Associate Business Manager (Kroger)

As an Associate Business Manager (ABM) on our Kroger team, you will play a key role in supporting and growing assigned customer businesses while developing the foundational skills needed for a Business Manager role. This position is designed as a developmental, client-facing role, where you will lead day-to-day management of smaller clients, while building expertise in sales strategy, analytics, and customer engagement.

You will be responsible for driving sales, executing key business fundamentals, and supporting strategic initiatives, all while learning to manage the full scope of a business. This role partners closely with senior leadership to accelerate readiness for broader responsibility.

Preferred locations for candidate to reside in - Cincinnati, Dayton, or within 1 hour of Cincinnati

Acosta is a part of Acosta Group – a collective of the industry’s most trusted retail, marketing and foodservice agencies reimagining the way people connect with brands at every point in their shopping journey.

Specializing in retail sales services, digital strategy, and business intelligence, Acosta empowers brands to thrive in the world of omnichannel shopping. Our sales and digital teams build lasting relationships, ensuring our client brands get the space they deserve in stores and outperform the competition online, while our merch reps make brands shine in retail locations across the world.

But it’s not just about what we do – it’s about who we are. With a team of over 20,000 associates, we’re a community of forward-thinking, value-driven professionals committed to an unmatched level of trust and transparency in the industry. And, we understand the importance of work-life balance, which is why many of our field roles provide our associates with flexible scheduling options. Join us and be a part of a team that values growth and making a real impact for our clients, retail partners and their customers.

Acosta Group believes in good faith that the minimum and maximum annual salary or hourly compensation range for this opportunity is accurate and reasonable at the time of posting.

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#DiscoverYourPath

As an Associate Business Manager (ABM) on our Kroger team, you will play a key role in supporting and growing assigned customer businesses while developing the foundational skills needed for a Business Manager role. This position is designed as a developmental, client-facing role, where you will lead day-to-day management of smaller clients, while building expertise in sales strategy, analytics, and customer engagement. You will be responsible for driving sales, executing key business fundamentals, and supporting strategic initiatives, all while learning to manage the full scope of a business. This role partners closely with senior leadership to accelerate readiness for broader responsibility.

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience

1–3 years of sales, CPG, retail, or related experience preferred

Strong analytical, organizational, and communication skills

Demonstrated ability to learn quickly and apply insights to business situations

Proficiency in sales reporting tools and Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint)

Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to build relationships internally and externally

Willingness to travel as needed (light local travel)

#DiscoverYourPath

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience

1–3 years of sales, CPG, retail, or related experience preferred

Strong analytical, organizational, and communication skills

Demonstrated ability to learn quickly and apply insights to business situations

Proficiency in sales reporting tools and Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint)

Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to build relationships internally and externally

Willingness to travel as needed (light local travel)

#DiscoverYourPath

• Achieve Sales Goals: Deliver principals’ volume, share, and sales fundamental goals (merchandising, assortment, pricing, and shelving) at the lowest possible cost while maximizing company revenue through brokerage, commissions, bonuses, and contest earnings.

• Strategic Communication: Communicate principals’ priorities to Retail Sales Managers, Marketing Managers and the retail selling organization to ensure in-store presence and business objectives are met.

• Relationship Building: Develop and maintain strong relationships with principals and customers, proactively communicating with key principals to foster collaboration and success. Participate in customer meetings, market visits, and line reviews, with increasing ownership over time.

• Market Insight: Coordinate principals’ market visits and key account calls, utilizing your knowledge of customer, market, and principal to successfully sell principals’ specific programs and initiatives.

• Feedback and Improvement: Provide feedback on the effectiveness of principals’ strategies, selling programs, and initiatives to both the principal and the General Manager, and offer suggestions on how to build organizational capacity and improve sales.

• Information Management: Maintain current account distribution information, review market pricing reports for accuracy and competitive activity, and collect and report all competitive activity.

• Selling & Presentation Development: Contribute to and begin leading sales presentations using syndicated and customer data. Leverage insights and guidance from Business Managers and leadership to build effective, customer-focused recommendations.

• Skill Development: Actively engage in training, coaching, and skill development opportunities. Seek feedback and apply learnings to build capabilities.

• Compliance and Financial Management: Ensure all client procedures and policies are followed, achieve client proprietary system expertise to manage promotional plans and fund balances, and monitor and take corrective action as necessary in financial management, such as deductions.

• Additional Responsibilities: Support broader team initiatives and take on stretch assignments as part of development.

• Achieve Sales Goals: Deliver principals’ volume, share, and sales fundamental goals (merchandising, assortment, pricing, and shelving) at the lowest possible cost while maximizing company revenue through brokerage, commissions, bonuses, and contest earnings.

• Strategic Communication: Communicate principals’ priorities to Retail Sales Managers, Marketing Managers and the retail selling organization to ensure in-store presence and business objectives are met.

• Relationship Building: Develop and maintain strong relationships with principals and customers, proactively communicating with key principals to foster collaboration and success. Participate in customer meetings, market visits, and line reviews, with increasing ownership over time.

• Market Insight: Coordinate principals’ market visits and key account calls, utilizing your knowledge of customer, market, and principal to successfully sell principals’ specific programs and initiatives.

• Feedback and Improvement: Provide feedback on the effectiveness of principals’ strategies, selling programs, and initiatives to both the principal and the General Manager, and offer suggestions on how to build organizational capacity and improve sales.

• Information Management: Maintain current account distribution information, review market pricing reports for accuracy and competitive activity, and collect and report all competitive activity.

• Selling & Presentation Development: Contribute to and begin leading sales presentations using syndicated and customer data. Leverage insights and guidance from Business Managers and leadership to build effective, customer-focused recommendations.

• Skill Development: Actively engage in training, coaching, and skill development opportunities. Seek feedback and apply learnings to build capabilities.

• Compliance and Financial Management: Ensure all client procedures and policies are followed, achieve client proprietary system expertise to manage promotional plans and fund balances, and monitor and take corrective action as necessary in financial management, such as deductions.

• Additional Responsibilities: Support broader team initiatives and take on stretch assignments as part of development.