Customer Development Manager

ABOUT THE GROUP

From a small store in Turin to a large, internationally recognized group: we are present in 90 countries around the world, with over 5,000 employees and 30 companies, managed directly and indirectly by the Luigi Lavazza Spa parent company, which distribute and market our products and coffee machines. In addition to Lavazza, the following brands are also part of our Group:
Carte Noire, Merrild, Kicking Horse, Eraclea and Whittington tea.

Joining Lavazza means doing business with passion, knowing that the impact of our work goes beyond the quality of the production chain. We are a big family and are constantly looking for new talents who share our values and can enrich our team. We combine competitiveness with social and environmental responsibility as we create superior quality products available for consumption both at home and out of home, and distributed through all channels:
Retail, Food service, Office Coffee Service (OCS), and Vending. Our strong, diversified presence enables us to offer consumers and clients perfectly suited solutions, for any occasion and time of day.

The Customer Development Manager (CDM) is a high-impact commercial role at the intersection of sales, category leadership, and customer partnership. You will own strategic planning and development for a defined channel (Grocery, Natural, Office Products / E-Commerce) partnering closely with Sales, Revenue Management, and Marketing to drive Lavazza’s growth agenda at the customer level.

This role is ideal for a commercially minded CPG professional who thrives on translating data into compelling selling stories, building trusted customer relationships, and executing with precision across promotional calendars and launch events.

Applicants to this role will be evaluated for three retail channels according to background and experience.

Location:

New York, NY

Work model:
Hybrid, 3 days/week in-office

Travel:
As needed up to 20%

Base Pay Range: $,000

Annual Incentive Plan / Annual Bonus: 20%

• Drive 4P execution with Lavazza, Brokers, and cross-functional teams (Sales, Marketing, RGM).
• Lead monthly category and assortment reviews to identify gaps, deliver insights, and implement corrective actions.
• Coordinate execution readiness for key promotional periods and support flawless activation with agency partners.
• Facilitate monthly Customer Business Reviews to align on performance, priorities, and strategic direction.
• Equip Sales and Brokers with strategic insights, selling stories, and materials for customer meetings.
• Define and communicate customer planning calendars aligned with Joint Business Planning (JBP).
• Lead quarterly/bi-annual Customer Business Reviews to support long-term planning and performance tracking.
• Collaborate with Activation Home to define and maintain Customer Picture of Success (PICOS).
• Align activation plans and budgets to amplify national and customer-specific priorities and drive KPIs.
• Evaluate program ROI and recommend optimization strategies for future activations.
• Cascade strategic guidance from National Category Management to customer level.
• Align internal stakeholders across Leadership, Marketing, Sales, RGM, and Channel Strategy to deliver customer goals.
• Share customer updates, wins, and risks in Local/HQ Business Reviews.
• Partner with RGM, Sales, and Finance to build sustainable P&Ls and co-manage planning tools (TPM/Salesforce).
• Ensure cross-functional collaboration to execute customer strategies and maintain alignment across teams.

• Four year degree from an accredited institution, preferably in Business
• 5+ years working experience in CPG Trade Marketing, Category Management, Sales, Sales Planning or Marketing required
• Experience supporting Retail/eTail channels and customers required.
• Proficient in MS Office, with intermediate to advanced skills in Excel and Power Point
• Experienced with syndicated retail data tools (e.g., Nielsen, IRI, Numerator) and eCommerce platforms…