Senior Business Development Manager

Vilore Foods Company Inc; San Antonio (TX); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

La Costeña USA in the United States seeks a Senior Business Development Manager to lead commercial growth for an established snack brand and to supervise two Business Development Managers. The role also leads market entry planning for new brands entering the US market.

You will shape channel strategy across DSD, wholesale, distributor, and Hispanic-format retail, own the forecast, and guide negotiations with customers and partners to ensure profitable distribution.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Finance, International Business, or a related field.
• MBA or advanced business training is a plus.
• Bilingual English and Spanish is required for daily coordination with cross-functional teams.

Responsibilities

• Own the consolidated forecast for the portfolio and drive actions to close gaps.
• Lead, coach, and develop two Business Development Managers.
• Build and execute annual US commercial plans including channel strategy and trade investments.
• Lead commercial negotiations with customers, distributors, and partners to align terms and timelines.
• Partner cross-functionally to launch new brands and remove barriers to growth.
• Maintain CRM, pipeline, and opportunity tracking with clear progress updates.

Skills

Bilingual English/Spanish

CRM experience

Forecasting

Negotiation

Education

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

MBA or advanced business training

Tools

CRM systems

BI dashboards

Job description

The Senior Business Development Manager leads the commercial growth of an assigned portfolio of La Costeña USA brands in the United States. The role carries direct, hands-on ownership of one established snack brand and leads a team of two Business Development Managers accountable for additional brands in the portfolio. As new brands enter the US market, this role leads market entry planning and the first-year distribution build.

Success in this role is measured by profitable distribution growth that holds or improves velocity. The Senior Business Development Manager is responsible for channel strategy across DSD, wholesale and distributor, and Hispanic-format retail; for distributor and broker performance; for trade investment efficiency; and for the quality of forecasting and execution across the team.

Working cross-functionally with Growth and Brand Development, Sales, Finance, Supply Chain, Strategy Sales & Planning, and Operations, the Senior Business Development Manager builds scalable go-to-market plans that contribute to profitable growth and La Costeña USA’s long-term strategic objectives.

The role is expected to model the Power Four values of Teamwork, Goal-Oriented, Customer Service, and Passion while maintaining strong ownership, accountability, and disciplined execution, and to develop those same standards in direct reports.

Scope of Responsibility

• Owned brand – direct responsibility. Personally owns US commercial development for an established brand already in national distribution: distribution expansion by channel and region, SKU-level velocity, pricing and promotional architecture, and management of distributor and broker partners.
• Team-managed brands. Leads, coaches, and holds accountable two Business Development Managers. Accountable for their pipeline quality, forecast accuracy, plan attainment, and professional development.
• New brand introductions. As additional brands from the group enter the US market, leads market entry planning including channel strategy, pricing architecture, distributor selection, and the first-year distribution build.
• Portfolio expansion. Evaluates additional brands, partnerships, customers, and channels that can generate scalable and profitable growth, and builds the business cases to support them.

Core Responsibilities

• Build and execute the annual US commercial plan for assigned brands, including channel strategy, distribution targets, pricing architecture, and trade investment plan.
• Grow distribution through DSD, wholesale and distributor, Hispanic-format retail, C-store, and mainstream grocery, while protecting or improving velocity at the SKU level.
• Select, onboard, and manage distributor and broker partners; set performance expectations, review results on a defined cadence, and take corrective action when partners underdeliver.
• Lead, coach, and develop two Business Development Managers through weekly one-on-ones, clear scorecards, joint customer work, and quarterly development conversations.
• Own the consolidated forecast for the portfolio; identify gaps to plan early and bring specific recovery actions rather than explanations.
• Develop business cases and go-to-market recommendations using NIQ/Circana syndicated data, customer and category insight, competitive activity, and internal financials.
• Lead commercial negotiations with customers, distributors, and partners, coordinating internal stakeholders to align terms, capabilities, timelines, and success measures.
• Partner cross-functionally with Growth and Brand Development, Sales, Finance, Supply Chain, Strategy Sales & Planning, and Operations to execute launches and remove barriers to growth.
• Maintain disciplined CRM, pipeline, and opportunity tracking for the team; provide clear updates on progress, risks, next steps, and expected business impact.
• Serve as the senior commercial voice for Mexican-heritage brands in the US market, strengthening selling stories, sharing market intelligence, and mentoring across the Growth and Brand Development team.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Distribution Growth – %ACV and total distribution points by brand, channel, and region against annual targets.
• Velocity – units per point of distribution measured at SKU level. Distribution gains that come with declining velocity do not count as growth.
• Net Revenue and Gross Profit – delivery of the portfolio plan, with visibility into contribution by brand.
• Trade Investment Efficiency – incremental gross profit per trade dollar deployed; promotional lift and post-promotion baseline retention.
• Forecast Accuracy – variance to forecast at the portfolio level and for each direct report’s brand.
• Distributor and Broker Performance – attainment against agreed distribution, execution, and service targets by partner.
• Team Performance and Development – plan attainment for direct reports, retention, and documented progression against development plans.
• New Business Conversion – qualified pipeline value, win rate, and speed from approved opportunity to commercial launch for genuinely new brands, customers, or channels.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Finance, International Business, or a related field; MBA or advanced business training is a plus.
• 7+ years of progressive commercial experience in consumer packaged goods, including at least 2 years leading direct reports or operating as a player-coach.
• Required: direct experience building US distribution through DSD, wholesale and distributor, and Hispanic-format retail channels. Must be able to speak credibly to how each model works and where each breaks.
• Required: demonstrated track record commercializing Mexican-heritage food or snack brands for US Hispanic and general-market consumers, including account development with Hispanic distributors, independent grocery, C-store, club, and mainstream retail.
• Required: bilingual English and Spanish, for daily coordination with Mexico-based brand, commercial, and supply chain teams.
• Strong command of syndicated data (NIQ or Circana) with the ability to diagnose whether growth is coming from distribution or velocity and to act on the difference.
• Strong financial and commercial acumen, including the ability to evaluate revenue, margin, trade investment, ROI, risk, and scalability.
• Demonstrated success negotiating with customers and distributors and launching new commercial opportunities.
• Strong executive communication, presentation, influence, and relationship-management skills with both internal and external stakeholders.
• Working knowledge of CRM and commercial planning tools; comfort with dashboards, pipeline metrics, forecasting, and data-driven decision making.
• Ability to work with autonomy in a fast-paced environment while maintaining follow-through, collaboration, and accountability.
• Willingness to travel domestically, and to Mexico as required, on a regular basis.

At La Costeña USA, we hire, promote, and let go using our core values - Teamwork, Goal-Oriented, Customer Service, and Passion - as our guide.