Director Of Retail

## About the role The Director of Retail owns everything retail at Rasa — making the current footprint perform, building the internal systems that don't exist yet, and growing the channel over time. This role starts by building the operational infrastructure that retail needs to scale, and grows into owning retail sales and channel expansion as the footprint matures. Right now, much of the retail work is happening externally through a fractional sales team, but it needs increased internal visibility, documentation, project management, and integration with the team. This hire doesn't duplicate that work; they build the infrastructure around it, manage the external team, fill the gaps between external retail activity and the internal team, and ensure Rasa is ready to act when retail opportunities arise. Currently we have a smaller footprint in retail than online but we want retail to be the major growth driver for Rasa in the coming years. ## Direct Reports - Fractional VP of Sales — external, managed by this role - Retail Strategy Advisor(s) — external, coordinated by this role - Future: Junior Sales Rep, Demo Team (Herb Gang), Data Analyst as channel grows ## Core Accountabilities ### 1. Build the internal retail system The infrastructure that doesn't exist today, regardless of what's happening externally: - Build and maintain the retail operational playbook in Notion — the repeatable system for how Rasa succeeds in retail - Own trade spend modeling and retail P&L tracking - Track velocity by retailer and SKU - Maintain a master category review calendar — submission windows are sacred; missing one means waiting a year - Own what gets submitted to retailers — which SKUs, at what price, with what support. ### 2. Manage the external retail team The fractional sales team currently reports to nobody internally. This person becomes their internal counterpart: - Set priorities and direction for external sales work - Ensure their efforts (selling in, store support, relationship management) is tracked, documented, and visible - Collaborate on the right division of responsibilities as the role evolves — what stays external, what moves internal - Translate strategic retail advice into actionable plans for the team ### 3. Fill the gaps between external and internal When retail needs assets from the Brand Director, inventory confirmation from Supply Chain, or a decision from the CEO, those requests currently bounce around until someone catches them. Ruh-roh. This person catches them, routes them, and follows up: - Manage cross-functional coordination: supply chain, brand, marketing, & logistics - Translate retailer requirements and pipeline activity into internal project plans - Own internal execution of all retailer launches — New Seasons post-launch support, Natural Grocers, future retailers - Create creative briefs for retail-facing materials; the Brand Director designs and produces them - Manage demo strategy, calendar, and contractors; over time, build out Rasa's own contracted demo team (the Herb Gang), with the CEO and Brand Director owning training and brand experience - Ensure retail-specific content and materials are brand-aligned (via Brand Director review gate) ### 4. Be in the room This person needs to be able to represent Rasa to retailers: - Attend buyer meetings and sales presentations — know the margins, the story, and the competitive landscape - Manage retailer relationships for existing accounts — New Seasons, Natural Grocers, Whole Foods Rocky Mountain - Be the face of Rasa in the field — store visits, staff training, checking shelf placement, building relationships at store level - Understand pricing, profitability, and trade spend well enough to make smart decisions in real time with buyers ### 5. Grow the channel (Year 2+) As the operational foundation solidifies and DTC funds retail growth, this role could evolve into retail sales leadership for the right candidate, in partnership with external sales support: - Identify and pursue new retail opportunities — timing submissions strategically around category review windows - Evaluate which retailers to pursue and when, balancing growth ambition with operational readiness - Manage broker relationships as the footprint expands & we need a broker again - Build toward a small retail team over time: junior sales rep, data analyst, trade marketing support ## Who Dis Please apply if you: - Have 2-5 years at a natural channel CPG brand in retail ops, trade marketing, or sales (with operational experience) - Have lived through at least one major retailer launch - Understand planograms, trade spend, fill rates, UNFI, broker dynamics, velocity tracking - Have strong project management and documentation instincts — can build systems while executing within them - Want to grow into a Head of Sales / Director of Sales role — you see this as a launchpad, not a ceiling. - Are comfortable being in the room with buyers and representing the brand, with or without the CEO there, and can hold your own on margins, pricing, & the Rasa story (we'll teach you that last part of course 🙂) - Are Self-starter AF — our Chief Revenue Officer will support and manage you, but not direct day-to-day retail operations - Are detail-oriented on the operational side but also relationally competent enough to nurture sales relationships - Are a cultural fit: direct, scrappy, comfortable in a small team, proactive, kind, high EQ, aligned with Rasa's values, & have a sense of humor - Have developed AI fluency, or are willing to learn ## What we offer - Base salary: $95-120K depending on experience - The role & comp package is designed to grow ## About the company Rasa is an adaptogen-based coffee alternative company and Public Benefit Corporation based in Boulder, CO. We're a small, mighty team making drinks that support your nervous system — with zero marketing manipulation and a deep commitment to doing business with integrity. Learn more at wearerasa.com