Business Development Manager

Reporting To: VP Retail Sales

Role Location: Woodridge, IL (Hybrid)

Travel: Up to 25% - Domestic and International

About Our Company

Gerber is proudly celebrating over 90 years of manufacturing tried and true, high-quality kitchen and bathroom plumbing products. We earn the trust of trade professionals and homeowners alike who find value in products that have both style and substance–performing without exception for years to come, all while being surprisingly affordable.

Who We Are

At Globe Union/Gerber, we live by our core values—Humility, Enthusiasm, Accountability, Resourcefulness, and Transparency. As a Business Development Manager, you will:

• Show Humility: Value input from all team members and recognize opportunities for growth.
• Be Enthusiastic: Embrace challenges and continuously seek to deepen your business knowledge.
• Take Accountability: Own your work and commitments, and proactively address challenges.
• Be Resourceful: Prioritize effectively, leverage resources, and collaborate for maximum impact.
• Practice Transparency: Communicate openly, seek clarity, and uphold integrity in all interactions.
  
  

These values are integral to our culture and your success in this role.

Position Summary

The Business Development Manager is responsible for driving revenue growth, profitability, and customer development within the Tier 2 retail channel. This role owns full program P&L, develops and executes sales strategies, leads product line reviews, identifies market and assortment opportunities, and collaborates closely with cross-functional teams including NPD, pricing, and operations. The position requires strong analytical, communication, and leadership skills, with the ability to manage customer relationships, present performance insights, and support key retail initiatives. Travel of up to 25% is required to engage with customers, attend line reviews, and represent the company at trade shows.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute sales strategies focused on achieving KPIs, sales targets, financial budgets, and performance metrics.
• Own full Program P&L and ensure profitability through proactive management.
• Drive customer development and maintain effective communication, including analyzing and presenting product and program performance, pricing strategies, and category management insights.
• Identify growth opportunities through strong understanding of market dynamics and customer needs.
• Collaborate with the New Product Development team to identify and evaluate new product opportunities.
• Monitor program performance to identify at-risk SKUs and recommend new SKUs for assortment optimization.
• Plan, prepare, and participate in product line reviews, including market overviews, category insights, competitive analysis, and development of compelling product and sales presentations.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Forecast customer program needs and ensure alignment with internal operations teams.
• Conduct customer meetings, with potential travel across the USA, Canada, Mexico, and Asia.
• Lead and sell at trade shows, including planning, execution, and onsite customer engagement.
• Partner cross-functionally with internal support teams to execute customer initiatives and programs.
• Address and resolve internal and external customer issues promptly and thoroughly.
• Support various retail functions and special projects as required.
• Perform additional duties and responsibilities as needed.
• Flexibility to perform other duties as required
  
  

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in business, with a minimum of 5-7 years of experience with Coop Retail and MRO is preferred.
• Possesses knowledge of standard pricing and price models
• Experience with customer product line review, preferred but not required.
• Proficiency is MS Office suite, with advanced Excel skills.
• Detail-oriented; precision and consistency is key to success in this role.
• Ability to work effectively as a team as well as manage time and projects independently.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong interpersonal, influencing and leadership skills.
• Bright, highly analytical, goal-oriented with high standards for quality and performance.
• Flexibility to effectively work with others from different cultures, work habits, and management styles.
• Hardworking, action-oriented, and results driven.
• Demonstrates a “roll up your sleeves” initiative to get the job done.
• Willingness to cooperate and accept added responsibilities.
• Ability to travel.