Business Development Manager

Atalanta - Elizabeth, NJ

Full-time - Mid Level

Elizabeth, NJ

Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods

About the position

Gellert Global Group, which includes Atalanta Corporation, is seeking a Business Development Manager to join their team in Elizabeth, NJ. This role is pivotal in driving the marketing and sales support for the company, focusing on finding new products and suppliers to enhance their portfolio. The Business Development function is responsible for strategic planning and execution related to specific products, ensuring that sales and profit objectives are met. The successful candidate will work collaboratively with various departments, including sales, marketing, purchasing, logistics, and finance, as well as with a diverse customer base that includes distributors and operators. This position requires a proactive approach to identifying growth opportunities and supporting the sales team with product expertise during sales calls, trade shows, training sessions, and product demonstrations. The Business Development Manager will be tasked with developing and maintaining a high level of product knowledge for assigned products, creating strategic and tactical plans to meet sales and profit objectives, and collaborating with the sales team to identify growth opportunities within each sales region. The role also involves visiting customers, distributors, and brokers to support sales efforts, coordinating supplier and marketing support, and preparing specific product reports. Building and maintaining strong supplier relationships is crucial, as is the ability to explore new product opportunities through research and analysis. The ideal candidate will possess strong analytical skills, financial acumen, and a detailed understanding of the premium food service market, including compliance with FDA regulations and quality standards.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain a high level of product knowledge for assigned products.
• Develop strategic and tactical plans that meet product sales and profit objectives.
• Collaborate with the sales team to identify growth opportunities within each sales region for assigned products.
• Support the selling effort by providing product expertise on assigned products at sales calls, trade shows, training sessions, and product demonstrations.
• Visit customers/distributors/brokers to support the sales effort.
• Collaborate with the marketing department in the development of point of sale (POS), presentation, and sales material for the assigned products.
• Coordinate supplier support and marketing support, promotional allowances, demo funds, and more for assigned products.
• Prepare specific product reports and develop strong supplier relationships related to business development.
• Explore new product opportunities through research, analysis, and negotiations.
• Continuously rationalize product portfolio based on thorough analysis.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree, preferred.
• Minimum of 3 to 5 years of brand management or product management experience in consumer-packaged goods, foodservice, or specialty products distribution.
• Strong analytical skills and ability to conduct new product introduction related feasibility analysis.
• Financial acumen to effectively manage P&L.
• Knowledge of premium food service market, production, supply chain, and marketing including FDA regulations, quality compliance, USDA, tariffs on products.
• Established network of contacts within the USA for customers and with Pastry and Bakery ingredient suppliers.
• International experience in the food industry within various markets.
• Detail-oriented, analytical, and resourceful.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Excellent interpersonal skills; ability to build and maintain strong, productive relationships across functional groups.
• Flexible self-starter with strong work ethic; results driven.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and internal and external demands; sense of urgency.
• Problem solver with well-developed organizational and time management skills.
• Strong knowledge of ingredient-based products for industrial kitchen use, both pastry and bakery.
• High proficiency in Microsoft Office applications; advanced user of Excel.
• Experience with Infor M3 ERP system is a plus.
• Willingness to travel about 35%.

Nice-to-haves

• Experience with ERP systems such as Infor M3.
• Knowledge of baking and pastry products.

Benefits

• Disability insurance
• Health insurance
• Dental insurance
• Flexible spending account
• Tuition reimbursement
• Paid time off
• Parental leave
• Vision insurance
• 401(k) matching
• Referral program