Team Lead of Strategic Customer Planning

At Russell Stover, not only do we love chocolate, but we love our jobs! Every day we go to work exhibiting our values of excellence, innovation, entrepreneurship, responsibility, and collaboration. Working at Russell Stover you'll be part of the leading manufacturer of boxed, seasonal, and sugar-free chocolates. For over 100 years, Russell Stover Chocolates, Whitman's, and Pangburn's have been crafted with the finest ingredients to bring happiness to generations. Today, we produce over 55 million pounds of chocolate annually, and our legacy brands can be found in 13 company-owned stores and over 9,000 wholesale accounts. Join our team and let's continue making chocolate lovers happy!

A day in the life...

As the Team Lead of Strategic Customer Planning, you will support all functions within the Wholesale Sales organization, aggregating input required to plan, execute, measure, and continuously improve commercial performance. You will lead Sales Planning and provide the cross-functional coordination required to deliver company goals. You will also partner closely with Sales Leadership, Sales Strategy, Revenue Growth Management, Field Sales, Finance, Marketing, and Supply Chain to translate strategy into strong customer plans that are executed with excellence in partnership with the full multi-functional team. This role reports directly into the Vice President of Sales and sits on the Sales Leadership Team and frequently presents to the Executive Leadership Team, including the CFO and CEO. Role is Kansas City, MO based out of the Company Headquarters.

What you will be doing....

• Serve as the central integrator of the Wholesale Sales function, aligning people, processes, and data to ensure strong planning and execution
• Lead customer/channel planning with Sales Leadership and the field sales team-translating company and brand strategy into annual customer plans, priorities, and measurable objectives, including:
  
  
  
  • Leading annual planning process, ensuring strategies communicated to field sales at National Sales Meeting
  • Managing volume forecast and trade planning systems, ensuring they are ready for inputs, and field sales annual planning tools are deployed
  • Leading the process for Account Managers to review annual planning presentations to leadership
  
  
  
  
• Own the sales performance rhythm (weekly/quad-weekly) by establishing standardized scorecards and insights that connect POS/consumption, shipments, and key commercial drivers
• Lead the weekly sales execution process to ensure forecast alignment in current month and quarter
• Drive strong cross-functional coordination with Sales Strategy, RGM, Finance, Marketing, and Supply Chain to align targets, assumptions, and commercial actions
• Lead the Sales Planning function, including base forecast collection, customer planning cadence, and internal coordination to support demand visibility and execution
• Improve forecast accuracy and decision quality by leveraging in-market consumption data (e.g., Circana and retailer portals) and inventory signals, and by identifying opportunities for advanced analytics/ML where appropriate
• Own Forecast/Trade Planning tools (e.g., TradePro); lead and standardize trade planning enablement and governance (process timing, data readiness, required inputs, and compliance), ensuring visibility to plans and performance
• Coach and develop direct report, creating clarity in role, priorities, and outcomes; establish clear objectives, success metrics, and continuous improvement expectations
• Identify process and capability gaps and implement scalable solutions (tools, templates, playbooks, and training) to improve how Sales plans, executes, and measures performance

Do you have what it takes?

• Bachelor's Degree or equivalent work experience
• 8+ years of experience in CPG Sales Planning, Strategic Customer Planning, Sales Analytics, Commercial Finance, RGM, Account Management, or related roles
• Proven ability to operate as a cross-functional leader and integrator-aligning multiple departments and workstreams to deliver business outcomes
• Demonstrated leadership experience, including leading managers and building standardized processes and operating rhythms
• Strong analytical skills (quantitative and qualitative), including the ability to interpret data limitations and synthesize insights into recommended actions
• Strong experience leveraging in-market consumption data (e.g., Circana, retailer portals) to diagnose performance and drive actionable recommendations
• Experience with trade planning and promotion processes/systems (e.g., TradePro or similar)
• Excellent communication and influencing skills; confident presenting to senior leadership and enabling data-driven decision making
• Experience improving processes and capability through standardization, change management, and continuous improvement
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to speak, read, and write English fluently, with or without an accommodation.
• Hybrid work model per company policy (e.g., 3 days per week in Corporate Office where applicable)
• Travel up to 10%

Do you stand above the rest?

• MBA

At Russell Stover Chocolates, we don't just accept difference - we celebrate it, we support it, and we thrive on it for the benefit of our employees, our products, and our community. Russell Stover Chocolates is proud to be an equal-opportunity workplace.

We provide equal employment opportunities to all people without regard to race, color, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, religion, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, pregnancy, physical or mental disability, protected medical condition, genetic information, military service, veteran status, or any other status or characteristic protected by law.

Employment by Russell Stover Chocolates is contingent upon I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification, passing the urinalysis drug screen, education verification, and satisfactory reference and background checks.

Make Happy. Work Happy.

If visiting our manufacturing plants, you will be expected to:

• Adhere to Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) to ensure product quality and maintain compliance with food safety standards.
• Complete and follow FSQA training and programs to comply with regulatory requirements, ensure consumer safety, and support the plant's food safety and quality objectives.
• Promptly report and take appropriate action on any observed or potential food safety hazards, process deviations, or non-conformities by notifying the designated plant supervisor, in accordance with your role and responsibilities.
• Actively contributes to the continuous improvement of the company's Food Safety Culture through engagement and actions aligned with your role.

This job posting is not all inclusive and other duties may be assigned.

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