Convenience Business Development Manager

Truly Good Foods • Charlotte, NC

22d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Convenience Business Development Manager is TGF's primary new-business hunter for convenience retail. This role owns prospecting, access, relationship development, presentations, negotiations and commercialization across national and regional chains, travel centers and distributor networks. The right person understands both the headquarters sale and the execution required to make a program real. You know how to work through McLane, Core-Mark/PFG, Eby-Brown and regional distributors; how to create a compelling grab-and-go proposition; and how to keep complex opportunities moving across buyer, distributor, broker and internal teams. This role is the primary owner of TGF’s convenience channel business development efforts. The Convenience Business Development Manager operates with a high degree of autonomy in prospecting, partnership development, and channel execution, reporting results and escalating strategic decisions to the VP of Sales & Marketing. This job will have access to confidential data including pricing, margin, trade spend, and customer contract information. Ability to handle sensitive commercial information with discretion and professionalism is required.

Requirements

• Five or more years of convenience-channel sales or new-business development experience within food, snacks, candy, CPG or manufacturing.
• Demonstrated record of personally acquiring new convenience chains, travel-center customers or distributor-supported programs.
• Direct experience with major convenience distributors such as McLane, Core-Mark/PFG, Eby-Brown or comparable regional partners.
• Experience selling directly to buyers, category managers and senior convenience decision makers.
• Experience recruiting and managing convenience brokers.
• Strong presentation, negotiation, financial and written communication skills.
• Proficiency with CRM platforms, BI tools, Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint.
• Ability to travel up to approximately 30%, including customer visits, distributor meetings, trade shows and TGF facilities.
• Demonstrated track record of securing new partnerships and driving distribution growth in the convenience channel.
• Experience managing national or regional convenience distributors (Core-Mark, McLane, Eby-Brown, or similar).
• Experience recruiting and managing broker partners in the convenience channel.

Nice To Haves

• Experience in snack, bulk, or better-for-you food categories.
• Existing relationships with major convenience chains and distributors.
• Experience with channel-specific innovation, CPG success and exclusive program development.

Responsibilities

• Prospecting and New Account Acquisition: Build and execute a focused target strategy across national and regional convenience chains, travel centers and other high-potential operators.
• Create qualified opportunities through direct outreach, existing relationships, broker partners, distributor contacts, industry events and persistent follow-up.
• Map each target account, identify decision makers and develop retailer-specific entry strategies.
• Secure buyer meetings, category reviews, product presentations, distributor discussions and pilot opportunities.
• Own the opportunity from first contact through authorization, commercial agreement, distributor setup and launch commitment.
• Maintain a disciplined, stage-based pipeline in HubSpot with accurate values, probabilities, next actions and expected timing.
• Convenience Selling and Channel Solutions: Develop customer-specific selling stories built around the convenience shopper, trip mission, price point, impulse placement and retailer economics.
• Identify white-space opportunities across grab-and-go snacks, single-serve formats, private label, regional concepts, seasonal programs and retailer exclusives.
• Partner with Marketing and R&D to create differentiated products, packaging and merchandising ideas that fit the channel.
• Lead presentations, tastings, proposals and negotiations with confidence and commercial discipline.
• Balance creativity with operational reality, ensuring opportunities can be produced, distributed and executed profitably.
• Distributor and Broker Development: Develop the distributor relationships required to secure and support new convenience distribution, including McLane, Core-Mark/PFG, Eby-Brown and regional partners.
• Navigate item setup, warehouse authorization, forecasting, initial orders and rollout requirements for newly won programs.
• Recruit, onboard and direct convenience brokers where they improve account access and in-market execution.
• Set clear expectations for introductions, pipeline creation, follow-up and presentation quality, and address underperformance quickly.
• Retain personal accountability for the customer strategy and close rather than outsourcing ownership to brokers or distributors.
• Commercialization and Handoff: Coordinate across Marketing, R&D, Supply Chain, Operations, Finance and Customer Success to move new opportunities from concept to shelf.
• Lead alignment on assortment, pack configuration, forecast, distributor path and launch timing.
• Remain engaged through first shipment, initial rollout and early issue resolution.
• Complete a structured transition to the Retail Business Manager once the account is established, ensuring all commitments, contacts, forecasts and growth opportunities are documented.
• Hunter mentality who is energized by prospecting, pipeline building, and winning new business.
• Strong strategic selling skills, including senior-level relationship development and consultative selling.
• Proven broker management experience with the ability to recruit, develop, and hold partners accountable.
• Financial acumen includes trade spend management and new account P&L analysis.
• Strong presentation and negotiation skills.
• Proficient in CRM platforms (Hubspot preferred), BI tools, distributor portals, Nielsen data and Microsoft Office Suite.
• Self-directed and entrepreneurial who thrives in building a channel from the ground up.

Benefits

• Affordable healthcare (medical/dental/vision)
• Opportunity to participate in the Health Savings Account (HSA) and Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
• Short Term Disability Insurance paid by the company
• Basic life Insurance equals to your annual salary paid by the company
• Employee Assistance Program – paid by the company
• Long Term Disability Insurance
• The opportunity to purchase additional voluntary insurance coverage for: Life Insurance, Accident, Whole Life, Prepaid Legal
• PTO (Paid Time Off)
• 9 Paid Holidays per year
• 401-k Plan (eligible after 6 months of employment)

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior