Sr. Director Business Development- Cultured

The Sr. Director Business Development- Cultured will be responsible for accelerating profitable growth across national brands in cottage cheese, sour cream, dips, crema, and other value-added cultured dairy categories. This leader develops and executes customer growth strategies, identifies new business opportunities, expands distribution, and strengthens strategic partnerships with national and regional retailers, foodservice operators, and emerging channels.

The role serves as a key commercial leader, connecting customer needs, category insights, innovation, supply chain capabilities, and financial objectives to deliver sustainable long-term growth.

The ideal candidate will be based out of the St. Louis Park, MN or Chicago, IL area. This position has flexibility to be based remotely anywhere in the US with close access to a major airport. 

Job Duties and Responsibilities

Strategic Customer Leadership

• Develop and execute annual customer business plans aligned with company growth objectives
• Support customer business reviews, strategic planning sessions, and top-to-top meetings
• Translate customer objectives into profitable growth initiatives and joint business plans
• Serve as a trusted partner and advisor to customer leadership teams

New Business Development

• Identify, prioritize, and secure new distribution opportunities across retail, club, convenience, foodservice, and emerging channels
• Develop retailer-specific growth strategies that expand category penetration
• Lead/support customer acquisition efforts and strategic market expansion initiatives
• Evaluate new market opportunities, partnerships, and channel diversification strategies
• Drive commercialization of innovation platforms and category expansion opportunities

Commercial Leadership & Financial Management

• Own profitable growth across national brand launches, crossing multiple DFA groups, retailers and account owners
• Develop pricing strategies that balance volume growth, profitability, and competitive positioning
• Manage trade investment, forecasting, customer profitability reviews, and business planning
• Evaluate growth initiatives through rigorous ROI and financial analysis
• Partner with Finance to achieve revenue, margin, and profit objectives

Category Leadership & Consumer Insights

• Become the category expert in cultured dairy, leveraging consumer, shopper, and retailer insights
• Utilize Circana, NielsenIQ, Kantar, retailer loyalty data, and syndicated resources to identify growth opportunities – partner with CDT resources
• Develop fact-based selling stories that drive assortment, shelf space, pricing, and promotion improvements
• Identify category whitespace opportunities and emerging consumer trends
• Deliver actionable customer recommendations that strengthen category performance

Cross-Functional Commercial Leadership

• Collaborate closely with Marketing, Customer Development, Revenue Management, Category Management, Supply Chain, Finance, R&D, and Operations
• Support commercialization efforts for new products, product line extensions, and innovation initiatives
• Resolve customer service, inventory, and supply chain challenges while protecting customer relationships
• Influence organizational priorities without direct authority
• Ensure alignment between customer strategies and internal business goals

Negotiation & Influence

• Lead annual customer negotiations involving pricing, trade investment, distribution, assortment, and promotional programs
• Effectively communicate value propositions that differentiate the cultured dairy portfolio
• Influence internal and external stakeholders to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes

Leadership & Talent Development

• Establish clear performance expectations and accountability measures
• Foster a culture of customer-centricity, collaboration, and continuous improvement

Change Leadership & Strategic Agility

• Adapt strategies to evolving market conditions, retailer consolidation, and competitive activity
• Monitor industry trends, private label growth, and emerging consumer preferences
• Leverage technology, analytics, and AI-driven insights to improve decision-making
• Lead through ambiguity while maintaining focus on long-term objectives
• Champion innovation and continuous improvement initiatives

Education and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Food Science, or related field, or relevant industry experience
• 10+ years of progressive sales, business development, category management, or commercial leadership experience.
• 5+ years leading strategic customer relationships within Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG).
• Proven success selling to major grocery retailers, mass merchandisers, club, or foodservice accounts via WHS distribution
• Experience managing complex negotiations and delivering profitable growth

• Experience within cultured dairy, refrigerated foods, dairy, or perishable categories
• Experience with national retailers such as Walmart, Kroger, Albertsons, Publix, Meijer, Ahold Delhaize, Target, or regional grocers

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Strong financial acumen including pricing, P&L management, forecasting, and trade investment analysis
• Demonstrated success leading cross-functional teams and commercialization initiatives
• Advanced proficiency with Circana, NielsenIQ, Kantar, Retail Link, 84.51°, or retailer-specific analytics platforms
• Knowledge of cottage cheese, sour cream, dips, crema, and adjacent refrigerated categories
• Strategic Thinking
• Customer-Centric Leadership
• Business Development & Growth Mindset
• Commercial Acumen
• Executive Presence
• Negotiation Excellence
• Cross-Functional Collaboration
• Talent Development
• Data-Driven Decision Making
• Innovation Leadership
• Change Agility
• Results Orientation
• Must be able to read, write and speak English

An Equal Opportunity Employer including Disabled/Veterans