Business Development Manager - Kohler Stores & Showrooms
About The Position
The Business Development Manager will lead Kohler’s direct market-growth strategy across California, expanding profitable sales and market share through Kohler Store development, targeted dealer growth, showroom activation, and engagement with residential designers, remodelers, and design/build firms. The role focuses on identifying and converting high-potential business, strengthening Kohler Stores, and building direct relationships with priority dealers and trade influencers. It coordinates Kohler Field Sales, distribution partners, Marketing, Kohler Stores Operations, and other internal resources around a unified market plan. Success is measured by incremental revenue, gross margin, Store and dealer productivity, showroom presence, specification activity, and sustained growth in targeted accounts and customer segments. The role develops a California market strategy and annual operating plan, owns the market’s profitable-growth plan, and builds a prioritized pipeline of dealer, showroom, and trade-influencer opportunities. It establishes operating cadences and performance measures, develops dealer and showroom capabilities through training, and partners with distributors and internal teams on account-specific demand creation. The manager also advises Kohler leadership on market conditions and leads evaluation and execution of Store opportunities, Store optimization, showroom expansion, dealer locations, display investments, and market-entry opportunities. The position is remote in California and requires travel as needed, up to 40% of the time.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree from a four-year college or university.
- At least 5 years of successful sales, business development, channel development, or plumbing-industry experience.
- Experience building new markets or customer segments, developing dealer and trade relationships, managing a qualified opportunity pipeline, and using market and financial analysis to allocate resources and deliver profitable growth.
- Strong understanding of two-step distribution, direct account development, pull-through selling, pricing, gross margin, and showroom economics.
- Strong written and oral communication skills, executive presence, commercial judgment, negotiation capability, and a demonstrated record of cross-functional leadership and sales achievement.
- Ability to travel as required, up to 40% of the time.
- Must be authorized to work in the United States without requiring sponsorship now or in the future.
Nice To Haves
- Master’s degree or advanced professional accreditation.
- Knowledge of the California kitchen and bath market.
- Established network among dealers, showrooms, residential designers, remodelers, or design/build firms.
Responsibilities
- Develop and execute a California market-development strategy identifying priority geographies, dealers, showroom opportunities, and trade-influencer segments.
- Lead business development with priority independent dealers, Store and showroom operators, residential designers, remodelers, and design/build firms, coordinating account ownership with sales and distribution teams.
- Create an annual operating plan with revenue, Store-performance, account-acquisition, showroom-expansion, specification, conversion, and customer-engagement goals.
- Own the California market’s profitable-growth plan, including sales, gross margin, product and channel mix, pricing discipline, customer-development investments, and return on market activation.
- Build and maintain a prioritized opportunity pipeline, qualify targets, and advance qualified opportunities through commercial plans with milestones, ownership, and expected financial returns.
- Establish a consistent operating cadence for priority accounts, including pipeline reviews, joint business planning, market visits, conversion plans, performance scorecards, and corrective actions.
- Coach dealer and showroom teams on improving Kohler share, customer conversion, complete-bath selling, and profitable product mix.
- Develop and deliver in-market and online training for dealer, Store, and showroom teams on product knowledge, design trends, selling, service, systems, software, and Kohler digital resources.
- Collaborate with distributors, dealer owners, Store and showroom teams, Field Sales, and Marketing on account-specific demand-creation plans and measure conversion and return.
- Communicate competitive intelligence, customer feedback, pricing and margin barriers, product and inventory needs, opportunities, and execution risks to Kohler leadership.
- Evaluate and execute new Kohler Store opportunities, Store optimization, showroom expansions, new dealer locations, display investments, and market-entry opportunities.
- Align distributors, Field Sales, Store and showroom teams, and corporate functions around operating standards, best practices, escalation paths, and accountability for Kohler brand, visual, and service requirements.
Benefits
- Applicable benefit programs available from the first day of employment, with no waiting period.
- Competitive total rewards package supporting health and wellbeing.
- Career growth and development opportunities.
- Performance bonus or variable incentive compensation.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Mid Level
