Vice President of Business Development

COMPANY OVERVIEW

Oppenheimer Companies Inc (OCI) is a team-oriented, broad-based corporation with divisions and affiliates spanning a wide array of disciplines; each focused on helping customers meet their goals. We develop long-standing partnerships by providing the greatest value to our customers with the best quality products and services which maximizes their profitability. This also creates internal opportunities for personal growth, responsibility, and reward to our team members. Entrepreneurial spirit drives us as we build companies ranging from food service, branded and private label food products, to commercial real estate development, property management and logistics.

DIVISION OVERVIEW

With hundreds of Distributor Members nationwide, Golbon is a national food service sales and marketing agency leveraging our Member’s strength and unity to develop programs that enhance a distributor’s competitiveness and bottom line. Our goal is to find innovative and effective solutions to assist people and organizations with their challenges and opportunities. Golbon associates possess tremendous experience in the food service industry and our obsession with helping our Distributor Members grow has yielded them substantial annual savings and financial returns.

POSITION PURPOSE

The Vice President of Business Development leads Golbon’s business development and Distributor Member recruitment function, with responsibility for setting strategy, guiding team execution, and driving new Distributor Member growth. This role leads the Business Development Manager and any future team members within the business development department, ensuring clear direction, accountability, and consistent execution across Prospect development, pipeline management, and recruitment conversion. The Vice President of Business Development partners with executive leadership to align recruitment priorities with Golbon’s broader growth strategy and long-term business objectives.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Department Leadership & Strategy

• Lead the business development department, including the Business Development Managers and any roles added to support Distributor Member recruitment and growth.
• Establish annual business development priorities, pipeline expectations, and execution plans that support Golbon’s new Distributor Member growth objectives.
• Provide coaching, direction, and performance accountability to team members, ensuring clear goals, consistent follow-up, and measurable progress.
• Develop scalable processes, tools, reporting practices, and meeting rhythms that support team alignment, forecasting, and leadership visibility.
• Serve as the department lead for executive updates, strategic recommendations, pipeline reviews, and market opportunity assessments.
• Represent the business development function in broader Golbon planning discussions, ensuring recruitment priorities are connected to organizational growth initiatives.

Distributor Recruitment

• Set direction for recruitment activity from targeted outreach through signed agreement.
• Build and actively manage a qualified Prospect pipeline, prioritizing opportunities that align with Golbon’s Membership profile, strategic priorities, growth potential, and measurable sales volume opportunity.
• Develop and execute territory-based recruitment strategies that target geographic, segment and market gaps and expand Golbon’s Distributor Member representation.
• Lead consultative Prospect meetings, business reviews, and Membership presentations that translate Golbon capabilities into customized solutions aligned with each Prospect’s goals, challenges, profitability, and competitive position.
• Manage the full recruitment cycle, maintaining momentum from first contact through evaluation, negotiation, contract execution, and structured transition from recruitment to onboarding.
• Generate qualified Prospect leads through networking, referrals, Supplier Partner relationships, industry events, market engagement, and direct outreach.
• Maintain accurate and timely CRM records, including Prospect activity, meeting notes, pipeline updates, and forecasting data.

Industry Networking & Business Development

• Represent Golbon and the business development department at food shows, industry conferences, regional meetings, and networking events.
• Build and maintain strategic relationships with Supplier Partners, industry partners, referral sources, and senior-level contacts to strengthen program awareness, market intelligence, and recruitment opportunities.

SUCCESS METRICS

• Success in this role will be measured by:
• Achievement of annual recruitment goals, including new Distributor Member agreements signed, revenue volume added, and overall growth contribution generated by the business development department.
• Qualified Prospect pipeline health, target attainment, and Prospect-to-Member conversion rates.
• Prospect meetings, presentations, and site visits completed.
• Team performance, coaching effectiveness, and consistency of business development execution.
• CRM accuracy, forecasting discipline, executive reporting quality, and leadership visibility into business development progress.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Minimum of 15 years of experience in business development, Distributor Member recruitment, foodservice distribution, wholesale purchasing, sales leadership, or a related industry, with prior responsibility leading people, teams, or department-level initiatives.
• Demonstrated success prospecting, negotiating, closing complex business opportunities, developing compelling business cases, and generating measurable growth.
• Demonstrated ability to lead, coach, and develop team members while creating clear goals and accountability structures.
• Experience building business development strategies, managing pipelines, reporting progress to senior leadership, and translating market opportunities into growth plans.
• Strong financial, analytical, communication, and presentation skills, with the ability to clearly articulate Golbon’s financial and strategic value to Distributor Members and Prospects.
• Executive presence with the ability to establish credibility, influence decisions, lead strategic conversations, and build trust with Distributor Member owners, presidents, senior decision-makers, Supplier Partners, and internal leadership.
• Self-motivated, results-oriented professional with strong problem-solving, organizational, and project management skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, including Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, Outlook, and Word.
• Willingness and ability to travel 50–70% of the time.
• College degree in Business or a related field.
• Ability to lift and carry 20 to 50 pounds.

OCI BENEFITS

OCI is committed to investing in associates to help them unleash their potential. We offer competitive salaries, unlimited vacation, a 401(k)-matching program, and a wide selection of health and wellness benefits. Additional benefits include wellness activities, parking allowances, continuous learning resources, paid holidays, workplace giving, financial wellness resources, gym membership discounts, and more.

COMPANY CULTURE

Our associates work collectively toward our vision. We share a set of truths referred to as P.A.C.E!

• PEOPLE First! Everything else follows. We work hard to develop respectful, collaborative relationships and meet shared goals.
• ACTION. Take action. We are passionate entrepreneurs and execute with a sense of urgency and strong will to win. We take calculated, informed risks to fuel creativity and innovation.
• CURIOSITY. We are lifelong learners. We maintain our edge and energy by feeding our curiosity. We strive to create a diverse and inclusive culture that welcomes new ideas and perspectives. We believe in growth for our customers and associates.
• ETHICS. Do the right thing. Period. We do the right thing in our business and community, even when no one is looking.
• ! Make your mark. Have fun and make your mark, dang it! We get excited about what we do, we enjoy the process and recognize that enthusiasm and engagement are contagious. We relish opportunities to laugh, to be a tad irreverent, and to play hard along the way.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by associates assigned to this job title. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities and skills required.

Oppenheimer Companies, Inc. provides employment, training, compensation, promotion and other conditions of employment without regard to race, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, sex, age, disability, veteran status, medical condition, marital status or any other legally protected status.

Oppenheimer Companies, Inc. is an equal employment opportunity employer.