Customer Business Manager

Lactalis USA; Buffalo (NY); On-site; USD 100,000 - 115,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Total Rewards Program

Education Reimbursement

Paid Time Off

Career growth

Job summary

Lactalis USA is seeking a Customer Business Manager to lead development and execution of customer-specific strategies, maximizing growth and aligning with corporate priorities. You will manage direct accounts and broker networks while collaborating across internal teams to optimize sales planning and promotions.

In this fully remote role with a preference for candidates in California, you will leverage Circana/IRI data and cross-functional partnerships to drive share and profitability across

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, or a related field preferred.
• 5+ years of sales and sales management experience within the CPG/food industry.
• Experience in direct sales as well as broker and distributor network management preferred.
• Direct sales experience with key regional accounts strongly preferred.
• Background in Category Management, Omnichannel Marketing, or syndicated data usage preferred.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain strategic relationships to manage and grow assigned retail, wholesale, and indirect accounts, including Stater Bros., Smart & Final, Save Mart, Associated Food Stores, and URM.
• Take personal accountability for achieving targeted sales budgets, top-line revenue, and bottom-line profitability through competitive market awareness and deep customer understanding.
• Identify customer needs and align them with Lactalis US Yogurt product and service strategies to build mutually beneficial business plans.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Sales Planning, RGM, and cross-departmental teams to lead end-to-end sales planning, promotional execution, assortment optimization, and new item launches.
• Partner closely with Revenue Growth Management (RGM) to optimize trade spending efficiency, maintain active ownership of trade management systems, and evaluate ROI on promotional investments.
• Establish performance goals, oversee execution, track performance, and develop tools to hold assigned HQ broker teams accountable to corporate sales targets.
• Analyze syndicated market data (Circana/IRI) and customer portal metrics to identify consumer insights, evaluate trends, and apply category management principles that drive distribution and share-of-shelf gains.
• Monitor, evaluate, and report continuous sales performance against targets, proactively requesting organizational support as needed.
• Lead cross-functional discussions between customer supply chain teams and internal operations to optimize forecasting, order fulfillment, and service levels.
• Manage and participate in regional trade shows to maximize sales opportunities, strengthen industry presence, and ensure optimal return on event investments.

Skills

Strategic account management

Negotiation

Data analysis

Cross-functional collaboration

MS Office

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business/Marketing

Tools

Circana/IRI data

Job description

Job Type

Full-time

Description

Ready for more than just a job? Build a career with purpose.

At Lactalis in the USA, we're committed to providing meaningful opportunities for our people to learn, grow, and thrive-whether you're just starting your journey with us or looking to take the next step in your career. From day one, we offer the tools and support to help you succeed.

As the world leader in dairy, Lactalis is a family-owned company with over 85,000 pragmatic and ambitious professionals across the globe. Each day, we're proud to produce award-winning dairy products that bring people together.

In the US, we proudly offer an unrivaled house of beloved brands, including Galbani Italian cheeses and ricotta, President specialty cheeses and butters, Kraft natural and grated cheeses, Breakstone's cottage cheese, Cracker Barrel, Black Diamond cheddar, and Parmalat milk. Our yogurt portfolio includes siggi's, Stonyfield Organic, Brown Cow, Oui, Yoplait, Go-Gurt, :ratio, Green Mountain Creamery, and Mountain High, along with a growing family of ethnic favorites like Karoun, Gopi, and Arz.

At Lactalis, we live by our core values-Ambition, Engagement, and Simplicity. We foster a workplace where innovation thrives, diverse perspectives are celebrated, and everyone's unique background and ideas are valued.

Even if you don't meet every qualification, we encourage you to apply. We want to hear about your PASSION, your STORY, and how your EXPERTISE can help us shape the future of dairy.

From your PASSION to ours

Lactalis USA, part of the Lactalis family of companies, is currently hiring a Customer Business Manager. This is a fully remote position, with a preference for candidates located in California.

The Customer Business Manager leads the development and execution of customer-specific strategies to maximize growth, align with corporate priorities, and deliver top-line and bottom-line targets. Account management responsibilities include Stater Bros., Smart & Final, Save Mart, Associated Food Stores, URM, and designated wholesale and indirect customers. This role drives Lactalis US Yogurt's commercial strategy through strong, collaborative relationships across direct accounts and broker networks.

From your EXPERTISE to ours

• Develop and maintain strategic relationships to manage and grow assigned retail, wholesale, and indirect accounts, including Stater Bros., Smart & Final, Save Mart, Associated Food Stores, and URM.
• Take personal accountability for achieving targeted sales budgets, top-line revenue, and bottom-line profitability through competitive market awareness and deep customer understanding.
• Identify customer needs and align them with Lactalis US Yogurt product and service strategies to build mutually beneficial business plans.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Sales Planning, RGM, and cross-departmental teams to lead end-to-end sales planning, promotional execution, assortment optimization, and new item launches.
• Partner closely with Revenue Growth Management (RGM) to optimize trade spending efficiency, maintain active ownership of trade management systems, and evaluate ROI on promotional investments.
• Establish performance goals, oversee execution, track performance, and develop tools to hold assigned HQ broker teams accountable to corporate sales targets.
• Analyze syndicated market data (Circana/IRI) and customer portal metrics to identify consumer insights, evaluate trends, and apply category management principles that drive distribution and share-of-shelf gains.
• Monitor, evaluate, and report continuous sales performance against targets, proactively requesting organizational support as needed.
• Lead cross-functional discussions between customer supply chain teams and internal operations to optimize forecasting, order fulfillment, and service levels.
• Manage and participate in regional trade shows to maximize sales opportunities, strengthen industry presence, and ensure optimal return on event investments.

Requirements

From your STORY to ours

Qualified applicants will contribute the following:

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, or a related field preferred.
• 5+ years of sales and sales management experience within the CPG/food industry.
• Experience in direct sales as well as broker and distributor network management preferred.
• Direct sales experience with key regional accounts (Stater Bros., Smart & Final, Save Mart, Associated Food Stores, and URM) strongly preferred.
• Background in Category Management, Omnichannel Marketing, or syndicated data usage (Circana/IRI) preferred.
• Experience working within a fast-paced or entrepreneurial company environment considered an asset.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word, and PowerPoint) required.
• Strong analytical, negotiation, and personal selling skills required.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with a proven ability to collaborate effectively within a management team.
• Demonstrated ability to prioritize tasks, meet tight deadlines, and adapt in a changing work environment.
• High degree of self-initiative with potential for ongoing career progression and leadership growth.
• Ability to flex schedule as needed to accommodate travel and customer business demands.

Benefits

• At Lactalis, we offer a comprehensive Total Rewards Program with a variety of affordable benefits and coverage options.
• We support insurance costs significantly, contribute generously to retirement plans, and offer Paid Time Off from day one.
• We are committed to your professional growth, providing training and development opportunities, including Education Reimbursement.
• Join us and grow your career.

Lactalis is an equal employment opportunity employer. We will not discriminate against applicants with regard to any legally-recognized basis including, but not limited to: veteran status, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, sexual orientation, and physical or mental disabilities. Further, any division of the Company that is an Aff…

Salary Description

$100k - $115k annually + bonus