Director, Regional Operations

Director, Regional Operations

The Director, Regional Operations leads Jacent’s field operation in an assigned region through a team of remote Territory and Area Managers/Supervisors (together, “field leaders”) and the merchandisers they lead. The Director owns the region’s sales, profit, service, and safety results. They build strong relationships with retail partners and clients and put in place repeatable standard work that keeps every store executing to plan.

The ideal candidate is a proven leader of leaders who develops people, uses data to find and fix problems, and operates with minimal guidance.

Key Measures of Success

• Regional sales, profit, and expenses vs. plan

• Audit and program compliance scores.

• Service levels and credits.

• Open routes and time to fill.

• Field leader and merchandiser turnover; bench strength for key roles

• Safety: workers’ compensation claims and incident rate

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

Field Leadership & Standard Work

• Lead through field leaders to put repeatable, sustainable standard work in place across every role in the region, providing guidance and problem-solving direction to field leaders and merchandisers.

• Lead weekly and monthly business reviews with field leaders covering company, department, and program initiatives; strategic priorities; compliance; open routes and requisitions; and overall performance. Identify root causes and drive corrective action to close gaps.

• Hold field leaders accountable for performance, expenses, sales, credits, and turnover in their areas.

• Manage labor scheduling and route coverage to maximize productivity and service levels.

• Oversee execution of retailer resets, new-store sets, third-party projects and mPlans for every territory in the region.

Financial & Performance Management

• Own financial results for the region: review planned and forecasted P&Ls and manage budget and expenses to drive results toward plan.

• Build, read and adapt KPIs and strategies as business needs change; use company systems and reporting to identify financial and operational priorities and deliver actionable insights.

• Establish and maintain an objective, ongoing audit program for the region, and review results with field leaders.

• Present successes, opportunities and project status to the VP, President, Customer Development and Executive Team.

Retailer & Client Relationships

• Maintain positive, professional, value-oriented relationships with retail management at the store, district, and division levels.

• Be the expert on every chain and division in the region, including authorized programs, credit policies, buyer information, and headquarters contacts.

• Partner with Customer Development and clients on program performance, issue resolution, and new initiatives.

• Lead company and client initiatives, including adoption of field technology and reporting tools, through to sustained execution across the field.

People Development & Talent

• Develop people through training, performance reviews, in-store assessments, individual development plans, and succession planning.

• Source internal and external talent and onboard new associates as part of a long-term talent strategy for the region.

• Monitor completion of all required training programs.

• Hold quarterly roundtables with field leaders and merchandisers to review priorities, gather feedback, and recognize strong performance.

• Partner with Human Resources and the VP on corrective action, performance management, and terminations.

Safety & Compliance

• Model and enforce safe work practices to protect associates and reduce workers’ compensation claims.

• Ensure the region complies with company policies and procedures and with retailer vendor requirements.

• Complete special projects and other duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Strong leadership skills: coaching, delegation, priority setting, and sound decision-making.

• Proven team builder who mentors and develops leaders and builds bench strength across a region.

• Strong business acumen and financial analysis skills, with a record of achieving results.

• Ability to diagnose and resolve store- and market-level execution problems, including issues that span retail partners, clients, and internal teams.

• Ability to influence retail management, clients, and senior leadership without direct authority, and to partner cross-functionally with internal teams to remove obstacles and align competing priorities across multiple programs at once.

• Excellent written and verbal communication, including preparing and delivering presentations to senior leadership.

• Well organized and detail oriented; thrives in a fast-paced environment and works independently.

Experience & Credentials

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration or a related field, or equivalent work experience; Master’s degree a plus.

• 8+ years of retail, merchandising, or multi-unit operations experience, including 3+ years leading leaders (Territory/Area Managers or equivalent multi-unit managers), with a track record of reviewing P&Ls, budgeting, and driving results to plan.

• Experience leading remote teams spread across multiple markets or states.

• Knowledge of the consumer-packaged goods (CPG) industry and retail store operations.

• Advanced Excel skills and proficiency in Microsoft 365 (Outlook, Word, PowerPoint).

• Valid driver’s license, acceptable driving record, and reliable transportation.

Preferred

• Experience in third-party retail merchandising services, DSD, or a similar field service business.

• Experience with retailer data portals (e.g., Walmart Retail Link/Luminate, Kroger 84.51°) and BI or dashboard tools (e.g., Power BI).

• Continuous improvement experience, applying methods such as Lean or Kaizen to improve execution.

Physical & Work Environment Requirements

• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.

• Ability to walk and stand for extended periods while conducting in-store visits and audits, and to lift and move up to 50 pounds as needed.

• Ability to travel up to approximately 50% within the assigned region, including overnight travel for market visits, team meetings, and training sessions.

• Must be able to communicate effectively in person, over the phone, and via digital platforms.