Business Development Specialist

Business Development Specialist

Who We Are

Chelten House Products is a fourth-generation, family-owned private label food manufacturing company with facilities in Swedesboro, NJ. We are an industry leader widely recognized for our commitment to creating the finest-tasting pasta sauces, salad dressings, salsas, ketchups, and other sauces and blends.

What We Have

We offer a comprehensive and competitive package, including:

• Medical, vision, and dental benefits
• Company-wide perks and employee appreciation events
• Supplemental benefits including life insurance and 401(k) contributions
• Annual performance evaluations and target bonus incentives
• A diversified workforce committed to excellence and innovation
• Transparent and accessible leadership team
• A competitive pay range between $75,000 - $85,000 per year based on experience

What We Are Looking For:

A Business Development Specialist to support our Senior Business Development Manager. This role serves as the operational hub for key customer accounts, partnering closely with cross-functional teams to keep product development projects moving, support customer initiatives, and ensure seamless execution from concept through commercialization.

The ideal candidate is a highly organized, strong communicator who thrives in a fast-paced environment, enjoys managing multiple priorities, and is naturally proactive. They will coordinate customer requests, track project milestones, analyze market and consumer trends, prepare reports and presentations, and proactively gather information across the organization to help keep our customers informed and our internal teams aligned.

This position offers a unique opportunity to gain exposure to customer strategy, product innovation, and the commercialization of new food products while playing a critical role in the success of Chelten House's Business Development Team.

What You Will Do:

• Maintain business development dashboards, opportunity pipelines, and project trackers to ensure accurate, up-to-date visibility across all customer initiatives.
• Coordinate sample requests, shipments, and tracking to support customer meetings, product evaluations, and development timelines.
• Participate in product tastings, competitive evaluations, and sensory reviews to provide feedback that supports product development and customer innovation initiatives.
• Conduct competitive landscape reviews, product portfolio audits, and market research to identify trends and whitespace opportunities.
• Coordinate label specification and regulatory document requests with internal cross-functional teams.
• Manage new item setup documentation and customer submission requirements across retailer portals.
• Navigate retail customer portals to retrieve reports and submit required documentation.
• Serve as the primary liaison for internal project follow-up, proactively gathering updates from Product Development, Graphics, Regulatory, Purchasing, Operations, and Customer Service.
• Prepare customer meeting materials, presentations, and project summaries to support the Business Development Manager.
• Track action items, key milestones, and customer commitments to help ensure projects remain on schedule and tasks are executed.
• Proactively identify upcoming customer needs, outstanding action items, and potential risks to ensure the Business Development Manager is prepared for customer interactions and internal decision-making.

What You Will Bring:

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Supply Chain, or a related field (or equivalent professional experience).
• 2-3 years of experience in project coordination, sales support, account management, customer service, or a related business function.
• Exceptional organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple projects and competing priorities simultaneously.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with a high level of professionalism.
• Highly detail-oriented with the ability to maintain accuracy across multiple customer projects.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office, particularly Excel and PowerPoint.
• Comfortable learning new software systems, customer portals, and internal databases.
• Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively with cross-functional teams.
• High level of adaptability, able to pivot responsibilities as needed to support business.
• Potential for travel with Business Development Team up to 25%.

Preferred

• Experience supporting Business Development, Sales, Category Management, or Commercial teams in Retail or Manufacturing.
• Experience in food manufacturing, Consumer Product Goods, or private label.
• Familiarity with retailer portals, item setup processes, product development and/or product commercialization.
• Experience coordinating multiple stakeholders across Product Development, Operations, Purchasing, Graphics, Regulatory, and Customer Service.
• Natural Creative Vision for identifying areas of growth and developing strategic means to translate ideas into action.