Current jobs related to Director, Channel Strategy - Chicago, Illinois - Farmer's Fridge Careers

Farmer's Fridge makes fruits and vegetables accessible and approachable for everyone. We offer a variety of fresh, healthy, ready-to-eat meals and snacks through our fresh food vending machines, wholesale partners, and our office pantry solution — providing chef-curated meals to customers within seconds. Today, we operate a network of Fridges and partner with clients nationwide in high-foot-traffic areas, such as airports, hospitals, universities, and large office buildings — where there is limited accessibility to fresh, healthy, grab-n-go options.

We care deeply about what we're creating and aspire to make sure our customers feel that through every touchpoint. This shows up in many ways across the business. We are committed to prioritizing food safety, we are passionate about product quality, we value our employees, we champion the best idea no matter where it comes from, and we're committed to making an overall positive impact as we scale.

About this Role: We're looking for a Director of Channel Strategy to own the medium- and long-term performance of the Fridge channel — setting where we play, how the portfolio evolves, and what "good" looks like economically over time. You'll be accountable for the channel P&L, fridge lifecycle strategy, and product/category strategy within the Fridge and Retail channels.

You'll define the economic model and roadmap for the channel and partner closely with the Director of Channel Operations, who owns day-to-day execution, forecasting, and variance management. Your job is to set the guardrails, targets, and plays; their job is to make the numbers show up in the weekly plan.

This is a highly cross-functional role at the intersection of Finance, Demand Planning, Channel Operations, Sales, Marketing, Category/Menu, and Product. You'll combine data, experimentation, and commercial judgment to grow profitable revenue across 1,800+ fridges while improving the customer experience.

What You'll Do…

• Own the Fridge Channel P&L & Long-Term Economics
  

• Own the Fridge channel P&L and long-term economic model, including AWS, contribution margin, payback, and channel-level ROI across verticals and programs.

• Set multi-year financial targets and strategic priorities for the Fridge channel (growth by vertical, fridge count and tier mix, program penetration, margin expansion).
• Build and maintain channel-level scorecards and scenarios that connect network growth, fridge performance tiers, and assortment decisions back to P&L outcomes.
• Evaluate tradeoffs across initiatives (e.g., new programs, pricing moves, assortment changes, service level upgrades) using consistent, data-driven frameworks and business cases.
• Set Fridge Lifecycle Strategy
  

• Define the end-to-end lifecycle strategy for Fridges: launch, ramp, maturity, optimization, and removal — including the economic thresholds and guardrails for each stage.

• Identify patterns of high-performing lifecycle trajectories and codify them into portfolio strategies (e.g., how quickly to ramp inventory, when to invest vs. pull back, when to relocate/remove).
• Partner with Channel Operations to translate lifecycle strategy into playbooks and policies (e.g., ramp rules, performance tiers, relocation rules) and ensure those show up in fridge-level execution.
• Sponsor and guide the revenue growth / analytics work that quantifies fridge LTR, customer cohorts, and lifecycle economics; ensure insights turn into concrete prioritization and action, not just slides.
• Lead Category & Assortment Strategy for the Fridge Channel
  

• Own category and assortment strategy for the Fridge channel: clarify the role of each category (trial, frequency, margin, premium, value) and how it should show up by vertical, tier, and program.

• Partner with Menu / Merchandising and Category teams to set channel-specific assortment guardrails, price-pack architecture, and promotional strategy that ladder up to P&L goals.
• Use data to understand how menu tactics shift purchasing patterns, drive trial, cannibalize existing favorites, and impact repeat behavior — then embed those learnings in standard playbooks.
• Work closely with NPD to define success criteria and launch strategies for new SKUs and platforms in the Fridge channel (test design, ramp expectations, kill/scale thresholds).
• Drive Test-and-Learn & Portfolio Optimization
  

• Lead the experimentation roadmap for the Fridge channel across pricing, assortment, program constructs, and lifecycle tactics; ensure tests are designed with clear hypotheses, guardrails, and P&L metrics.

• Translate experiment results into scaled strategies and playbooks, in partnership with Channel Operations and Revenue Tech, with clear rules for when and where to apply them.
• Build and oversee tools that create rapid feedback loops on channel health (e.g., AWS by cohort, margin by vertical, lifecycle transitions, impact of assortment changes).
• Continuously scan external benchmarks and industry trends (foodservice, retail, vending, QSR, last-mile) to inform our channel strategy and where we can differentiate.
• Lead Channel Planning & Cross-Functional Alignment
  

• Own the strategic inputs into the annual and long-range plan for the Fridge channel: TAM, saturation assumptions, vertical mix, fridge lifecycle progression, and category strategies.

