Customer Business Manager

Kao•Cincinnati, OH

5d•$100,000 - $120,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Customer Business Manager drives profitable, sustainable growth across assigned retail customers by translating company and brand strategies into actionable customer plans. This role is responsible for managing account performance through forecasting, financial stewardship, business analysis, customer relationship management, and cross-functional execution. The position exists to identify growth opportunities, deliver data-driven recommendations, optimize investments and promotional activities, and ensure flawless execution that meets both customer needs and company objectives. By serving as the day-to-day link between the customer and internal teams, the Customer Business Manager helps maximize sales, profitability, and long-term partnerships. This role serves a critical piece of the organization by managing part of our business with Target.

Requirements

Bachelors Degree required in Business Administration or a related field
7+ years of relevant CPG related experience; knowledge of sales fundamentals, including assortment, pricing, merchandising, promotion, distribution, and category management principles
Strong Microsoft Office Usage (PowerPoint, Excel, Word, Outlook), Canva a plus
Intermediate negotiation and selling skills, including the ability to address objections, communicate value propositions, and support customer business reviews
Self-motivated with a growth mindset, strong attention to detail, and the ability to operate independently while exercising sound business judgment
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to translate complex data into actionable business recommendations and customer selling stories
Strong communication and executive presentation skills, with the ability to influence stakeholders internally and externally

Nice To Haves

Canva a plus

Responsibilities

P&L, Budget and/or Financial Management
Build and own customer forecasts
Evaluate promo ROI, mix impact, and margin implications
Own day-to-day budget tracking for assigned accounts
Decide how trade funds are allocated within guardrails
Prepare promo ROI assessments and margin impact views
Recommend mix, or promo changes
Recommend financially sound actions aligned to sales targets
Present financial implications to internal partners
Active management of customer financial performance
Identify and execute profitability improvement opportunities
Make recommendations regarding pricing architecture, promotional cadence, and assortment profitability
Business Analysis
Identify root causes and implications
Translate insights into recommendations
Prioritize business issues and opportunities for deep dive
Prioritize requests by brand/trade/customer
Answer "what should we do differently?" questions
Diagnose root causes behind performance gaps or wins
Lead or support preparation of business assessment deliverables
Apply best practices across multiple business planning scenarios
Analyze and document risks and benefits
Identify business opportunities for growth and profitability
Create business cases and ROI analyses to support recommendations
Assess opportunity size, resource requirements, and expected outcomes.
Planning & Execution
Build customer execution plans aligned to strategy
Coordinate with Supply Chain, Trade, and Marketing
Adjust execution details to meet customer requirements
Shape sell-in recommendations on pricing, packs, and assortment
Advocate for customer needs in innovation discussions
Influence launch timing
Flag customer-specific risks and requirements
Ensure alignment across in-store, omnichannel, and digital commerce activations
Lead execution planning for digital commerce initiatives
Ensure integration with broader Sales, Trade, Brand, and customer strategies
Partner cross-functionally to bring innovation and activation plans to market
Retailer Connection
Set agendas and shape customer conversations
Push back and reframe buyer requests when needed
Influence decisions using data and strategy
Partner with Brand and Trade to deliver compelling retailer stories
Lead account teams in creating and evaluating retailer-focused executions
Tailor value propositions to retailer priorities and stakeholders
Conduct customer discovery to uncover needs, challenges, and decision criteria
Navigate objections and negotiations
Build multi-threaded relationships across retailer organizations
Demonstrate stakeholder mapping and mutual action planning
Advocate for customer opportunities internally and externally
Secure alignment and commitment around growth initiatives
Leadership & Development
Implement a learning mindset for themselves to stay current on trends, resource allocation & industry capabilities to close existing gaps & develop relevant capabilities in the future.
Foster a positive, fact based, growth-minded, and collaborative team environment within team, department, and cross-functionally.
Champion professional development and individual growth while driving performance, alignment, and engagement across the Kao organization.