Business Development Manager - Emerging Markets
The Gorilla Glue Company
Job Details
Description
We are seeking a highly motivated and strategic Business Development Manager to lead growth and expansion into emerging and underdeveloped markets, including but not limited to Paint, Woodcraft, Tool, Beauty, and other Specialty Retail Channels. This role will focus on identifying new distribution opportunities, building partnerships, and driving channel development to increase brand penetration and sales across new and evolving markets.
Ideal Candidate Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
What's in it for you?
Thanks to our commitment to creating a supportive and engaged workplace culture, Gorilla Glue has been recognized as a top place to work for 15 years in a row. We offer competitive compensation packages, comprehensive healthcare benefits, and other perks and incentives to ensure our employees feel valued and supported.
Joining the Gorilla Glue family means being part of a team passionate about building strong brands and promoting a culture of excellence. As an employee, you'll be able to help create high-quality products and build brands that people love. Join us in an inspiring workplace where you can belong, grow, and make a difference!
Key Responsibilities:
Market Development & Channel Expansion
- Identify, evaluate, and prioritize emerging channels with strong growth potential in the paint, woodcraft, tool, beauty and other specialty categories.
- Develop and execute go-to-market strategies to enter and scale within underdeveloped or non-traditional markets.
- Conduct market analysis to understand category trends, customer behavior, and competitive landscape.
- Build business cases for channel entry, including volume forecasts, profitability analysis, and investment requirements.
Partnership & Account Development
- Maintain, strengthen and grow current client relationships in this channel.
- Identify and engage new distributors, key accounts, and buying groups across target markets.
- Negotiate terms, pricing, and promotional programs to maximize growth potential while maintaining margin objectives.
- Establish and manage relationships with key decision-makers to drive category adoption and long-term partnerships.
- Develop account-specific business plans aligned with overall channel strategy.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Work closely with Marketing, Sales Strategy & Planning, Finance, and Supply Chain to ensure alignment on channel strategies and execution.
- Collaborate with Brand to develop tailored promotional strategies, merchandising plans, and sell-in materials for new markets.
- Partner with Operations to ensure supply readiness and optimal customer service for new accounts.
Performance & Growth Management
- Establish KPIs and performance metrics for new markets and track progress against sales and distribution goals.
- Deliver consistent reporting and insights to senior leadership on growth opportunities, risk areas, and emerging trends.
- Monitor product performance and identify opportunities for line extensions or channel-specific SKUs.
Strategic Innovation
- Explore adjacent market opportunities where brand equity or product capabilities can be extended (e.g., cross-over into DIY, lifestyle, or specialty retail).
- Recommend product adaptations or packaging innovations to meet the needs of unique channels or consumer segments.
- Stay ahead of evolving trends and competitive movements within the broader CPG and specialty retail ecosystem.
Qualifications
Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in business, Marketing, or related field (MBA preferred).
- 5–10 years of experience in Sales, Business Development or Channel Management within a Consumer-Packaged Goods or Specialty Retail environment.
- Proven success in developing new markets, channels, or distribution partnerships.
- Strong understanding of category dynamics in Hardware, DIY, Specialty retail and adjacent CPG segments.
- Excellent negotiation, presentation, and relationship-building skills.
- Analytical and strategic thinker with experience building and executing market-entry plans.
- Comfortable working in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment with limited structure.
What Success in This Role Looks Like:
- Expanding brand presence into 2 – 5 new or underpenetrated channels within 12–18 months.
- Establishing a clear growth pipeline of new accounts and partnerships.
- Demonstrating measurable sales growth and profitability improvement through new market development.
- Becoming the internal expert on emerging markets and their potential for the brand portfolio.
Company Values:
Must adhere to The Gorilla Glue Company’s Core Values that ensure everyone works together to exceed expectations.
Have fun, be passionate, and show it!
Act with integrity and respect in all relationships.
Communicate openly and appreciate the effort of others.
Embrace knowledge, growth, and change.
Strive for excellence in what we do every day!
Are you ready to join one of Cincinnati’s Top Workplaces? Our employees love working here because of our environment, which is driven by our company mission and core values. If you have the right qualifications and thrive in a fun and fast-paced environment, we have a great opportunity for you to grow with us!
