Grocery Business Development Manager

Truly Good Foods•Charlotte, NC

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Grocery Business Development Manager is TGF's primary new-business hunter in the grocery channel. This role owns the full acquisition process: identifying high-value targets, creating access, building buyer relationships, leading persuasive customer presentations, programs and guiding newly won customers through commercialization and first shipment. The right person is commercially sharp, persistent without being transactional and excited by the challenge of turning white space into revenue. You understand that great selling starts with curiosity and preparation. You can connect retailer needs to the right mix of consumer insight, category opportunity, innovation and operational credibility.

Requirements

Five or more years of grocery retail business development experience within food, snacks, CPG or manufacturing.
Demonstrated record of personally acquiring new regional or national grocery customers.
Experience selling directly to buyers, category managers, merchandising leaders and other senior retail decision makers.
Experience with branded, private-label and/or custom-manufactured product programs.
Strong presentation, negotiation, financial and written communication skills.
Experience recruiting and managing grocery brokers.
Proficiency with CRM platforms, BI tools, Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint.
Bachelor's degree preferred; equivalent relevant experience will be considered.
Ability to travel up to approximately 30%, including customer visits, broker meetings, trade shows and TGF facilities.
Hunter mentality, 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.
Organized and self-directed; thrives in a role with significant autonomy and accountability.
5+ years of grocery retail business development experience within CPG or food manufacturing.
Demonstrated track record of acquiring new retail customers and growing distribution.
Experience calling on regional and/or national grocery retailers.
Experience recruiting and managing broker partners in the grocery channel.

Nice To Haves

Experience in snack, bulk, or better-for-you food categories.
Existing relationships with regional and national grocery retailers.
Experience with private label and manufactured product sales alongside branded programs.

Responsibilities

Build and execute a focused target-account strategy across regional and national grocery retailers.
Create a consistent flow of qualified opportunities through direct outreach, industry relationships, brokers, trade events, referrals and disciplined follow-up.
Map decision makers and influencers within priority accounts and develop thoughtful entry strategies for each retailer.
Secure first meetings, line reviews, innovation presentations and new-item discussions with grocery buyers and merchandising leaders.
Own day-to-day from initial contact through commercial agreement, item authorization and launch commitment.
Maintain a healthy, stage-based pipeline in HubSpot with clear next steps, values, probabilities and timing.
Develop retailer-specific selling stories that connect TGF capabilities to the customer's strategy, shopper and category needs.
Identify white-space opportunities across Henrietta Said, private label, bulk, seasonal programs and custom manufactured mixes.
Use category data, competitive intelligence and consumer trends to build credible, financially sound recommendations.
Along with VP, lead customer presentations, proposals, product tastings and negotiations with confidence and executive presence.
Build programs that create value for both the retailer and TGF, with clear attention to margin, trade investment, volume and operational feasibility.
Recruit, onboard and direct grocery brokers in priority markets where they strengthen access and execution.
Set specific expectations for prospecting activity, customer introductions, pipeline creation and presentation quality.
Use brokers as force multipliers while retaining personal ownership of strategy, relationships and closing the business.
Evaluate broker performance and make changes when results or accountability do not meet expectations.
Partner with Marketing, R&D, Supply Chain, Operations, Finance and Customer Success to translate customer opportunities into launch-ready programs.
Lead the internal and external commercialization process for newly won business, including assortment, packaging, forecast and timing alignment.
Remain accountable through first shipment and initial launch stabilization.
Complete a deliberate day-to-day handoff to the Retail Business Manager once the account is established, ensuring customer commitments, contacts, forecasts and future opportunities are clearly documented.
Use CRM, BI tools, and pipeline analytics to track performance, forecast new business, and report results to leadership.

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)