Executive Vice President, Business Development & Strategy

(Exempt)

Company Overview: Ethos Pet Brands is the parent company of Natural Balance® and Canidae® pet brands.  By joining forces under Ethos Pet Brands, these premium pet food brands strengthen their commitment to delivering the highest quality nutrition. We believe in the power of strong brands to connect with pet parents and create meaningful experiences.

Position Summary: Business Development is a critical growth engine for Ethos Pet Brands. The Executive Vice President, Business Development & Strategy will lead commercial growth across existing and emerging retail channels, with responsibility for new business, strategic accounts, distribution expansion, and broker partnerships.

This highly visible leadership role is focused on accelerating profitable growth, strengthening customer relationships, and expanding the company’s retail footprint.

The EVP, Business Development & Strategy will develop and execute the commercial strategy to deliver revenue, profitability, distribution, and market share growth. This leader will secure new business, lead strategic account relationships and negotiations, and oversee the broker and distributor network.

This role will report to the Chief Executive Officer, and work across Marketing, Finance, Supply Chain, Demand Planning, E-Commerce, and Customer Service to ensure strong execution and sustainable growth. The ideal candidate is a strategic, entrepreneurial commercial leader with deep retailer relationships, financial acumen, and experience building high-performing teams and external partnerships.

Key Responsibilities:

Sales Strategy & Commercial Leadership

• Develop and execute the national sales and business development strategy, including a three-year growth plan and annual operating plans.

• Establish sales objectives, KPIs, forecasts, and performance metrics across direct and broker-managed accounts.

• Use market, customer, competitive, and shopper insights to shape channel strategies that optimize revenue, profitability, distribution, and market share.

• Serve as a strategic advisor to the Chief Executive Officer and Senior Leadership Team, providing clear updates on performance, pipeline, risks, and opportunities.

New Business Development & Strategic Accounts

• Identify, prioritize, and secure new retail customers and distribution opportunities across existing and emerging channels.

• Maintain a disciplined new business pipeline with defined stages, probability, targets, and expected revenue contribution.

• Develop customer-specific strategies, presentations, business cases, launch plans, and value propositions in partnership with Marketing.

• Lead negotiations for listings, assortment, pricing, promotions, merchandising, distribution agreements, and contract renewals.

• Own executive relationships with key accounts and develop Joint Business Plans that support mutual growth, profitability, and long-term partnerships.

• Conduct customer business reviews, optimize account performance, and ensure internal teams and external partners deliver on commitments.

Broker & Distributor Management

• Develop the broker and distributor strategy and lead partner selection, onboarding, development, and performance management.

• Establish clear territories, targets, KPIs, accountabilities, reporting requirements, and business plans.

• Lead broker business reviews focused on sales performance, pipeline, distribution gains, productivity, and return on investment.

• Partner with brokers on retailer strategies, Joint Business Plans, assortment expansion, and new business opportunities.

• Evaluate partner capabilities and coverage, recommend changes when needed, and negotiate commissions, performance expectations, and contractual terms.

• Ensure partners have the information, training, and tools needed to represent the Company effectively.

Revenue Growth & Financial Management

• Deliver annual sales, revenue, gross margin, and profitability objectives while managing trade and customer investments with financial discipline.

• Develop accurate sales forecasts with Demand Planning and the commercial analytics team and identify risks and corrective actions early.

• Analyze customer, channel, and broker performance to improve pricing, mix, distribution, promotional effectiveness, and revenue quality.

• Partner with Finance on budgeting, customer profitability, pricing strategies, investments, and business cases.

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Partner with Marketing on category growth initiatives, customer activation, innovation launches, and commercial programs.

• Coordinate with Supply Chain, Demand Planning, and Customer Service to support inventory availability, service levels, forecast accuracy, launches, and issue resolution.

• Align brick-and-mortar, digital, and omnichannel strategies with E-Commerce.

• Create clear cross-functional accountability for customer commitments, promotions, launches, and commercial priorities.

Team Leadership & Development

• Build and lead a high-performing commercial organization with clear roles, goals, KPIs, accountability, and operating rhythms.

• Develop talent and capabilities across sales, business development, strategic selling, negotiation, customer management, and commercial strategy.

• Foster a culture of ownership, collaboration, innovation, customer focus, and performance.

• Ensure the organization’s structure and resources can support future growth.

Growth & Channel Development

• Evaluate new channels, customers, distributors, and partnerships based on consumer reach, strategic fit, economics, and growth potential.

• Lead the launch and scaling of new customer and distribution partnerships.

• Expand assortment, distribution, and market share within existing channels while staying ahead of retail, consumer, and competitive trends.

Key Performance Indicators

• Achieve annual sales, revenue, margin, and profitability objectives.

• Build a measurable new business pipeline and secure strategic retail partnerships.

• Expand distribution, assortment, and market share across priority channels and existing accounts.

• Strengthen executive customer relationships and customer profitability.

• Improve broker productivity, accountability, pipeline development, and return on investment.

• Optimize pricing, trade investment, promotions, forecasts, and sales planning.

• Build scalable commercial capabilities and strengthen cross-functional execution.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in business, Marketing, or a related field; MBA preferred.

• 10+ years of progressive commercial, sales, or business development leadership experience within Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG).

• Strong financial acumen, including P&L management, trade spending, customer profitability, forecasting, and revenue growth.

• Significant experience leading national retail channels, developing new business, and growing strategic accounts.

• Proven ability to build executive customer relationships and manage external broker and distributor partners.

• Experience developing and negotiating Joint Business Plans, pricing, trade programs, customer agreements, and distribution strategies.

• Experience with category management, syndicated data, customer analytics, trade management tools, and retail go-to-market models.

• Excellent presentation, negotiation, influencing, and executive communication skills.

• Demonstrated success in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial, and growth-oriented environment.

• Leadership Competencies

• Must be willing to submit a background check and pre-employment drug screening

• Must be eligible to work in the US

The successful candidate will demonstrate:

• Commercial and Financial Leadership: Drives profitable growth with a strong understanding of customer economics, pricing, trade investment, and distribution.

• Strategic and Analytical Thinking: Anticipates market and customer trends and translates insights into actionable plans.

• Customer and Growth Orientation: Builds trusted relationships while identifying new customers, channels, and distribution opportunities.

• Negotiation and Executive Presence: Influences senior stakeholders and communicates complex commercial priorities with clarity and credibility.

• Collaborative Leadership: Builds accountability and effective partnerships across internal teams, brokers, and distributors.

• Drive and Entrepreneurial Mindset: Acts with urgency, resilience, sound judgment, and a willingness to challenge the status quo.

• Talent Development: Builds strong teams, develops capabilities, and creates a culture of ownership and continuous improvement.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Must be able to lift up to 25 pounds at times

• Must be able to relay accurate information via multiple communication vehicles including verbal and written mechanisms

• Ability to remain in a stationary position for up to 8 hours

• Ability to operate a computer and other office technology

• Ability to observe details at close range

• Occasionally travel for work up to 35% of the time

• Occasionally Ascend/descend stairs

BENEFITS

• 401K

• Medical

• Dental

• Vision

• HSA & FSA

• Short Term Disability

• Long Term Disability

• Pet Insurance

• Life Insurance

• Employee Assistant Program

• And more!

Ethos is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit, and business need.