Convenience Business Development Manager

Department: Sales    Location: Charlotte

About the Role

The Convenience Business Development Manager is TGF's primary new-business hunter for convenience retail. This role owns prospecting, access, relationship development, presentations, negotiations, and commercialization across national and regional chains, travel centers, and distributor networks. The right person understands both the headquarters sale and the execution required to make a program real. You know how to work through McLane, Core-Mark/PFG, Eby-Brown, and regional distributors; how to create a compelling grab-and-go proposition; and how to keep complex opportunities moving across buyer, distributor, broker, and internal teams.

Responsibilities

• Prospecting and New Account Acquisition
  • Build and execute a focused target strategy across national and regional convenience chains, travel centers, and other high-potential operators.
  • Create qualified opportunities through direct outreach, existing relationships, broker partners, distributor contacts, industry events, and persistent follow-up.
  • Map each target account, identify decision makers, and develop retailer-specific entry strategies.
  • Secure buyer meetings, category reviews, product presentations, distributor discussions, and pilot opportunities.
  • Own the opportunity from first contact through authorization, commercial agreement, distributor setup, and launch commitment.
  • Maintain a disciplined, stage-based pipeline in HubSpot with accurate values, probabilities, next actions, and expected timing.
• Convenience Selling and Channel Solutions
  • Develop customer-specific selling stories built around the convenience shopper, trip mission, price point, impulse placement, and retailer economics.
  • Identify white-space opportunities across grab-and-go snacks, single-serve formats, private label, regional concepts, seasonal programs, and retailer exclusives.
  • Partner with Marketing and R&D to create differentiated products, packaging, and merchandising ideas that fit the channel.
  • Lead presentations, tastings, proposals, and negotiations with confidence and commercial discipline.
  • Balance creativity with operational reality, ensuring opportunities can be produced, distributed, and executed profitably.
• Distributor and Broker Development
  • Develop the distributor relationships required to secure and support new convenience distribution, including McLane, Core-Mark/PFG, Eby-Brown, and regional partners.
  • Navigate item setup, warehouse authorization, forecasting, initial orders, and rollout requirements for newly won programs.
  • Recruit, onboard, and direct convenience brokers where they improve account access and in-market execution.
  • Set clear expectations for introductions, pipeline creation, follow-up, and presentation quality, and address underperformance quickly.
  • Retain personal accountability for the customer strategy and close rather than outsourcing ownership to brokers or distributors.
• Commercialization and Handoff
  • Coordinate across Marketing, R&D, Supply Chain, Operations, Finance, and Customer Success to move new opportunities from concept to shelf.
  • Lead alignment on assortment, pack configuration, forecast, distributor path, and launch timing.
  • Remain engaged through first shipment, initial rollout, and early issue resolution.
  • Complete a structured transition to the Retail Business Manager once the account is established, ensuring all commitments, contacts, forecasts, and growth opportunities are documented.

Requirements

• Five or more years of convenience-channel sales or new-business development experience within food, snacks, candy, CPG, or manufacturing.
• Demonstrated record of personally acquiring new convenience chains, travel-center customers, or distributor-supported programs.
• Direct experience with major convenience distributors such as McLane, Core-Mark/PFG, Eby-Brown, or comparable regional partners.
• Experience selling directly to buyers, category managers, and senior convenience decision makers.
• Experience recruiting and managing convenience brokers.
• Strong presentation, negotiation, financial, and written communication skills.
• Proficiency with CRM platforms, BI tools, Microsoft Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Bachelor's degree preferred; equivalent relevant experience will be considered.
• Ability to travel up to approximately 30%, including customer visits, distributor meetings, trade shows, and TGF facilities.

Skills and Qualities

• Energized by the chase and enjoys building relationships required to win in a channel with white space.
• Understands convenience selling requires speed, persistence, and operational fluency.
• Comfortable moving from senior buyer conversations to detailed distributor setup discussions without losing momentum.
• A true hunter who wants to open accounts, not maintain mature ones.
• Well-connected in convenience but not dependent on a contact list to create opportunities.
• Knowledgeable about distributor dynamics, item setup, and store-level execution realities.
• Commercially sharp and comfortable discussing margin, trade spend, retail price, pack architecture, and volume assumptions.
• Creative enough to see new possibilities and disciplined enough to qualify them.
• Resilient, self-directed, and comfortable operating with a high degree of autonomy and accountability.

Why Join TGF

• Shape the channel with a dedicated growth investment and meaningful white space.
• Work closely with leadership, partnering directly with the Vice President of Sales & Marketing and leaders across Marketing, R&D, Supply Chain, and Operations.
• Create, not just sell—TGF can develop retailer-specific products, formats, and programs.
• Leverage real capabilities: manufacturing platform, broad snack expertise, and entrepreneurial pace.
• Your wins will matter, directly influencing TGF's next phase of growth.
• Growth opportunities as the channel expands, with potential for broader strategic and leadership responsibilities.

Scope of Responsibility

This role is the primary owner of TGF’s convenience channel business development efforts. The Convenience Business Development Manager operates with a high degree of autonomy in prospecting, partnership development, and channel execution, reporting results and escalating strategic decisions to the VP of Sales & Marketing. This job requires handling sensitive commercial information, including pricing, margin, trade spend, and customer contracts, with discretion and professionalism.

Benefits

• Affordable healthcare (medical/dental/vision).
• Opportunity to participate in the Health Savings Account (HSA) and Flexible Spending Account (FSA).
• Short-term disability insurance paid by the company.
• Basic life insurance equal to your annual salary paid by the company.
• Employee Assistance Program—paid by the company.
• Long-term disability insurance.
• Opportunity to purchase additional voluntary insurance coverage for life insurance, accident, whole life, and prepaid legal.
• Paid Time Off (PTO).
• 9 paid holidays per year.
• 401(k) Plan (eligible after 6 months of employment).

Schedule

• Up to 30% travel required, including customer visits, broker meetings, trade shows, and industry events.

Physical Demands

• Occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.
• Regularly required to sit for extended periods, use hands to operate a computer, and talk or hear.
• Occasionally required to stand and walk.

Work Environment

• Work is primarily performed in the Charlotte office with occasional trade travel and customer visits.
• Typical work environment has a moderate noise level.