Mars · 2 days ago
Pet Specialty Independent Director
New York, NY
Full-time
Hybrid
Director/Executive
$170K/yr - $234K/yr
10+ years expMars is a leading company in the pet care industry, and they are seeking a Pet Specialty Independent Director to drive the commercial performance and strategic evolution of Royal Canin’s Independent and Regional Chain retail business. This role involves owning end-to-end outcomes across strategy, financial performance, and cross-functional execution to deliver profitable growth in a rapidly evolving retail landscape.
ConfectioneryConsumer GoodsFood and BeverageManufacturing
Responsibilities
Act as a core member of the Pet Specialty Retail Omnichannel Leadership Team, contributing to enterprise strategy, annual operating plans, and multi-year growth agendas
Partner closely with the General Manager and Finance Business Partner to shape business priorities, investment decisions, and risk mitigation strategies
Demonstrate P&L ownership, balancing growth, margin, working capital, and long-term brand health
Lead with enterprise perspective, making decisions that optimize total Royal Canin value rather than sub-channel outcomes
Represent the Independent Retail business in senior governance forums, including S&OP, strategic reviews, and performance deep dives
Own and evolve the Independent Retail vision and multi-year strategy, including channel segmentation, portfolio strategy, pricing architecture, and route-to-market design
Lead transformation of the field sales operating model to reflect omni-channel dynamics, productivity expectations, and customer value creation
Drive Farm & Feed Strategy deployment as a strategic growth lever, including localized testing, portfolio optimization, and coverage model innovation
Define and implement selective distribution strategies in partnership with Global and Regional teams, with clear success metrics and disciplined execution
Identify emerging retail models, distributor opportunities, and capability gaps that inform future growth strategy
Own volume, trade, and profitability forecasts for the Independent Retail channel, ensuring delivery of OMNI BU and enterprise financial commitments
Lead rigorous resource allocation decisions across people, trade investment, and customer prioritization to maximize return on investment
Partner with Finance & Sr. Marketing Director to ensure disciplined financial governance, transparent performance tracking, and proactive risk management
Establish clear KPIs, incentive structures, and operating rhythms that drive accountability and sustained performance
Lead, coach, and develop a geographically dispersed sales organization, including direct leadership of Regional Managers and indirect leadership of District Managers and Account Managers
Build bench strength for future leadership roles through intentional succession planning and capability development
Foster a high-performance culture grounded in accountability, learning, and inclusion, particularly through periods of transformation and change
Serve as a role model for enterprise leadership behaviors, preparing the organization for scale and complexity
Qualification
Required
Bachelor's degree required
10+ years of progressive leadership experience in sales, commercial strategy, or general management within complex, multi-channel businesses
Experience leading leaders and geographically dispersed teams
Demonstrated success owning and influencing P&L outcomes, including trade-offs between growth, margin, and investment
Proven experience leading business or operating model transformation at scale
Track record of influencing senior stakeholders and leading cross-functional initiatives without direct authority
Strong thought leadership, financial acumen, and systems thinking capability
Evidence of enterprise leadership readiness and potential to assume broader Senior level sales leadership
Financial Acumen
Strategic Mindset
Balances Stakeholders
Drives Results
Builds Effective Teams
Drives Vision and Purpose
Practices breakthrough thinking
Strategic and Systems Thinking
Organizational Leadership and Talent Stewardship
Change Leadership
Executive Presence and Influence
Enterprise Strategy and Commercial Design (Expert)
Advanced Financial and Analytical Acumen
Portfolio and Category Leadership
Omni-Channel Go-to-Market Strategy
Sales Force Effectiveness and Performance Management
Preferred
MBA or equivalent advanced degree strongly preferred
Benefits
401(k) plan
Company-sponsored medical, dental, vision, and basic life insurance plans for the employee and the employee’s eligible dependents
Up to 18 weeks of paid parental leave
120 hours of vacation per year
Paid sick time for eligible Associates of 100% pay continuation for a maximum of 40 hours per calendar year
12 paid holidays throughout the calendar year that include both fixed and flexible holidays
Company
Mars
Mars is a manufacturer of pet food, confectionery, and other food products.
10001+ employees
H1B Sponsorship
Mars has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (3)
2024 (1)
2023 (2)
2022 (2)
2021 (1)
2020 (1)
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageTotal Funding
unknown2025-03-04Debt Financing
Leadership Team
Claus Aagaard
CFO
Meghal Sheth
CFO, Mars Wrigley India
Recent News
2026-01-16
2026-01-16
Company data provided by crunchbase