Business Development Manager - Deli and Bakery at Empire Marketing Strategies, Inc. – Seattle, Washington

Job Summary:

The Business Development Manager (BDM) serves as a strategic leader responsible for overseeing key business operations that support growth and efficiency across assigned Kroger divisions. This role focuses on developing and implementing business strategies, coordinating with vendor and customer partners, and driving organizational objectives through cross-functional collaboration. The BDM exercises independent judgment and discretion in planning, decision-making, and problem-solving, with a focus on market analysis, strategic development, and operational execution that directly impact the company’s business operations. Certain BDMs may also have direct supervisory responsibilities for the retail team.

Essential Functions:

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions:

• Strategic Planning
• Vendor Coordination
• Data Analysis & Market Intelligence
• Cross-Functional Collaboration
• Other Duties

Core Functions:

Strategic Planning

• Analyze market trends and internal metrics to guide sales and promotional strategies.
• Develop and oversee territory and division-level business plans.
• Maintain performance dashboards and share key insights with leadership.

Vendor Coordination

• Manage vendor onboarding and ensure compliance with Kroger and company standards.
• Streamline communication between vendors and internal teams.
• Advise vendors on performance improvement using data insights.

Data Analysis & Market Intelligence

• Track competitors and provide insights for product positioning.
• Use Market 6, IRI, and Stratum to identify opportunities and address performance gaps.
• Share findings with internal teams and vendors to inform strategy.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Act as the primary liaison across departments for strategic projects.
• Lead cross-functional teams for product launches and process improvements.
• Develop and maintain SOPs to ensure operational consistency.

Other Duties

• Submit accurate call reports and update sales pipelines and territory plans.
• Manage travel and business expenses per company policy.
• Prepare and present performance reports to leadership and clients.
• Perform other administrative duties as needed.
• Some BDM positions may also supervise members of the retail team including the following:
• Participate in the hiring process for the retail team.
• Provides performance feedback including coaching, counseling and disciplinary action as needed for the retail team.
• Complete performance reviews in conjunction with members of management.
• Partner with management on termination conversations regarding the retail team.
• Train members of the retail team according to company policies and procedures.
• Assigns work to retail team including scheduling and route management.
• Provide performance feedback for retail team associates’ annual performance reviews.
• Lead by example with a positive approach to retail marketing strategies to motivate the retail team’s performance.
• Troubleshoot and resolve issues between Empire and customer associates .

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, or related field is preferred
• 5–7 years of experience in business development, strategic planning, or account management, preferably in a retail or food brokerage environment
• Experience managing multiple product categories or departments
• Demonstrated ability to analyze data and develop strategies that impact business operations
• Proficient in market analysis tools such as Market 6, IRI, and Stratum
• Valid driver’s license with a clean driving record

Physical Requirements:

• Ability to operate a motor vehicle and travel regularly between work sites.
• Regular lifting and moving up to 40-50 pounds from one location to another, sometimes several feet away from each other.
• Regular use of hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls and reach with hands and arms.
• Ability to stand, crouch, bend, climb, kneel, and perform repetitive motions.
• Ability to stand and walk throughout the retail space for prolonged periods of time.
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and ability to see objects, information on computer screens, and/or view written information, from distances of 20-40 feet.

Tools and Equipment:

• Regular operation of a personal motor vehicle, to and from work sites.
• Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and web-browsers

Work Environment:

• Duties are typically performed in an office and a retail grocery store environment.
• Also required to be in outside facilities, including but not limited to, customer warehouses, kitchens, and manufacturer-client facilities, all of which require more safety precautions than a normal office environment.
• Noise levels – typically moderate.

Required Skills/Abilities:

• Ability to write clear and concise correspondence.
• Ability to accurately exchange information.
• Excellent interpersonal and customer service skills.
• Ability to be able to operate autonomously, with strong personal drive for results.
• Ability to effectively present information in one on one or group situations.
• Ability to read and comprehend simple to sometimes complex instructions, correspondence, and memos.
• Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists.
• Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.
• Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals
• Ability to compute rate, ratio, and percent and to draw and interpret bar graphs.