Customer Development Manager

The Marzetti Company; Columbus (OH); On-site; USD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

The Marzetti Company in Columbus, OH, is seeking a Customer Development Manager - Kroger who will drive profitable growth through Kroger sales, broker management, business analytics, and digital execution. You will partner with Kroger teams, analyze performance, develop KPI reporting, manage TPM systems, and coordinate across Sales, Marketing, Finance, and Supply Chain to turn insights into action.

You will leverage deep customer insights to identify opportunities, build strong relationships

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Sales, or related field.
• 3+ years experience in CPG, sales, customer development, category management, retail, or a related area.
• Strong analytical, communication and presentation skills.
• Ability to travel as needed.

Responsibilities

• Identify sales and distribution opportunities across Kroger divisions using customer, category, and market insights. Develop recommendations and selling materials to support customer conversations and business growth.
• Set priorities and provide direction to broker partners supporting Kroger retail and divisional teams. Monitor performance, identify execution gaps, and improve accountability through scorecards and reporting.
• Analyze sales and customer performance, develop KPI reporting, identify trends and opportunities, and translate data into clear recommendations for the business.
• Build relationships with Kroger divisional stakeholders and work alongside Customer Account Managers to advance key initiatives and support customer needs.
• Monitor Kroger digital assortment, product content, availability, and competitive activity to identify opportunities to improve online performance.
• Partner with the Kroger team on annual planning, promotions, forecasting, trade investment, and other initiatives that support profitable growth.
• Manage TPM (Trade Promotion Management) systems and processes for the Kroger business, including tracking and analyzing monthly trade spend against budget, ensuring accurate reporting and budget alignment.
• Collaborate with Sales, Category Management, eCommerce, Marketing, Finance, Supply Chain, and other teams to align priorities and execute customer initiatives.

Skills

Analytical skills

Communication

Relationship-building

Influencing skills

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Sales, or related field

Job description

Overview

The Customer Development Manager - Kroger is responsible for supporting profitable growth across the Kroger business through divisional sales, broker management, business analytics, and digital execution. This role partners closely with the Kroger customer team, broker partners, and cross-functional teams to identify growth opportunities, strengthen customer relationships, and turn business insights into action.

Responsibilities What You'll Do

• Identify sales and distribution opportunities across Kroger divisions using customer, category, and market insights. Develop recommendations and selling materials to support customer conversations and business growth.
• Set priorities and provide direction to broker partners supporting Kroger retail and divisional teams. Monitor performance, identify execution gaps, and improve accountability through scorecards and reporting.
• Analyze sales and customer performance, develop KPI reporting, identify trends and opportunities, and translate data into clear recommendations for the business.
• Build relationships with Kroger divisional stakeholders and work alongside Customer Account Managers to advance key initiatives and support customer needs.
• Monitor Kroger digital assortment, product content, availability, and competitive activity to identify opportunities to improve online performance.
• Partner with the Kroger team on annual planning, promotions, forecasting, trade investment, and other initiatives that support profitable growth.
• Manage TPM (Trade Promotion Management) systems and processes for the Kroger business, including tracking and analyzing monthly trade spend against budget, ensuring accurate reporting and budget alignment.
• Collaborate with Sales, Category Management, eCommerce, Marketing, Finance, Supply Chain, and other teams to align priorities and execute customer initiatives.

Qualifications What You'll Bring

• Bachelor's degree in Business , Marketing, Sales, or related field preferred.
• 3+ years e xperience in CPG, sales, customer development, category management, retail, or a related area .
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to turn data into actionable business recommendations.
• Strong communication , presentation, relationship-building, and influencing skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and work effectively across teams.
• Kroger, grocery, customer data, eCommerce, or broker management experience is a plus.
• Ability to travel as needed.

Working Conditions/Environment

Works in a normal office environment where the employee is regularly required to speak, see, hear, sit, stand, talk, type, walk and bend while moving about the facility . The noise level in the office is quiet. Occasional travel to plants or meetings is required .

About Us

The Marzetti Company (Nasdaq: MZTI) manufactures and sells specialty food products. Our retail brands include Marzetti dressings and dips, New York Bakery garlic breads, and Sister Schubert's dinner rolls, in addition to exclusive license agreements for Olive Garden dressings, Chick-fil-A sauces and dressings, Buffalo Wild Wings sauces, Arby's sauces, Subway sauces, and Texas Roadhouse steak sauces and frozen rolls. Our foodservice business supplies sauces, dressings, breads, and pasta to many of the top restaurant chains in the United States. At Marzetti, our mission is to make every meal better through high-quality, flavorful food. Led by our purpose, to nourish growth with all that we do, our team members are dedicated to creating great tasting food and cultivating deep and lasting relationships.