Job Specifications
Hello potential future Oatly employee. It’s us, the original oatmilk company that started in Sweden back 25 or so years ago and has since expanded to the U.S. where we’ve continued growing at a rate such that we need more brilliant minds to come work with us to keep the momentum going and the oatmilk flowing.
Sustainability, health, and transparency are the core values that guide everything we do. Basically, we exist to help people live a healthier life without recklessly taxing the planet’s resources in the process, and to change the food system for the better. We drive that change through the power of oats and through a significant reduction in cow’s milk consumption. If any of this resonates with you, then maybe you’d like to work for Oatly, too. Now onto the formal stuff.
We are looking for a Regional Sales Manager, Northeast, to join our team. This role will be responsible for managing the retail channel in the Northeast region of the country for regional accounts. Reporting to the Regional Account VP, the position exists to drive sales, build market share, and increase brand awareness while fostering long-term relationships with distributors, brokers, and key customers within the retail market.
Here are the things we want to hire you to do:
Drive Sales: Partner with the VP, cross-functional teams, brokers, and distributors to develop and execute Oatly’s retail sales strategy across multiple categories in the West retail channel
Build Strong Retail Relationships: Establish and maintain credible, trust-based relationships with key retailers, brokers, and distributor partners. Communicate consistently and effectively
Execute Sales Plans: Develop and implement distribution goals, promotional calendars, and trade spend strategies aligned with company guidelines and customer needs
Forecasting & Performance: Own and deliver accurate customer sales forecasts, distribution targets, profitability assessments, and trade spend metrics
Customer Management: Stay organized on customer-specific distribution, pricing, promotion, and strategic plans. Ensure timely internal communication directly or through trade management and planning systems. Establish a regular cadence for sharing insights internally and with customers—covering updates, new item progress, promotional evaluations, and strategic recommendations
Category & Sales Presentations: Own category review cycles for your accounts. Leverage syndicated data (SPINS, Nielsen, IRI) and internal insights to develop compelling, fact-based sales presentations that drive distribution and innovation
Trade & Marketing Execution: Oversee demand forecasts, shipment planning, promotional/trade management, and shopper marketing initiatives
Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with Sales Strategy, Category Management, Customer Service, Demand Planning, and Shopper Marketing to deliver cohesive retail execution
Broker Management: Develop clear goals for brokers, maintain regular check-ins, and conduct 1–2 in-person market visits per region annually to drive accountability and alignment
Team Collaboration: Foster a collaborative culture across the retail sales team, share best practices, and stay open to learning and growth
Event Participation: Represent Oatly at regional and customer-specific trade shows, team off-sites, and internal training sessions
Here Are The Things We Think You Need
Minimum of 4+ years in retail sales/sales management / Grocery experience in the CPG industry
Reside in the Northeast, near a major airport
Prior experience calling on and managing customers such as AHOLD, Market Basket, Wakefern, and New York Metro distributors
A solid understanding of multiple distribution methods to get to customers, such as direct shipping and various 3rd party suppliers like UNFI / KeHE / DPI
Experience successfully working with and managing brokers
Category management understanding and knowledge using syndicated data sources (SPINS, Nielsen, IRI) to support fact-based selling
Strong ability in PowerPoint and Excel, and would consider yourself a data-savvy sales professional
Excellent organizational and communication (written, verbal, and virtual) skills with close attention to detail
Thorough understanding of trade math, promotional planning, and forecast rationale
Strong ability to communicate and present clearly and effectively
Strong critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and a desire to bring creative solutions to business opportunities
Passion for relationship building across teams as well as with external broker partners, buyers, and distributors
Motivated, proactive, enthusiastic, and positive even during stressful times (we love what we do, but not every day is a walk in the park)
Highly organized and capable of managing multiple priorities in a remote work environment
Excitement to get into the market and travel for customer meetings, trade shows/conferences, and market visits (estimated 50% travel time)
And here’s another list of qualities we