Commercial Development Manager - Starbucks

Nestle Operational Services Worldwide SA•Arlington, VA

7d•$135,363 - $172,761

About The Position

Nestlé Coffee and Beverage Division is seeking a Commercial Development Manager to serve as the dedicated commercial lead for its ready-to-drink (RTD) portfolio. The role connects RTD brand and portfolio strategy with customer and channel execution, with accountability for customer planning, assortment, distribution, innovation readiness, promotional strategy, trade investment, forecast quality and risk escalation. The manager partners across the Business Unit, Field Sales, Finance, Marketing, Demand Planning and Supply Chain to coordinate launches, drive velocity and sell-through, manage inventory and shelf-life risks, and ensure commercial decisions reflect customer needs, channel dynamics and financial objectives. The position translates portfolio and Business Unit strategies into customer and channel plans, develops selling stories and business plans, leads recurring business planning and reviews, and steers commercial execution across assortment, pricing, promotion, trade investment, forecasting and launches. It also serves as the central RTD contact for internal stakeholders and supports innovation and renovation readiness through the I2L process, as applicable.

Requirements

Experience managing customer or channel commercial planning is required.
A bachelor’s degree is required; equivalent experience may be considered in lieu of a degree.
Strong understanding of customer planning, trade strategy, promotional effectiveness, pricing, assortment and RTD commercial execution.
Ability to connect customer and portfolio decisions to volume, trade spend, margin, forecast, inventory and P&L outcomes.
Strong cross-functional leadership and ability to influence across Sales, Marketing, Finance, Demand Planning, Supply Chain and external partners.
Proven ability to diagnose business performance gaps, develop corrective action plans and drive accountability across stakeholders.
Knowledge of Strategic and Integrated Commercial Planning processes, including customer planning, financial reporting and launch execution.
Ability to build clear, compelling RTD customer and channel selling stories for Field Sales and retailer sell-in.

Nice To Haves

Experience with RTD beverages, refrigerated or shelf-stable beverage portfolios, or product launches.
At least 4 years of experience in Sales, Commercial Development, Category Management, Customer Planning or Marketing (listed as preferred).
Experience with Nielsen, VIP, BW, TPM/TPO, Source, customer POS, shipment data or other commercial planning systems.

Responsibilities

Serve as the dedicated Commercial Development lead for the RTD portfolio, aligning commercial priorities across customers and channels.
Translate RTD portfolio and Business Unit strategies into customer and channel plans that build brand equity, grow market share and deliver financial objectives.
Develop and deploy RTD selling stories, launch calendars and business plans for Field Sales and cross-functional stakeholders.
Incorporate retailer planning timelines, shelf resets, cold-space needs and activation requirements into Go-To-Market plans.
Use customer, category, shopper and performance insights to identify growth opportunities and inform volume, trade, margin and P&L decisions.
Lead annual, quarterly and monthly RTD business planning, including performance management, risks, opportunities and recovery actions.
Own commercial linkage across assortment, pack-price architecture, pricing, promotion, trade investment, launch readiness, forecast accuracy and customer execution.
Partner with Field Sales to identify distribution, merchandising and promotional execution gaps, prioritize corrective actions and improve follow-through.
Translate customer priorities, consumption and demand trends, and retailer decisions into commercial and financial implications for the Business Unit.
Liaise with Field Sales and Finance on incremental funding, trade deployment and commercial spend management.
Use TPM/TPO and related planning tools for scenario planning, sales and trade plan optimization, and evaluation of post-promotional effectiveness.
Partner with Finance, Demand Planning and Supply Chain to improve forecast discipline, align volume assumptions with customer plans, and manage availability, sell-through, inventory and shelf-life risks.
Lead monthly and milestone business reviews covering launch readiness, distribution, velocity, sell-through, trade efficiency, customer actions and risk escalation.
Serve as the Commercial lead for RTD innovation and renovation, supporting customer and channel readiness through the I2L process, as applicable.
Act as the RTD point of contact for Division brand teams, Field Sales, Finance, Demand Planning, Supply Chain and leadership stakeholders.
Develop and deploy RTD Commercial Action Plans aligning brand objectives, growth drivers, category strategies, activation tactics, trade strategy and shopper insights.
Build RTD customer and channel strategies based on approved plans, aligning assortment, sell-in timing and activation to consumption occasions.
Evaluate assortment, distribution, velocity, promotional effectiveness and sell-through results, and turn learnings into recommendations for sustainable, profitable growth.