Senior Director, Distribution

About Us

At Zevia, we’re creating a world of better-for-you flavor—better for people and the planet. Our team is made up of courageous challengers and tenacious builders who are passionate about our mission. We’re solutions-oriented, always improving, and we operate with a healthy thirst for risk. We believe in staying true to our convictions while continuously learning and evolving.

At our core, we are people-centric. We care deeply, lead with empathy, and operate as one team—no egos, just a shared purpose. We strive to reflect the diversity of our consumer base within our organization and foster a culture of empathy and humility.

Together, we aim to impact global health, provide affordable better-for-you products, and protect the planet by reducing plastic.

We’re fighting the good fight to change the beverage industry for the better — and we’re just getting started.

Summary

The Senior Director, Distribution drives long-term growth for Zevia by leading national distribution network development, expansion, and market results.  This role is responsible for delivering against revenue and volume targets by (most critically) ensuring Zevia’s direct store delivery (DSD) network expansion is implemented with urgency and ambition and is consistently impactful in the on-going engagement of each market’s distribution partner.  In addition, this role oversees an existing network of national distributors in the natural channel (UNFI, KeHE).  As the customer opportunities evolve in new channels, they will oversee partnering with relevant foodservice & specialty distributors.

This role directly leads each distributor’s management team to ensure seamless customer transitions, impactful Brand execution at retail, increased depth of distribution in current accounts, and new breadth of distribution in white space accounts (primarily independent and C-Store accounts). 

As the network evolves and expands, this role spearheads new distributor implementation by taking the lead of setup (after contract signing) through to first shipments, installing reporting and communication routines, and installing a staff of regionally local distribution managers as the business grows.

As a part of the Sales Leadership team, this role aligns with functional leaders in all departments across the organization to drive solutions and take fast action, advocating for a successful distributor network that increasingly drives Zevia’s revenue trajectory and delivery.  This role is uniquely responsible for building the foundation on which Zevia can build a billion-dollar brand.

What You’ll Do 

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

DSD Network Expansion & Implementation

• Own each new distributor implementation, setting the foundation for Zevia’s future growth.
• Own the setup process from signature to store shipments, hands-on.
• Set up and lead kick-off meetings with the right contributions from internal peers.
• Ensure brand education and product understanding through to the sales rep level.
• Lead market-level goal setting and objective attainment for each distributor.
• Set aspirational and quantified volume goals by market, customer, and channel level.
• Benchmark and drive channel-specific distribution goals by customer-type and SKU (depth and breadth of distribution).
• Define qualitative market execution objectives that improve Zevia’s in-store presence.
• Execute/put into action merchandising, secondary placements, displays, and promotions.
• Design consistent management and reporting routines.
• Lead a clear action plan for success.
• Spend time in each market understanding and assessing the landscape and working with distributor management and reps to lead success by example.
• Define strategic initiatives that deliver against Zevia commercial priorities, overcoming hurdles and supporting sales-rep level success in-store.
• Continually educate and engage distributor teams, enlisting incremental efforts for brand growth.
• Develop and maintain relationships with key distributor stakeholders.
• Wire to general sales managers and directors at market level.
• Maintain the connection between key account leaders with Zevia staff as viable to the success in each distributor.

National & Channel Specific Distributor Management

• Staff and train high-performing managers to lead day-to-day operations with UNFI, KeHE, and other smaller third-party distributors as necessary.
• Create clear reporting and management routines for volume forecasting and monitoring.
• Understand and diagnose drivers of month-to-month business performance, developing action plans to course correct as necessary.
• Maintain senior level relationships, enabling transition from transaction order-delivery to strategic volume driving partnership.
• Install quarterly business review practices.
• Enable Zevia Leadership to support accountability and partnership from distribution partners as the executive level.
• Propose initiatives, contract terms, and course corrections where necessary to drive healthy business trends.
• Including cross-functional customer-specific plans with the Key Accounts team.
• Develop connections between customer and sales rep teams with Zevia staff.

Business Planning & Delivery

• Set the annual distribution business plan.
• Develop national volume and distribution targets.
• Set sales-lever objectives and required investments to deliver.
• Create and maintain staffing and org design with marketing expansion.
• Design effective initiatives, programs, and calls-to-action that step change key market areas of opportunity annually.
• Lead effective results-oriented business reviews.
• Lead the monthly business reviews at the executive level.
• Facilitate the team reviews at market and distributor levels.
• Drive customer volume through cross functional partnership with key accounts.
• Create deeply ingrained connections and alignment with the Key Accounts team.
• Identify how distribution management can leverage (and be leveraged) to increase velocities in existing accounts.

Channel-Specific Business Development

• Identify and set up channel specific distribution agreements for foodservice and specialty channels (quick-serve restaurants, office/at-work, and travel for example).
• Enable clear product flow and reporting.
• Maintain low-touchpoint communications pathways/routines.
• When viable, staff appropriately for deeper management as volume opportunities require.
• Ensure alignment with future route to market (RTM) strategy and avoid conflicts with the DSD network while supporting Zevia’s ability to expand reach to consumers.

What We're Looking For

• Proven track record of success in distribution management, specifically DSD in major markets.
• Proven track record of clear market development and execution in the beverage industry, specifically in a high-growth early-to-mid stage company.
• Proven track record of people management, including driving accountability, setting priorities, problem-solving, establishing ways-of-working, on-boarding, and performance management.
• Experience with syndicated data reporting platforms.
• Demonstrable competency in annual business plan development, budget oversight, and strategic priority and initiative creation.
• Experience leveraging data to assess performance, create scorecards, set KPIs, and measure impact.
• Track record of excellent cross-functional leadership with high ambitions.
• Strong verbal and presentation skills.

Supervisory Responsibility

This position functions in supervisory capacity with direct reports.

Work Environment

This job operates in a professional office environment. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, and photocopiers, filing cabinets, and fax machines.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

The employee is occasionally required to sit; climb or balance; and stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl.  The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 30 pounds.  Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus. 

Position Type/Expected Hours of Work

Full-Time Exempt

Travel

This role requires up to 40% travel

Work Authorization/Security Clearance

Must be eligible to work in the U.S.

Other Duties

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

What We Offer

• A collaborative environment, where everyone contributes and delivers
• A place where you can grow, develop and learn
• Competitive compensation that includes a base salary, discretionary bonus and stock options. See below for range.
• A comprehensive benefits package which includes:
  • An array of medical plans
  • Dental
  • Vision
  • Group Life Insurance
  • Short-term disability + Long-term disability
  • Flexible Spending Accounts: Medical, Dependent and Limited Use
  • Health Savings Account
  • Accident Insurance
  • Critical Illness Insurance
  • Hospital Indemnity Insurance
  • Legal Insurance
  • Travel Assistance
  • Employee Assistance Program
  • Pet Insurance
  • 401k Plan (Traditional and Roth)
  • Vacation, Personal/Sick Days, and Holidays
  • Professional development contributions
  • And of course, all the Zevia you can drink!