The Director of Sales is a senior commercial leader responsible for building and sustaining Live Oak Brewing Company’s revenue engine across all trade channels in Texas. This individual owns the full arc of go-to-market execution—from high-level chain strategy and distributor partnership to ground-level account activation—and serves as the primary commercial bridge between brewing operations, brand management, and the wholesale network.

The role demands an equally skilled strategist and field operator: someone who can present a polished market plan to a major retailer’s buyer in the morning and conduct a hands-on ride-along with a distributor team in the afternoon. Four primary responsibility buckets define the position.

01

Chain Management

Off- and on-premise chain retail relationships and all supporting calendar, programming, and pricing work.

02

Distributor Management

Driving performance and alignment across the full Texas wholesale network.

03

Brand & Operations

Cross-functional collaboration with production and brand teams on forecasting, innovation, and the brand calendar.

04

Sales Management

Field execution, account activation, sampling, analytics, and CRM stewardship.

01  CHAIN MANAGEMENT

The Director of Sales serves as Live Oak’s primary point of contact for major off-premise and on-premise retail chains throughout Texas. This requires the ability to build genuine buyer relationships, navigate complex category review cycles, and ensure the brand is well-positioned at every level of the retail shelf.

Off-Premise Chain Accounts

Core retail chain relationships managed by this role include:

•      H-E-B & Central Market

•      Kroger

•      Spec’s Wine, Spirits & Finer Foods

•      Walmart

•      Total Wine & More

•      Tom Thumb / Randalls

•      Whole Foods Market

•      Regional off-premise chains (multiple)

On-Premise Chain Development

Beyond off-premise retail, the Director is charged with building and growing a portfolio of on-premise chain relationships—restaurants, bars, and hospitality groups—that represent a strategic second channel for draft and package sales. This includes prospecting new accounts, presenting the Live Oak portfolio, and negotiating program agreements.

Chain Management Disciplines

Across all chain accounts, the Director owns the following recurring workstreams:

•      Calendar Management: Coordinating the timing of promotions, resets, and new-item launches against each retailer’s planning cycles.

•      Brand Submissions: Preparing and submitting brand and item proposals to chain category managers within required windows.

•      Space Planning: Working with retailers and distributor partners on shelf and cooler placement to maximize visibility and velocity.

•      Programming: Designing and executing seasonal and feature programs that drive incremental volume.

•      Pricing: Managing price architecture by chain to maintain competitive positioning and margin targets.

•      Costs, Allowances & Incentives: Negotiating and tracking trade spend commitments, post-offs, and performance incentives with each account.

02  DISTRIBUTOR MANAGEMENT

Live Oak’s wholesale network is the operational backbone of its Texas distribution strategy. The Director of Sales is accountable for driving performance, alignment, and enthusiasm across every wholesale partner, ensuring that distributor sales teams are properly equipped and motivated to grow the brand.

Wholesale Partner Network

Current distributor partners include:

•      Andrews Distributing

•      Houston Distributing

•      Capital Reyes Distributing

•      Jack Hilliard Distributing

•      Faust Distributing

•      Silver Eagle Beverage

Distributor Management Responsibilities

•      Initiative Driving: Translating Live Oak’s commercial priorities into clear, measurable initiatives for each distributor’s sales team.

•      Planning: Developing joint business plans and monthly programming calendars with key distributor contacts.

•      New Item Forms & Launch Support: Completing and submitting all required new-item paperwork and coordinating distributor-level launch activities.

•      Scheduling & Ride-Alongs: Regularly accompanying distributor sales representatives in the field—planning routes, coaching on selling techniques, and calling on accounts together.

•      Sales Meetings & Presentations: Planning and executing live sales meetings for distributor teams, including developing and delivering PowerPoint presentations to large audiences. Exceptional public speaking is essential.

•      Brand Manager Alignment: Maintaining timely, consistent communication with Live Oak Brand Managers to ensure distributor messaging and market priorities are synchronized.

03  BRAND & OPERATIONS COLLABORATION

A high-functioning Director of Sales operates as a full commercial partner to the brewery’s internal teams—not simply a field sales function. This role requires close integration with production planning and brand management to ensure market strategy and operational capacity are always aligned.

Production & Forecasting

•      Partnering with the production team on volume forecasting for both core SKUs and seasonal releases.

•      Providing market intelligence that informs brew scheduling and raw-material procurement.

•      Assisting with distributor ordering guidance to maintain healthy inventory levels and minimize shorts.

•      Monitoring and managing inventory level-setting across the distributor network.

Brand Calendar & Innovation

•      Contributing to the development of the annual brand calendar, including seasonal release timing and innovation launches.

•      Collaborating with Brand Managers on new product planning—providing channel feedback that shapes package format, pricing, and positioning decisions.

•      Ensuring that commercial planning and brand creative timelines are synchronized to enable on-time market execution.

04  SALES MANAGEMENT

Day-to-day sales management keeps Live Oak active and visible at the account level. The Director must be willing and able to do personal field work—calling on accounts, pouring samples, and coaching activations—while simultaneously managing performance data and CRM hygiene that supports longer-term commercial decision-making.

Field Execution & Account Activity

•      Account Calling: Regularly visiting on- and off-premise accounts to maintain relationships, merchandise the brand, and identify growth opportunities.

•      Samplings & Tastings: Planning and personally conducting consumer-facing samplings and tasting events that build trial and brand affinity.

•      Activations: Managing branded activations and sponsorships that extend Live Oak’s presence in the market.

Analytics & CRM

•      Route Analytics: Analyzing account coverage and call-frequency data to optimize territory efficiency and identify distribution gaps.

•      Account Classification: Maintaining a tiered account segmentation model that aligns resources to the highest-priority opportunities.

•      CRM Management: Ensuring all account activity, sales data, and pipeline information are captured accurately and consistently within the company’s CRM platform.

Summary

The Director of Sales is one of the most consequential roles at Live Oak Brewing Company. Success requires an individual who brings strategic credibility to the boardroom and genuine hustle to the field—someone who earns the trust of major retail buyers, energizes distributor sales teams, and keeps a close pulse on what is actually happening at the shelf and tap handle every week.

The four buckets outlined here—Chain Management, Distributor Management, Brand & Operations Collaboration, and Sales Management—are not siloed functions. They form an interconnected commercial system, and the best Director of Sales will manage them in concert, using insights from each area to sharpen decisions across all the others.