Customer Business Manager

Lactalis; United States; Remote; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Remote work

Total Rewards Program

Education Reimbursement

Job summary

Lactalis US Yogurt is hiring a fully remote Customer Business Manager with a preference for central US candidates to support balanced geographic coverage across accounts.

You will lead the development and execution of customer-specific strategies to maximize growth, align with corporate priorities, and drive top-line and bottom-line targets across key accounts and broker networks.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, or related field.
• 5+ years of sales and sales management experience in the CPG/food industry.
• Experience in direct sales as well as broker and distributor network management.
• Direct sales experience with key accounts (UNFI Conventional, Cub Foods, Redners, Skogen’s, AdMax, among others).
• Background in Category Management, Omnichannel Marketing, or syndicated data usage (Circana/IRI).
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word, and PowerPoint).
• Strong analytical, negotiation, and personal selling skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with a proven ability to collaborate effectively within a management team.
• Ability to flex schedule as needed to accommodate travel and customer business demands.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain strategic relationships to manage and grow assigned retail, wholesale, and indirect accounts.
• Take personal accountability for achieving targeted sales budgets, top-line revenue, and bottom-line profitability.
• Identify customer needs and align with Lactalis US Yogurt products and services.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Sales Planning, RGM, and cross-departmental teams for end-to-end sales planning and launches.
• Partner with RGM to optimize trade spending and ROI on promotions.
• Establish performance goals, oversee execution, and track performance.
• Analyze syndicated market data and customer portal metrics to identify insights and trends.
• Monitor and report sales performance and escalate needs.
• Lead cross-functional discussions between customer supply chain and internal operations.
• Manage regional trade shows to maximize sales opportunities.

Skills

Analytical skills

Negotiation

Sales skills

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, or related field

Tools

Microsoft Office Suite

Circana/IRI

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.

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 US Yogurt, 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 the central U.S. to support balanced geographic coverage across our customer accounts.

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 UNFI Conventional, Cub Foods, Redners, Skogen’s, AdMax and other 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

Key responsibilities for this position include:

• Develop and maintain strategic relationships to manage and grow assigned retail, wholesale, and indirect accounts, including UNFI Conventional, Cub Foods, Redners, Skogen’s, AdMax, and other designated wholesale and indirect customers.
• 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, CRISP) 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 accounts (UNFI Conventional, Cub Foods, Redners, Skogen’s, AdMax, among others) 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.

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 affirmative Action Employer will comply with all related legal obligations.