Senior Manager, Commercial Capabilities - Chicago or NY

What makes this a great opportunity?

• Highly influential national leadership role, moving the needle on skillset development across the US Commercial org
• Opportunity to lead and shape a best-in-class sales training department, as well as the future of training and education at Suntory
• Significantly cross-functional role with major exposure to senior leadership across the country
• Potential to advance within Suntory

Role Responsibilities

The Sr. Manager, Commercial Capabilities will be a lead Sales Trainer for US Sales at Suntory, enabling sales capability and skillset development across the country. In partnership with the Director of Commercial Capabilities, they will co-create and present trainings, tools, and experiences to unlock top-notch commercial performance and individual career development. They’ll also be a critical, influential force in driving a best-in-class training and development culture across the US, in service of becoming the World’s Most Admired Spirits Company.

Role Responsibilities:

• Lead and live-deploy key sales training courses on key skillsets needed to be successful at each level of the sales org. Examples on the 2025 slate include customer-facing selling skills, compelling brand storytelling tailored to different customer audiences, distributor management, Sales Finance 101, and Perfect Outlet Execution.
• This role will both present and develop the meat of the content of the courses themselves, in partnership with the Director of Commercial Capabilities.
• Trainings will be a combination of in person and virtual.
• Partner with sales leaders and key cross functional stakeholders and SMEs to build out Commercial Capabilities trainings and tools, ensuring critical input from stakeholders is embedded in trainings and that stakeholder groups are bought-in to results.
• Bring sales experience and acumen to trainings and tools to make sure they’re addressing sales audience needs, while ensuring content is strategically sound, supports a long-term vision, and shows attention to detail
• Collaborate with Director, Commercial Capabilities to build out a long term training academy  roadmap and training pathways by sales role 
• Drive best-practice guidelines on core sales practices and processes (e.g. successful NPD launches, blitzes and blitz prep, GSMs, etc.)
• Work with the Global Commercial Excellence team to build US trainings into the Global Commercial Excellence Academy, ensuring the right trainings are targeted at the right roles and supporting One Suntory Way of Selling.

Qualifications

• Location: Chicago or New York
• 10-14 years’ experience in Sales within the Alc/Bev industry
• Travel 15%

Competencies – Organizational, Role Specific & Leadership

• Entrepreneurial disposition and stellar leadership and influence skills
• Strong commercial breadth of experience and perspective
• Excellent communicator and collaborator
• Dynamic presenter; skilled at public speaking
• Strategic thinker and planner
• Attention to detail while managing toward big-picture priorities

Outcomes/Success Criteria

• Exceptional leadership skills with the ability to inspire and influence across an organization, and energize sales teams around continuous skill development
• Market and Industry Sales Expertise: In-depth knowledge of industry dynamics and nuances; knows market better than competition. Leverages channel knowledge to align brand strategies that drive profitable growth
• Cross-Functional Experience: Skilled at managing multiple senior stakeholders and comfortable navigating a layed organization
• Agility and comfort in “white space” sales training work, building out new trainings and solutions to develop sales skillsets while also having a bias for action to execute new ways of thinking and doing
• Financial Acumen and Business Analytics: Robust understanding of NSV, Size Mix, GP and how they are connected and drive business results. Adept at effectively interpreting and applying key insights from Nielsen, Sales Nav, and/or NABCA; expert at analyzing and drawing patterns in competitor strategies and customer management to influence sales and sales education roadmap
• Highly self-directed and proactively identifies & addresses opportunities
• Foster and embed creativity in organizational ways of thinking and doing
• Integrate inclusion into best practices

Salary Range - The salary range for this role based in Chicago is $145,000 to $160,000 along with an annual bonus, 401K match, profit sharing, and medical and wellness benefits. The salary range is commensurate with the candidate’s location, experience, and skillset.