• Partner with Finance to align on targets and investment cases; with Sales to ensure placement strategy and vertical focus reflect channel economics; and with Marketing to match demand-gen plans to channel priorities.
• Work hand-in-hand with the Director of Channel Operations to ensure strategic plans are operationally feasible and that weekly S&OP and channel ops reviews are working against the right long-term objectives (you set the "what/why," they run the "how/when").
  
  Director, Channel Operations
• Build and Lead the Channel Strategy Team
  

• Lead a small but high-impact team (e.g., revenue growth analysts, channel/category strategy ICs) that sits at the intersection of analytics and commercial decision-making.

• Set clear KPIs, operating rhythms, and expectations for how the team partners with Channel Operations, Analytics, and cross-functional stakeholders.
• Build a culture that is analytical, commercially minded, and grounded in the realities of operations — big-picture strategy backed by on-the-ground empathy.
• Translate business needs into system design:
• Collaborate across teams to turn operational requirements into structured workflows, clean data models, and reliable tooling.
• Drive data governance and hygiene:
• Ensure accuracy across Accounts, Property/Unit/Legal Entity structures, Contacts, Leads, Opportunities, and forecasting inputs so reporting and decisions are grounded in clean data.
• Enable and empower teams:
• Onboard new systems, train users, maintain documentation, and ensure the revenue organization understands — and gets value from — the tools you build.
• Support reporting infrastructure needs:
• Partner cross-functionally to ensure that our systems capture clean, structured, and reliable data — enabling accurate dashboards, forecasting inputs, and revenue-critical reporting.

Who You Are…

• 8–12+ years of progressive experience in channel management, general management, category management, revenue growth, strategy, or P&L ownership roles in a multi-location, product-based business (CPG, retail, foodservice, or similar).
• Proven track record owning or heavily influencing a P&L and making tradeoff decisions across pricing, assortment, programs, and operations to drive revenue and margin.
• Strong analytical toolkit: comfortable working in Excel/Sheets and BI tools; able to partner effectively with Analytics/Rev Tech on SQL- and model-driven work, and to translate complex findings into straightforward decisions.
• Experience designing and scaling test-and-learn programs (pricing, promotions, assortment, or lifecycle tactics) and turning experiments into durable playbooks.
• Demonstrated ability to work cross-functionally with Operations, Supply Chain, Sales, Marketing, Product, and Finance — influencing without direct authority and driving alignment on tough tradeoffs.
• Comfort operating in high-change, high-growth environments where you're expected to build structure, clarify priorities, and focus the organization on the few things that move the P&L.

Nice to Have…

• Experience with networked retail, vending, QSR, or last-mile / micro-fulfillment models.
• Prior work in revenue growth management, category management, or GM-style roles in CPG/retail or food-tech.
• Exposure to forecasting, demand planning, or customer LTV / LTR modeling (you don't need to write the code, but you can frame the questions and use the outputs).

The base salary range for this role is $165,000 – $180,000. The base pay offered will be determined by factors such as experience, skills, training, certifications, education, and any applicable minimum wage requirements.

In addition to base salary, this position is eligible for company performance-based bonuses and equity.

We provide a comprehensive benefits package, including:

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance (multiple plans available)
• 401(k) with immediate employer match vesting
• Paid time off (including vacation, sick leave, and holidays)
• Paid sabbatical after 5 years of service
• Employee discounts
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Benefits at Farmer's Fridge:

In This Together - We stay connected, whether in person or virtually. We encourage business transparency through monthly town hall meetings and weekly financial updates. We set out to make the best product on the market, and we believe we've done it. We value your input in the new menu creation process. From regular tasting panels, where employees provide new menu feedback.

Happier Workdays - Each day at work should fill you with joy. We're a fun and passionate group, and we don't take ourselves too seriously. Bring your unique self to work, dress comfortably, and always feel free to share your thoughts and opinions. We encourage curiosity; there's no hierarchy here when we're all swapping ideas.

Never run on empty - Daily Farmer's Fridge meal and office snacks are just some of the offerings to make sure you aren't distracted by a growling stomach. Recharge with our paid sabbatical program after five years of service.

Innovate & Elevate - We're all teachers and learners. You'll grow and help grow the company through cross-functional collaboration, open access to leadership, and regular business updates. You have a direct impact on the company's bottom line. You can also impact your bottom line by participating in our 401(k) plan that includes a company match with immediate vesting.

Farmer's Fridge Diversity Statement:

"Don't meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At Farmer's Fridge, we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace, so if you're excited about this role but your past experience doesn't align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyways. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles."

Farmer's Fridge is an equal-opportunity employer. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunity in all employment practices, including hiring, without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. View our disclosures related to External Agencies and Applicants below:

gzCPXmAK5r