure cohesive processes and execution of aligned upon goals and objectives.
• Own communication routines with sales teams to highlight business priorities and changes to brand strategies and tactics. Be a voice of Sales & customers back to central functions.
• Manage product supply shortage through efficient communication with supply chain and customer sales teams to minimize revenue loss and maintain customer prioritization. 
• Sales Planning & Forecasting:
• Build and drive sales forecasting process with demand, supply, and sales by leading monthly demand forecasting routines to identify key volume drivers and communicating material needs. 
• Identify whitespace across different channels and customers through closure of core product distribution or shelving gaps, innovation, and profitable promotion plans. 
• Lead annual customer budget cascade, setting growth targets by channel/customer and ensuring effective promotional plans.
• Joint Business Planning:
• Collaborate in joint business planning (JBP) creation with Sales teams – helping to merge insights, commercial plans, and promotional strategies.
• Lead the evolution of our Strategic Selling Story 2.0, elevating customer conversations beyond category performance to position the company as future-forward, highly sustainable, and innovative food partner, highlighting our ability to impact the future of food, not just butter sales.
• Trade Promotion Effectiveness & Optimization:
• Develop and manage standardized trade marketing and promotional calendars, ensuring alignment to category and brand objectives.
• Ensure spend discipline across customers and channels.
• Lead post-promotional reviews, measuring success against plans and providing actionable insights to sales teams.
• Innovation Launch & Execution:
• Support new product launches from inception to in-store through creating the right selling materials, aligning and tracking volume and sell-in expectations, optimizing budget.
• Develop comprehensive understanding of innovation commercialization process to help track progress against launch dates to meet customer reset timing. 

Minimum Qualifications 

• Bachelor's Degree 

• 5-7 years of professional experience with an understanding of FMCG industry; Prior experience in internal sales or sales preferred 

• Excellent analytical and problem-solving capability with experience using data; Syndicate/panel data familiarity a plus 

• Familiarity with trade promotion management systems (ie TPM), and demand planning processes (ie IBP).
• Strong analytical mindset, commercial acumen, outstanding verbal, written and interpersonal communications skills 

• Excellent organizational and project management skills 

• Advanced Excel knowledge and experience working with databases 

• Experience presenting to and working with customers 

What You’ll Gain:

• The opportunity to shape the future of a dairy brand in double digit growth in the US
• A collaborative, purpose-driven culture that values innovation and insight
• Competitive compensation, benefits, and career development opportunities
• Dynamic Working policy in place which facilitates flexible hours and hybrid working, with 3 days/week in office, plus a 2 week per year ‘Work From Anywhere’ option.

Total Rewards at Ornua Foods North America will include a competitive salary and annual bonus scheme. The following are a list of other benefits you can avail of: low employee contribution for Medical, Vision and Dental benefits cover; 401k; Paid Time Off; Maternity Leave (20 weeks); Parental Leave; Flexible working; Fitness Reimbursement; Charity Donation; Complimentary Kerrygold products; Free car parking and secure bicycle storage; Free healthy snacks and drinks in the office; Reward & Recognition program; Volunteering opportunities; Long Service Awards. The salary range for this role is $158k to $204k and the candidate will be offered a salary commensurate with their level of experience.

Ornua Foods North America Inc is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. Applicants must be authorized to work for any employer in the U.S.