Business Development Manager UDF Brands

POSITION OVERVIEW: 

The Business Development Manager (BDM) is responsible for customer and revenue generation with a primary focus on UDF food manufacturing, wholesale and other UDF businesses.  Incumbent will collaborate across business units and functions to deliver key business goals with a focus on Co-manufacturing (Food Manufacturing – Bakery & Ice Cream), Wholesale and could include third-party business lines (Cold Chain Integrity, Queen City Ice). This position is accountable for customer acquisition, sales, market share, and brand equity by actively contributing to new and existing customers’ category strategies and growth.

This is a full-time position, working onsite out of our Corporate office in Norwood, OH.

·         Partner with key business unit leaders to outline and develop business development strategies and plans including pro-formas, target markets (geographic, product) and go-to-market plans.

·         Develop and execute account growth strategies for key customers and strategic partners

·         Manage pipeline development, forecasting, and conversion of new business wins while achieving revenue, margin, and volume targets aligned with annual business plans

·         Expand presence with regional and national distributors, co-pack partners, large retail/foodservice customers and other customers for UDF business units.

·         Partner and collaborate with the Company Marketing team to develop marketing and brand programs that outline UDF capabilities and help drive business development.

·         Design and conduct market analysis to identify trends, competitive activity, and whitespace opportunities across the various UDF brands.  Leverage an “Insights to Action” approach with business leaders to inform product/service development

·         Build and maintain strong relationships with key decision-makers and buyers across relevant segments.

·         Account Strategy & Growth: Serve as the lead point of contact for strategic wholesale accounts, developing joint business plans that hit volume and profitability targets

·         Data-Driven Merchandising: Analyze shopper and loyalty data to optimize shelf placement, planograms, and feature ads and off-shelf displays

·         Trade Spend & Promotions: Forecast sales volumes, execute promotional planning, and manage trade investments to ensure a high Return on Investment (ROI)

·         Collaborate and partner with internal teams on product innovation including food, baked goods, beverage, ice cream and cold storage services.

·         Partner with Accounting to create effective frameworks and pro-formas to assess customer viability focusing on pricing strategies, cost modeling, margin optimization and overall profitability of client engagements

·         Represent UDF with external organizations to build relationships to successfully drive any affiliation or partnership opportunities with other businesses.

·         Perform administrative tasks which may include processing invoices for payment, maintaining and monitoring digital business development, competitive intelligence, consumer surveys and special projects.

·         Develops and implements KPIs and objectives, such as sales lift, traffic lift, loyalty registrations, category lift, to assess the effectiveness of business development efforts.

·         Lead contract negotiations, pricing discussions, and long-term agreements

·         Develop proposals, presentations, and business cases for new opportunities

·         Support go-to-market execution including product launches and channel expansion

·         Partners with internal groups to ensure accuracy in demand forecasting and communication to operations teams

·         Responsible for retention of existing business by developing retention strategies and processes.

·         Monitor service levels, product performance, and customer satisfaction

·         Resolve issues related to delivery, quality, or service in collaboration with internal teams

·         Highly proficient in MS Office with a focus on MS Word, Excel, Power Point,

·         Competency in MS Business Intelligence (BI)

·         Retailer Systems: Proficiency with retailer-specific systems and data platforms (e.g., 1WorldSync, Kroger 84.51 & V.I.P., Walmart Retail Link & Scintilla Charter, Meijer Vendor Net

·         Familiarity with Trade Promotion Management (TPM) tools, category management principles, and digital e-commerce/omnichannel strategies