Sr. Director, Sales Planning & Strategy

Sr. Director, Sales Planning & Strategy

Join the Snack Revolution at Utz Brands! At Utz, we're not just making snacks-we're crafting moments of joy. With over a century of heritage and a bold vision for the future, our iconic brands like Utz, Zapp's, Boulder Canyon, and On the Border are delighting consumers nationwide. We're on a mission to become the fastest-growing pure-play U.S. snacking company of scale, and we want YOU to be part of it.

Why This Role Matters

The Senior Director, Sales Planning & Strategy, leads the enterprise Sales Planning & Strategy function, driving clarity of the annual sales plan and ensuring it is operationalized effectively across the sales organization. Reporting to the SVP, Sales Center of Excellence (COE), this role is responsible for advancing sales planning maturity, translating commercial strategies into executable customer plans, enhancing process excellence, and embedding Integrated Business Planning (IBP) practices across commercial functions. This position partners closely with Sales, Marketing, Category Management, Demand Planning, Finance, and Supply Chain to translate strategic priorities into executable sales plans that drive growth and enable business readiness for IBP. Serving as an agent of change, the Senior Director fosters a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and cross-functional collaboration to strengthen the organization's commercial planning capability.

What You'll Do

• Lead the annual sales planning process, partnering with Sales and Marketing leaders to build data-driven, insight-based sales plans for all channels and customers.
• Champion the integration of sales planning & strategy into the overall IBP process, ensuring alignment between commercial, supply chain, and financial plans.
• Partner with Finance and Demand Planning to align sales forecasts with financial targets and production capabilities.
• Own risk / opportunity management to drive in-year course correction and contingency actions.
• Establish and track KPIs for sales planning & strategy effectiveness, identifying root causes and corrective actions as needed.
• Enhance reporting and analytics capabilities to improve visibility to performance metrics and forecast accuracy.
• Drive process standardization, documentation, and governance for sales planning & strategy and demand input activities.
• Lead, coach, and develop a team of planning professionals, providing direction, mentorship, and career development opportunities.
• Act as a trusted advisor and strategic thought partner to the SVP, Sales COE, and executive leadership team.
• Foster collaboration and communication across business units to align strategy, execution, and performance.
• Drive cultural adoption of process discipline and continuous improvement throughout the sales organization, institutionalizing best practices in sales planning, forecasting, and performance tracking.

What You'll Bring

Education : Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Supply Chain, or related field required. MBA or advanced degree preferred.

Experience : 10-15 years of progressive experience in sales, sales planning & strategy, trade marketing, or related commercial roles. Demonstrated success leading cross-functional planning initiatives within a consumer goods or retail environment. Deep understanding of IBP / S&OP frameworks and their integration across demand and supply chain functions. Proven leadership experience managing multi-level teams and influencing at the executive level. Experience leading organizational change and process transformation initiatives. Strong background in planning tool deployment and optimization.

Skills : Strategic thinker with ability to translate enterprise objectives into actionable sales and demand plans. Expert in sales planning methodologies, forecasting, and data analytics. Exceptional leadership and coaching capabilities able to inspire and align teams around shared goals. Highly collaborative, persuasive, and influential communicator across all organizational levels. Strong business acumen and financial literacy; capable of connecting commercial strategy to operational impact. Skilled in project management, prioritization, and process improvement. Adept at simplifying complex issues and driving decision-making through data-driven insights. Advanced proficiency with CRM, analytics, and sales planning tools. Fast-paced environment that requires organizational skills and ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously. Flexibility to perform at levels to meet peak demands in periods of high volume and activity.

External Recruitment Process

Easy Application (5 mins) : Introduce yourself and answer a few key questions to get started.

Engaging Chat Interview (20-25 mins) : Share your experiences in an online chat, highlighting how your values align with ours.

Live Interview : Selected candidates will meet with the hiring manager to explore their alignment with the team and overall Utz company culture.

Why Utz?

We believe in taking care of our people. Our benefits include : Medical, dental, and vision plans Employer-matched 401(k) Profit sharing, bonus plan, employee stock purchase plan. Career growth opportunities in a supportive, inclusive environment Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability. EOE of Minorities / Females / Vets / Disability