Business Unit Manager

Winland Foods•Oak Brook, IL

4d•$93,000 - $138,000•Hybrid

About The Position

We are seeking a detail-oriented, strategic business leader to join our dynamic team leading our Ingredient, Co-Manufacturing & Foodservice Dry Pasta business. This role has responsibility for managing the P&L and budget to ensure we meet our annual plan and long-term strategic objectives in these channels. This Business Unit Manager will develop short- and long-term strategies, new product platforms, packaging and new item commercialization in collaboration with cross-functional teams. This position will be responsible for commercialization process management, responding to sales opportunities, developing bid submissions or proposals, and own all pricing decisions.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Sales, or related field required; MBA or advanced degree preferred
Minimum of 5 years CPG brand management, product management or relevant marketing experience is required
Relevant experience in food and beverage with strong preference for having past foodservice or ingredient channel experience
Knowledge of and experience working collaboratively across several departments, such as Marketing, R&D, Sales and Finance functions, to achieve company and category goals
Demonstrated business analytic skills, including in-depth understanding of P&L and ability to understand and apply insights/research to make decisions
Proven track record for delivering volume and profit targets on a complex business
An exceptional listener also skilled in persuasive and professional communication
Experience effectively managing cross functional projects/teams, being deadline-driven, commercializing new products and creating related marketing plans
Comfort working in a start-up organizational environment and being part of an entrepreneurial culture that is still forming
Ability to think strategically and act decisively
Proficiency in MS Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Word)

Nice To Haves

MBA or advanced degree preferred
past foodservice or ingredient channel experience

Responsibilities

Develops and implements annual operating plans while supporting construction of long-term strategic plans.
Monitors performance to ensure sales volume, share and profit objectives are accomplished while recommending and executing corrective actions, as needed.
Recommends and implements pricing strategies to ensure category growth targets are met.
Actively participates in ongoing sales, supply and demand planning sessions.
Works directly with Sales, Finance, Costing, Supply, and Operations to deliver operating plans and ensure business strategies and new programs are effectively implemented.
Manages launch of new products and continuous improvement activities for existing products, working directly with Innovation, R&D and Commercialization teams.
Acts as ‘general manager’ of ingredient, co-manufacturing and foodservice pasta business, leading cross-functional teams to ensure projects are prioritized appropriately and completed on time.
Creatively identifies opportunity areas for growth by effectively using market research and competitive intelligence.
Owns overall assortment decisions, develops meaningful portfolio positioning plans that creates added value versus competition and effectively communicates product or supplier production advantages to customers.
Develops foodservice B2B marketing strategy and coordinate efforts with sales and condiments teams.