National Development & Training Leader

About Strategic Group

Strategic Group is a comprehensive marketing agency specializing in experiential programs and sales support, recognized for over two decades in creating impactful brand connections with retail customers and niche consumers through innovative, insight-driven activations.

Role Overview

The National Development & Training Leader for Trade Advocacy & Field Activation holds a senior field management role tasked with ensuring operational excellence, leadership accountability, and market success across Strategic Group’s Gallo-supported initiatives including Activation to Impact (A2I), Brand Ambassador and Specialist programs, Market Activation Management, Innovation, Wine, and Trade Advocacy efforts. This role acts as a pivotal liaison between executive leadership, field teams, distributors, and Gallo partners to guarantee consistent achievement of KPIs, brand compliance, operational standards, and execution goals.

This position is highly visible and field-focused, demanding approximately 80% travel. The leader functions as a mobile coach and performance catalyst, capable of real-time issue identification, field personnel development, and proactive operational problem-solving to sustain program success. The ideal candidate is organized, tactically proficient, emotionally intelligent, and thrives in fast-moving, dynamic environments that require both strategic oversight and hands-on field leadership.

Responsibilities

• Lead and supervise Regional Directors, Managers, Brand Ambassadors, Specialists, Market Activation Managers, Activators, and Trade Advocacy staff nationwide.
• Conduct frequent market visits with around 80% travel to assess performance, coach teams, perform ride-alongs, and audit executions.
• Measure field activities against KPIs, brand & program standards, operational goals, and engagement objectives.
• Detect and address performance shortfalls, operational inconsistencies, leadership training needs, and regional opportunities promptly.
• Deliver immediate coaching, feedback, and corrective action plans to enhance execution and team accountability.
• Ensure communication flow, structured coaching, and team visibility are maintained by all field leaders.
• Assist field leaders in developing teams through structured coaching, KPI oversight, account strategy, and performance optimization.
• Partner with senior leadership to identify and resolve leadership development and performance issues.
• Oversee onboarding and ongoing training as programs evolve and expand.
• Drive consistent high-quality execution of merchandising, advocacy, education, visibility, experiential activations, and marketing tactics nationwide.
• Optimize field processes, communication, reporting, dashboards, and tools to boost operational efficiency and consistency.
• Evaluate and recommend improvements for program performance, accountability, communication, resource use, and structure.
• Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to align strategy and field operations.
• Monitor launch readiness, market momentum, KPI progress, staffing, and escalation management.
• Represent Strategic Group with professionalism among Gallo, distributors, accounts, and agency leadership.
• Provide timely status updates regarding market performance, risks, leadership, staffing, and opportunities.
• Participate in meetings, planning sessions, and reviews to report on program and field execution outcomes.
• Maintain compliance and accountability expectations, ensuring stakeholders’ confidence in program operations.
• Support executive-level reporting, performance reviews, and strategic planning efforts.
• Track national and regional KPIs, analyze market data, competitive activities, and feedback to pinpoint trends and improvement areas.
• Oversee reporting accuracy, dashboard usage, communication consistency, and operational follow-up.
• Work with field teams to implement corrective plans where necessary.
• Help evolve training, onboarding, communication, leadership, and operational best practices as programs grow.

Core Competencies

• Strategic leadership to convert brand vision into actionable field performance management.
• Expertise in field coaching, motivation, and leader/team development in dynamic settings.
• Operational excellence in experiential marketing, trade advocacy, KPI handling, staffing oversight, and accountability.
• Strong executive presence capable of professional communication with senior leaders and partners.
• Adaptable problem-solving skills for quick operational gap resolution in fast-evolving environments.
• Data-driven decision-making leveraging reports, KPIs, and market insights.
• Thorough knowledge of alcohol beverage laws and compliance.

Qualifications

• Extensive leadership background in alcohol beverage, experiential marketing, hospitality, sales, or trade advocacy fields.
• Proven success managing multiple market field teams and implementing accountability frameworks.
• Advanced organizational skills for managing numerous priorities effectively.
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal ability to influence various organizational levels.
• Bachelor’s degree mandatory; fields such as Business Administration, Marketing, PR, Communications preferred.
• Minimum age of 21 and ability to obtain required liquor licenses.
• Valid driver’s license with a clean driving record.
• Willingness and capacity to travel nationally about 80% of the time.

Additional Requirements and Expectations

• Leadership experience spanning 5 to 7+ years in relevant sectors and 7 to 10+ years managing geographically dispersed teams.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office suite (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook), Canva, and Adobe Creative Suite.
• Understanding of the three-tier alcohol distribution system, distributor-supplier relations, on-premise hospitality execution, trade advocacy, KPI tracking, and field reporting.

Reporting Structure

Reports directly to the Vice President of Strategic Group. Collaborates closely with Regional Directors, Program Managers, Brand Ambassadors/Specialists, Activation Managers, Specialists, SG leadership, Gallo teams, and distributor partners.

Travel Commitments

This role involves high travel demand, estimated at 80% across national markets, emphasizing a strong field presence to support leadership, accountability, coaching, and performance oversight. This is not a typical desk-based management position but a dynamic, mobile leadership role.