National Sales Director

Leadership role | Craft beer, beverage alcohol, or adjacent CPG experience required

We are partnering with Allagash Brewing, a highly respected, independently owned craft brewery, to identify a proven commercial leader who knows how to take a beloved brand to the next level. This is not a maintenance of the status quo role. It is an opportunity for an experienced leader to apply their knowledge of current market conditions and adapt our go-to-market strategy, build momentum, align a distributed team, and generate growth in a category where the old playbook is no longer enough.

The ideal candidate has led a large, dispersed team through category contraction, channel disruption, SKU rationalization, distributor complexity, retailer pressure, and shifting consumer behavior. They bring the integrity and strong relationship building skills to earn trust quickly, the analytical discipline to accurately diagnose what is happening in the trade, and the strategic leadership capability to inspire a remote team by explaining the “why” behind decisions and charting a clear path to accomplishing goals.

The Opportunity

This leader will own the brand’s commercial execution strategy, bringing the right focus, urgency, and discipline across sales, marketing, distributor management, field activation, and portfolio decisions. Success will require balancing respect for the brand’s heritage with the courage to make difficult calls about where to invest, what to simplify, and how to win  and maintain relevance with consumers, retailers, and wholesalers.

What You’ll Lead

·        Develop and execute a plan for growing Allagash White, the heart of our brewery and 80+ percent of our portfolio 

·        Lead our existing remote sales team of high performers with clarity, accountability, and  support

·        Evaluate brand health, portfolio architecture, pricing, channel strategy, market prioritization, and distributor execution.

·        Translate market data, consumer insights, and field feedback into focused commercial action.

·        Strengthen distributor and key account relationships while improving execution at the market level.

·        Partner cross-functionally with brewing, operations, finance, marketing, and executive leadership to align resources behind the highest-impact priorities.

·        Make thoughtful but decisive recommendations on innovation, core brand support, packaging, promotions, and underperforming initiatives.

What We’re Looking For

·        10+ years of experience leading a geographically distributed team is required.

·        Demonstrated success leading a brand through challenging market conditions

·        Deep experience in craft beer, beverage alcohol, or a closely related consumer packaged goods category.

·        Strong commercial leadership background across sales, marketing, distributor management, field execution, etc.

·        Proven ability to diagnose root causes, set priorities, and drive measurable improvement in complex market conditions.

·        Executive presence with the ability to influence owner, key stakeholders, distributors, retailers, and internal teams.

·        High emotional intelligence, top notch communication instinct and execution, and a track record of inspiring teams to accomplish shared goals

·        Willing to relocate to Portland, Maine, where we are based. Candidates within a drive for regular commuting will also be considered.

You’ll Thrive Here If You Are

·        A believer in the importance of the on-premise channel, where we historically sell about half of our beer.

·        A builder who can create momentum without waiting for perfect conditions.

·        A brand steward who respects craft beer culture and an iconic brand while recognizing the need to continuously adapt and create season by season relevance

·        A business minded leader who understands how to manage P&L for improved margins

·        A coach who can lead people remotely without losing connection, accountability, or energy.

Why This Role Matters

The craft beer landscape is challenging, but as an independent B Corp, with a deep commitment to sustainability, community and employment experience, we have a differentiated brand and story that is compelling. The right leader will be motivated by the challenge of winning despite industry headwinds.  As one of the few remaining independently owned craft breweries, with the advantage of an extremely strong flagship and streamlined portfolio, the opportunity is ripe for us to team up with an experienced and dynamic leader to take the brand to the next level.