Company: Johnson Brothers
Location: St. Paul, MN
Job Summary
The Vice President, Sales and Supplier Performance serves as the strategic leader responsible for managing Johnson Brothers’ core supplier relationships, driving supplier business planning and ensuring strong financial and operational performance across the organization. This role is pivotal in aligning supplier strategies with Johnson Brothers’ business objectives, leading a high-performing team and fostering collaboration across our U.S. network to deliver profitable growth and operational excellence.
The preferred location(s) where this role will be based out of are Minnesota, Texas and North Carolina.
Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership & Business Performance
- Serve as the executive lead for supplier partnerships, ensuring business alignment and mutual profitability for Johnson Brothers and its suppliers.
- Develop and execute long-term business plans that support both supplier growth objectives and company financial targets.
- Partner with executive leadership and regional presidents to integrate supplier plans into overall company strategy.
- Oversee and manage supplier scorecards, measuring innovation, on-premise execution and overall performance against KPIs.
- Analyze category, channel and customer data (e.g., Nielsen, IRI, DISCUS) to identify trends, risks and opportunities.
Supplier Relationship Management
- Build and maintain influential relationships with key supplier executives and decision-makers.
- Lead quarterly and annual business reviews with supplier leadership to assess performance and adjust strategies.
- Partner with suppliers on innovation launches, pricing strategies and brand programming to maximize market impact.
- Collaborate on co-investment opportunities, ensuring alignment on spending, budgeting and ROI.
- Serve as the conduit between suppliers and Johnson Brothers’ regional and corporate teams to ensure consistency, compliance and alignment.
Leadership & Team Development
- Lead, mentor and develop a team of supplier managers and analysts focused on performance, collaboration and accountability.
- Foster a culture of high performance, continuous improvement and professional growth.
- Champion cross-functional collaboration between supplier management, sales leadership, marketing and finance teams.
- Drive a “Talent First” mindset by developing future leaders and strengthening team capabilities.
Operational & Financial Oversight
- Oversee supplier planning processes including pricing strategies, trade spending and program execution.
- Manage budgets and profitability, ensuring tactical and grant dollars are optimized for return.
- Monitor inventory levels and forecasting accuracy in partnership with purchasing and logistics.
- Lead the development and execution of market execution plans, ensuring goals are met by geography, channel and customer.
- Oversee reporting, analytics and business reviews to track performance against key metrics.
Change Leadership & Communication
- Represent Johnson Brothers externally at supplier events, industry functions and strategic business meetings.
- Act as a key driver of organizational change by aligning stakeholders around transformational priorities.
- Communicate supplier and category strategies clearly and consistently across Johnson Brothers’ network.
- Promote best practices and innovative approaches that strengthen supplier execution and market performance.
Qualifications & Experience
- Bachelor’s degree required; MBA preferred.
- 10+ years of progressive leadership experience in supplier or brand management, preferably within the beverage alcohol industry.
- Proven success in managing large-scale supplier relationships and driving strategic business outcomes.
- Demonstrated experience leading and developing diverse teams across multiple geographies.
- Strong analytical and financial acumen with the ability to translate insights into strategic action.
- Excellent communication, negotiation and presentation skills with executive presence.
- Expertise in Microsoft Office (Excel and PowerPoint) and syndicated data tools (Nielsen, IRI).
- High sense of urgency, accountability and strategic foresight.
- Availability to travel up to 50% of the time.
