Job Title:  Customer Development Manager

Relocation Assistance Offered Within Country
Job Number #167210 - San Diego, California, United States

Who We Are

Colgate-Palmolive Company is a global consumer products company operating in over 200 countries specializing in Oral Care, Personal Care, Home Care, Skin Care, and Pet Nutrition. Our products are trusted in more households than any other brand in the world, making us a household name!

Join Colgate-Palmolive, a caring, innovative growth company reimagining a healthier future for people, their pets, and our planet. Guided by our core values—Caring, Inclusive, and Courageous—we foster a culture that inspires our people to achieve common goals. Together, let's build a brighter, healthier future for all.
 

Do you want to make a difference in the lives of people and their pets? What about having the opportunity to connect with others across the world, full of stimulating discussions, and making impactful contributions? If this is how you see your career, Hill’s is the place to be!

Hill’s Pet Nutrition is a multi billion dollar, global division of Colgate-Palmolive Company and the maker of Prescription Diet and Science Diet brand pet food. Our mission is to help enrich and lengthen the special relationships between people and their pets by providing the best leading-edge pet nutrition technology, products, and expertise to pet owners, veterinary professionals and other key pet professionals worldwide. Our company is a globally recognized Best Place to Work.  In today's dynamic retail environment, it is an exciting time to be a part of the Customer Development organization at Hill's Pet Nutrition. Our highly energetic and focused team is dedicated to driving growth for Hill's Pet Nutrition and for Petco in this ever-changing landscape. 

As the Customer Development Manager (CDM), you'll play a pivotal role in planning, aligning, and executing Hill’s go-to-market strategy, crafting win-win solutions for Hill’s, Petco, and our customers. You'll collaborate closely with customers, our third-party distributor, and Hill’s corporate team to meet and exceed net sales, share, and margin goals. This position focuses on managing a large and complex omnichannel customer with high sales volumes, extensive store presence, significant marketplace impact, and a sophisticated approach to customer engagement. Strong leadership is essential to drive strategic plans and maximize our partnership with Petco.

What You Will Do:

Connect the Dots: Maintain a keen sense of the big picture to spot product and program opportunities, develop customer-specific 7P strategies utilizing consumer insights, and stay aware of competitors to consistently meet business objectives.

Attention to Detail and Planning: Oversee inventory lifecycles and fixtures to maximize ROI for Hill's and Petco.

Analyze Business Channels: Develop and sustain processes for evaluating customer business trends, shopper insights, and post-activity analyses using customer consumption data.

Customer Engagement: Plan and execute customer meetings to garner support for Hill's Go-to-Market strategies.

Strategic Initiatives: Create and implement annual plans and strategies that drive toward commercial goals.

Category Growth Partnerships: Engage customers on growth expectations and develop solutions that propel Hill’s brand and business forward.

Program Customization: Tailor specific programs with Hill's Shopper Marketing to leverage brand strategies and boost incremental sales.

Partnership Building: Foster trusted relationships with internal and external cross-functional teams to achieve goals and execute strategies with integrity.

Forecasting and Budget Management: Maintain precise volume, promotion, and spending forecasts, including managing customer payments to align with sales and promotional plans.

Collaborative Execution: Work internally to align Hill’s retail environment and brand strategy with investment guidelines.

Drive Action: Lead monthly customer planning meetings to evaluate actuals and future plans, ensuring objectives are met.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Business or a related field

• 3+ years of experience in managing large, complex customer relationships 

• 5+ years of CPG (Consumer Packaged Goods) experience
• Experience using Google Sheets or Excel
• Experience creating persuasive presentations using Google Slides or Powerpoint

Preferred Qualifications:

• 2+ years of Category Management, Insights or Business Analytics experience
• Experience with supply chain/logistics
• Customer Engagement (call on a customer and present to them)
• Excellent negotiation skills to foster win-win solutions with patience and respect
• Strong ability to identify common grond and understand customer priorities
• Nielsen (or similar IRI) knowledge
• Aptitude for managing ambiguity and quickly strategizing solutions
• Ability to work collaboratively across various functions and channels to drive execution
• Curious with strong analytical skills, able to use data & analytics to develop commercial recommendations that result in growth
• Maintain a deep understanding of the category, channel, business & customers and growth drivers as well as how to use data and analytics to identify opportunities and gaps
• Proficient computer skills, including intermediate level (or greater) experience with Google Suite, Excel, JDA
• Project management skills

Compensation and Benefits
Salary Range $94,000.00 - $133,000.00 USD

Pay is determined based on experience, qualifications, and location. Salaried employees may also be eligible for discretionary bonuses, profit-sharing, and long-term incentives for Executive-level roles.

Benefits: Salaried employees enjoy a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, basic life insurance, paid parental leave, disability coverage, and participation in the 401(k) retirement plan with company matching contributions subject to eligibility requirements. Additional benefits include a minimum of 15 vacation/PTO days (hourly employees receive a minimum of 120 hours) and 13 paid holidays (vacation days are prorated based on the employee's hire date within the calendar year). Paid sick leave is adjusted based on role and location in accordance with local laws. Detailed information regarding paid sick leave entitlements will be provided to employees upon hiring and may be subject to adjustments based on changes in legislation or company policies.

Our Commitment to Inclusion
Our journey begins with our people—developing strong talent with diverse backgrounds and perspectives  to best serve our consumers around the world and fostering an inclusive environment where everyone feels a true sense of belonging. We are dedicated to ensuring that each individual can be their authentic self, is treated with respect, and is empowered by leadership to contribute meaningfully to our business.

Equal Opportunity Employer
Colgate is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, ethnicity, age, disability, marital status, veteran status (United States positions), or any other characteristic protected by law.

Reasonable accommodation during the application process is available for persons with disabilities. Please complete this request form should you require accommodation.

For additional Colgate terms and conditions, please click here.

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