Senior Customer Business Manager UNFI Foods

Englewood Cliffs, United States

Professional seated at a conference table with laptops and a presentation screen in a modern office setting

Job ID:: R-1179968
Date posted:: 04/20/2026
Job Type:: Full time
Job Category:: Customer Development

JOB PURPOSE

The primary purpose of the Senior Customer Business Manager (CBM) position is to develop sustained business relationships and driving mutual profitable sales volume and nurture sustained business relationships with one of the largest U.S. distributors, UNFI Conventional, and their downstream retail customers for Foods categories. The Senior CBM will exceed (profitable) volume and share goals while improving return on holistic customer investment, in line with joint business plan targets and customer and brand strategies. They optimize product distribution, pricing and promotions to drive profitable growth. It is imperative that they have a working knowledge of the consumer cross functions.

WHAT YOUR MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES WILL BE

This position requires excellent customer engagement skills and will manage all aspects of the commercial plan for the UNFI Conventional business including: 

Lead 7-person dedicated broker team as well as indirect cross functional partners to deliver the collective KPIs required of the overall team 
Lead both near-term and long-term Joint Business Planning (JBP); lead the development of strategic platforms and other growth drivers to achieve growth targets across Foods categories at UNFI Conventional
Working with the Business Development Team and the internal Brand and Category Strategy & Planning teams to ensure the plans are resourced and that Spend and Volume are synchronized in order to deliver the Joint Business Plan
Create and operationalize the UNFI Conventional customer strategy including all components of the go to market plan including “Big Bets”, innovation execution, trade investment ROI and the integration of shopper marketing plans with merchandising plans 
Cross functionally lead all aspects of operational delivery of the business plan including initiating growth platforms, forecasting & retail inventory level management, supply chain compliance and managing deductions and balancing trade investment

WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO SUCCEED

Experiences & Qualifications

Undergraduate bachelor’s degree required
7-10+ years experience in CPG or Retail industry
Experience working with distributor networks and broker sales teams is a plus
Working knowledge of Nielsen/IRI, Evergreen, and Customer POS Data is strongly desired
Ability to build strong relationships with multiple levels of management internally and externally
Strong financial and business acumen, including P&L ownership, customer planning with effective internal/customer communication, and analytical skills  
Skilled in verbal & written communications to work with our Sales Leadership Team, Business Development Team, Category Strategy & Planning, and Brand Team
Resilience: Thrive on challenges and confidently navigate ambiguity with numerous support groups to deliver growth initiatives
Growth Mindset: Ability to present and sell new ideas and techniques to all UNFI Conventional and Unilever personnel to achieve profitable sales growth and turnover targets. Always seeking to optimize and evolve.
Ownership Mindset: Ask challenging ‘why’ questions and take full accountability for successes and failures.
Big Picture Thinking: You connect the dots and develop strategic plans to deliver growth

Pay: The pay range for this position is $119,400 to $179,000. Unilever takes into consideration a wide range of factors that areutilizedin making compensation decisions including, but not limited to, skill sets, experience and training, licensure and certifications, qualifications and education, and other business and organizational needs. 

Bonus: This position is bonus eligible. 

Long-Term Incentive (LTI): This position is LTI eligible. 

Benefits: Unilever employees are eligible toparticipatein our benefits plan. Should the employee choose to participate, they can choose from a range of benefits to include, but is not limited to, health insurance (including prescription drug, dental, and vision coverage), retirement savings benefits, life insurance and disability benefits, parental leave, sick leave, paid vacation and holidays, as well as access to numerous voluntary benefits. Anycoveragesfor health insurance and retirement benefits will bein accordance withthe terms and conditions of the applicable plans and associated governing plan documents. 

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At Unilever, inclusion is at the heart of everything we do. We welcome applicants from all walks of life and are committed to creating an environment where everyone can thrive/succeed. All applicants will receive fair and respectful consideration, and we actively support the growth and development of every employee.

Unilever is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Persons with Disabilities.

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Employment is subject to verification of pre-screening tests, which may include drug screening, background check, credit check and DMV check.

If you are an individual with a disability in need of assistance at any time during our recruitment process, please contact us at NA.Accommodations@unilever.com. Please note: This email is reserved for individuals with disabilities in need of assistance and is not a means of inquiry about positions or application statuses. The Protected Veterans or Individuals with Disabilities AAP narratives are available for inspection by any employee or applicant for employment Monday through Friday during normal business hours at establishment.

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