Chief Customer Officer

Company Background

TRUFF is a premium, challenger brand setting a new standard in the condiment category. TRUFF was founded on social media where the co-founders built the popular food and lifestyle Instagram account @sauce. In 2017, TRUFF co-founders launched their first viral product, TRUFF Original Hot Sauce, which catapulted to success when Oprah selected it as one of her “Favorite Things.” After six years on Oprah’s “Favorite Things” list and several groundbreaking new Hot Saucåe flavors, TRUFF has become one of the fastest-growing and zeitgeisty brands in the condiments, expanding beyond hot sauce with innovation in pasta sauce, mayo, oil, and seasonings. TRUFF’s uniquely premium taste and aroma amplify the experience of everyday dishes; and simply put, TRUFF makes the ordinary extraordinary.

As we embark on an exciting new chapter of scale and innovation, we’re seeking visionary executive leaders who are ready to build, lead, and transform the brand and make it a CPG powerhouse and household name.

This is a rare opportunity to step in at a pivotal inflection point—to shape strategy, drive accelerated growth, and have a lasting impact on the category, the company, and the team. Join us in writing the next chapter of TRUFF’s journey and help elevate this emerging brand into an American icon.

Position Summary

WANTED: Chief Customer Officer to Define the Future of TRUFF in Mass Retail. YOU are a proven, visionary CPG sales leader with an intimate understanding of the retail landscape and can turn customer insights into concrete commercial wins. TRUFF is poised to make a lasting impact, and we need a strategic architect who can shape our customer and retail strategy, inspire a high-performing sales team, drive agility across our growing organization, and leverage deep customer relationships to close transformative deals.

Reporting to the CEO, you’ll lead and transform our sales strategy and team and be part of the executive leadership to cultivate our commercial acumen and culture. This role is perfect for a proven CPG leader with big company playbooks coupled with experience scaling smaller/challenger brands who is driven by audacious goals and rewards. Passion for winning required. Not for the faint of heart.

Key Relationships:

Reports to: CEO 

Member of: Executive Leadership Team

Key Responsibilities Strategic Leadership & Customer Growth

• Sales Strategy & Vision: Define and articulate a bold, multi-year sales strategy to achieve significant distribution and revenue growth across Total Distribution Channels:  Omni MULO (Grocery, Mass, Drug, Convenience, Club, Non-Traditional) + Naturals / Specialty + Non-Traditional (referred to al Reatila ma . This includes identifying key B2B/Foodservice opportunities, partnerships, and market avenues for aggressive expansion.
• Executive Leadership: Be part of the Executive Leadership team to define and execute holistic commercial plans to support Brand and Company vision. Help define and cultivate the company’s winning culture.
• Flawless Execution: Lead the strategy and execution for securing new distribution and expanding existing presence across retailers. Possess a deep understanding of each channel's unique dynamics, buyer priorities, and promotional strategies to develop winning customer/OMNI plans. Exhibit expert command of the 5 Ps, Revenue Growth Management, and Category Management (Catman).
• Key Account Management & Relationship Building: Cultivate and nurture strong, strategic relationships with senior buyers and decision-makers at target retailers and key distributors. Lead critical customer negotiations and joint business planning to drive mutual growth.
• Broker and Distributor Management: Optimize the performance of broker and distributor networks, ensuring alignment with sales strategies, effective execution of programs, and accountability for results.
• Sales Operations & Effectiveness: Implement best-in-class sales processes, tools, and technologies (including CRM) to enhance sales force effectiveness, improve forecasting accuracy, and provide clear visibility into sales performance.
• Trade Promotion Strategy & Management: Develop and manage effective trade promotion strategies and budgets to drive sales velocity while ensuring profitability and ROI.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work seamlessly with Marketing, Operations, Finance, and Product Development teams to ensure alignment on go-to-market strategies, product innovation, supply chain capabilities, and financial planning to support sales objectives.

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, or a related field; MBA preferred.
• Minimum of 15+ years of progressive sales leadership experience within the Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) industry, with a significant focus on the Food sector.
• Proven track record of driving substantial sales growth and successfully scaling distribution across diverse MULO channels (Grocery, Mass, Drug, Convenience, Club, Dollar, E-commerce).
• Deep expertise with key data tools: Nielsen, IRI, SPINS, Numerator, etc., and the ability to translate data into action and compelling category stories.
• Deep expertise in navigating the complexities of retail sales, including experience with key account management, trade promotion, and joint business planning.
• Demonstrated ability to build, lead, and develop high-performing sales teams.
• Strong strategic thinking, analytical, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to translate data and insights into actionable sales strategies.
• Exceptional negotiation, communication, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence and build rapport at all levels, internally and externally.
• Experience working in a high-growth, entrepreneurial, or challenger brand environment is highly desirable.
• Strong financial acumen and understanding of sales profitability drivers.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic, and results-oriented culture. Able to thrive with limited resources and ambiguity while building for scale.
• Willingness to travel extensively as needed.
• PLUS: PE or High-Growth Environment: Background in private equity-backed or fast-scaling CPG environments.

Desired Personal & Leadership Characteristics

• Strategic-Tactical Agility: Able to zoom out and set long-term vision while executing near-term priorities. Balances high-level commercial strategy with hands-on involvement where needed.
• Entrepreneurial Mindset: Comfortable operating in a lean, high-growth environment with minimal bureaucracy. Excited by white space and building from scratch.
• Team Builder & People Developer: Known for building strong, performance-oriented teams. Invests in developing talent and empowering others to make decisions.
• Cross-Functional Collaborator: Thrives in environments where people step outside their lanes. Partners effectively with operations, finance, and customer care to achieve shared goals.
• Customer-Centric Operator: Deep commitment to service excellence, mirroring the company’s legacy of hands-on customer care. Builds trust with both internal and external stakeholders.
• Core Values: Embodies and reinforces TRUFF’s core values of curiosity, autonomy, collaboration, and a “get-it-done” mentality.

• Medical insurance
• Dental insurance
• Vision insurance
• Life Insurance
• 401(k) retirement plan with 3% company match
• Wellness stipend
• Paid time off
• Sick time
• Paid holidays
• Internet & cell phone reimbursement
• Company-provided computer

Note on Pay Transparency:

TRUFF provides an estimate of the compensation for roles that may be hired as required by state regulations. Compensation may vary based on (a) location, as TRUFF factors in specific location when benchmarking compensation for most roles; (b) individual candidate skills and qualifications; and (c) individual candidate experience. Additionally, TRUFF leverages current market data to determine compensation, so posted compensation figures are subject to change as new market data becomes available. The salary, other compensation, and benefits information is accurate as of the date of this posting. TRUFF reserves the right to modify this information at any time, subject to applicable law. TRUFF is committed to equal treatment and opportunity in all aspects of recruitment, selection, and employment without regard to gender, race, religion, national origin, ethnicity, disability, gender identity/expression, sexual orientation, veteran or military status, or any other category protected under the law. TRUFF is an equal opportunity employer, committed to a community of inclusion, and an environment free from discrimination, harassment, and retaliation.