Customer Development Manager

Luigi Lavazza S.p.A.

7d•$125,000 - $130,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Customer Development Manager (CDM) is a high-impact commercial role at the intersection of sales, category leadership, and customer partnership. You will own strategic planning and development for a defined channel (Grocery, Natural, Office Products / E-Commerce) partnering closely with Sales, Revenue Management, and Marketing to drive Lavazza’s growth agenda at the customer level. This role is ideal for a commercially minded CPG professional who thrives on translating data into compelling selling stories, building trusted customer relationships, and executing with precision across promotional calendars and launch events. Applicants to this role will be evaluated for three retail channels according to background and experience: Customer Development Manager of Natural & Distributor, Customer Development Manager of Retail (East Territory), Customer Development Manager of Office Products, E-Commerce, and Independents. Location: New York, NY. Work model: Hybrid, 3 days/week in-office. Travel: As needed up to 20%. Base Pay Range: $125,000-130,000. Annual Incentive Plan / Annual Bonus: 20%.

Requirements

Four year degree from an accredited institution, preferably in Business
5+ years working experience in CPG Trade Marketing, Category Management, Sales, Sales Planning or Marketing required
Experience supporting Retail/eTail channels and customers required
Proficient in MS Office, with intermediate to advanced skills in Excel and PowerPoint
Experienced with syndicated retail data tools (e.g., Nielsen, IRI, Numerator) and eCommerce platforms (e.g., Amazon Retail Analytics, Market Share, Helium)
Skilled in navigating matrix organizations, leveraging influence and negotiation to drive cross-functional collaboration
Strong communicator, confident presenting to executive and cross-functional leadership both virtually and in person
Adept at storytelling to diagnose complex business issues, visualize data, extract insights, and recommend clear action plans
Thrives under tight deadlines and embraces performance-driven challenges
Agile and adaptable in fast-paced, entrepreneurial environments
Highly collaborative with strong influencing skills across all organizational levels—from peers to executives

Responsibilities

Drive 4P execution with Lavazza, Brokers, and cross-functional teams (Sales, Marketing, RGM).
Lead monthly category and assortment reviews to identify gaps, deliver insights, and implement corrective actions.
Coordinate execution readiness for key promotional periods and support flawless activation with agency partners.
Facilitate monthly Customer Business Reviews to align on performance, priorities, and strategic direction.
Equip Sales and Brokers with strategic insights, selling stories, and materials for customer meetings.
Define and communicate customer planning calendars aligned with Joint Business Planning (JBP).
Lead quarterly/bi-annual Customer Business Reviews to support long-term planning and performance tracking.
Collaborate with Activation Home to define and maintain Customer Picture of Success (PICOS).
Align activation plans and budgets to amplify national and customer-specific priorities and drive KPIs.
Evaluate program ROI and recommend optimization strategies for future activations.
Cascade strategic guidance from National Category Management to customer level.
Align internal stakeholders across Leadership, Marketing, Sales, RGM, and Channel Strategy to deliver customer goals.
Share customer updates, wins, and risks in Local/HQ Business Reviews.
Partner with RGM, Sales, and Finance to build sustainable P&Ls and co-manage planning tools (TPM/Salesforce).
Ensure cross-functional collaboration to execute customer strategies and maintain alignment across teams.