Customer Business Manager

Kao

We are Kao, listed as one of the world's most ethical companies for the last 19 years. Our brand portfolio spans across three sectors; Consumer Care (John Frieda, Bondi Sands, Bior, Jergens, Curl), Professional Hair (Goldwell, Oribe, KMS Hair, Kerasilk), and Molton Brown.

Our corporate philosophy, the Kao Way, guides us in everything we do acting with integrity, courageously driving innovation, and treating each other with trust and respect.

The Role

The Customer Business Manager drives profitable, sustainable growth across assigned retail customers by translating company and brand strategies into actionable customer plans. This role is responsible for managing account performance through forecasting, financial stewardship, business analysis, customer relationship management, and cross-functional execution. The position exists to identify growth opportunities, deliver data-driven recommendations, optimize investments and promotional activities, and ensure flawless execution that meets both customer needs and company objectives. By serving as the day-to-day link between the customer and internal teams, the Customer Business Manager helps maximize sales, profitability, and long-term partnerships.

This role serves a critical piece of the organization by managing part of our business with Target.

At Kao, we offer amazing benefits that are available to you on your first day of employment (healthcare, 401(k) plus company match), 36 total days off (vacation + holidays + sick) and a base salary of $100,000 - 120,000 plus bonus.

What You Will Do

P&L, Budget and/or Financial Management

• Build and own customer forecasts
• Evaluate promo ROI, mix impact, and margin implications
• Own day-to-day budget tracking for assigned accounts
• Decide how trade funds are allocated within guardrails
• Prepare promo ROI assessments and margin impact views
• Recommend mix, or promo changes
• Recommend financially sound actions aligned to sales targets
• Present financial implications to internal partners
• Active management of customer financial performance
• Identify and execute profitability improvement opportunities
• Make recommendations regarding pricing architecture, promotional cadence, and assortment profitability

Business Analysis

• Identify root causes and implications
• Translate insights into recommendations
• Prioritize business issues and opportunities for deep dive
• Prioritize requests by brand/trade/customer
• Answer "what should we do differently?" questions
• Diagnose root causes behind performance gaps or wins
• Lead or support preparation of business assessment deliverables
• Apply best practices across multiple business planning scenarios
• Analyze and document risks and benefits
• Identify business opportunities for growth and profitability
• Create business cases and ROI analyses to support recommendations
• Assess opportunity size, resource requirements, and expected outcomes.

Planning & Execution

• Build customer execution plans aligned to strategy
• Coordinate with Supply Chain, Trade, and Marketing
• Adjust execution details to meet customer requirements
• Shape sell-in recommendations on pricing, packs, and assortment
• Advocate for customer needs in innovation discussions
• Influence launch timing
• Flag customer-specific risks and requirements
• Ensure alignment across in-store, omnichannel, and digital commerce activations
• Lead execution planning for digital commerce initiatives
• Ensure integration with broader Sales, Trade, Brand, and customer strategies
• Partner cross-functionally to bring innovation and activation plans to market

Retailer Connection

• Set agendas and shape customer conversations
• Push back and reframe buyer requests when needed
• Influence decisions using data and strategy
• Partner with Brand and Trade to deliver compelling retailer stories
• Lead account teams in creating and evaluating retailer-focused executions
• Tailor value propositions to retailer priorities and stakeholders
• Conduct customer discovery to uncover needs, challenges, and decision criteria
• Navigate objections and negotiations
• Build multi-threaded relationships across retailer organizations
• Demonstrate stakeholder mapping and mutual action planning
• Advocate for customer opportunities internally and externally
• Secure alignment and commitment around growth initiatives

Leadership & Development

• Implement a learning mindset for themselves to stay current on trends, resource allocation & industry capabilities to close existing gaps & develop relevant capabilities in the future.
• Foster a positive, fact based, growth-minded, and collaborative team environment within team, department, and cross-functionally. Champion professional development and individual growth while driving performance, alignment, and engagement across the Kao organization.

What You Will Need

• Bachelors Degree required in Business Administration or a related field
• 7+ years of relevant CPG related experience; knowledge of sales fundamentals, including assortment, pricing, merchandising, promotion, distribution, and category management principles
• Strong Microsoft Office Usage (PowerPoint, Excel, Word, Outlook), Canva a plus
• Intermediate negotiation and selling skills, including the ability to address objections, communicate value propositions, and support customer business reviews
• Self-motivated with a growth mindset, strong attention to detail, and the ability to operate independently while exercising sound business judgment
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to translate complex data into actionable business recommendations and customer selling stories
• Strong communication and executive presentation skills, with the ability to influence stakeholders internally and externally

At Kao, we believe the diversity of our teams strengthens our global mission. Here we trust and respect each other, collaborating in a friendly and inclusive work environment to achieve great results.

What you can expect from us:

• An entrepreneurial environment where passionate and innovative teams come together.
• Respect, teamwork and collaboration are at the heart of how we work.
• A workplace culture that prioritizes employee wellbeing
• A broad range of benefits, including flexible working, competitive salaries, health and wellbeing offers, retirement, insurance options, and more
• Learning and development opportunities

Your voice matters here we value entrepreneurial thinking and innovation from our teams.

To find out why 33,000 people across the Globe work at Kao please visit:

Discover careers at Kao and how we live our purpose, Kirei Making Life Beautiful.

Kao is an Equal Opportunity Employer, including disabled and veterans.