THE POSITION
The Channel Development Manager is the commercial bridge between customer strategy, Key Account Management, marketing and execution. The role converts shopper and customer insights into differentiated propositions, Joint Business Plans and measurable trade activities like: Playbook development, customer plans, pricing and promotion recommendations, perfect-store standards and activation tools required to win.
It partners with Brand Marketing for strategic inputs, while remaining accountable for channel, customer and point-of-purchase translation.
The focus is external and commercial: improve customer value, trade investment, availability, visibility, conversion and profitable growth.
TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Customer Value Proposition Development
• Develop differentiated customer value propositions and category growth stories based on shopper needs, customer economics and channel opportunities.
• Equip KAMs with evidence, selling stories and quantified recommendations for Joint Business Plans, reviews and negotiations.
• Demonstrate mutual value for customers and our business, strengthening our position as a strategic category partner.
2. Category & Channel Strategy
• Own ANZ category and channel development across specialty pet retail, eRetail and veterinary channels.
• Use shopper, customer, category and competitor evidence to identify growth opportunities and channel priorities.
• Translate strategic choices into clear customer, trade and execution priorities for Sales and KAM teams.
• Build competitive advantage through differentiated assortment, pricing, promotion, activation and channel execution.
3. Category Playbooks & Commercial Toolkits
• Develop simple category and channel playbooks covering growth drivers, customer priorities, assortment, pricing, promotion, shelf, point-of-sale, eCommerce and perfect-store standards.
• Turn strategy into practical tools that Sales and KAM teams can use in customer planning and execution.
4. Commercial Analytics & Competitive Intelligence
• Identify the customer, channel and trade drivers behind performance using market, customer, scan, shopper and internal data.
• Track distribution, price, promotion, pack mix, channel performance and competitor trade activity.
• Create benchmarks and early-warning indicators, then translate findings into clear commercial actions.
5. Price, Promotion & Revenue Growth Management
• Partner with Revenue Growth Management, Sales and KAMs on customer pricing, promotional mechanics and trade investment.
• Assess price gaps, promotion effectiveness, customer margin and gross-to-net investment to identify profitable growth opportunities.
• Recommend where to match, differentiate or avoid competitor activity and redirect investment toward higher-return programs.
6. Differential Investment & Trade Strategy
• Prioritise incremental customer and trade investment based on marginal return and contribution.
• Build investment scenarios across promotion, point-of-sale, customer programs and other trade levers.
• Set clear measures, ownership and post-activity evaluation for major investments.
7. Customer & Key Account Development
• Partner with KAMs to build customer growth plans, Joint Business Plans and major customer reviews.
• Develop category stories, commercial recommendations and joint growth platforms for priority customers.
• Support negotiations with robust evidence and convert agreed strategies into measurable execution plans.
8. Point-of-Purchase & Perfect Store
• Own point-of-purchase strategy across stores and eCommerce, focusing on the moments that drive shopper conversion.
• Define and evolve perfect-store standards for availability, assortment, placement, visibility, promotion, search and digital conversion.
• Use customer and shopper data to improve execution and conversion.
9. Go-to-Market & Innovation
• Provide customer, channel and trade input into portfolio and launch planning.
• Develop customer go-to-market plans covering ranging, pricing, phasing, promotion and activation.
• Create launch toolkits for Sales and KAM teams and define customer requirements for successful execution.
10. Cross-Functional Leadership
• Align Sales, KAM, Revenue Growth Management, Finance, Insights and Brand Marketing around customer and channel priorities.
• Translate plans into actions, owners, measures and outcomes.
• Build capability in category management, trade marketing, customer development and commercial analytics.
ABOUT OUR FUTURE EMPLOYEE
You are a commercial strategist who happens to be excellent with data, rather than simply a data analyst or traditional category manager.
You will ideally bring:
• Relevant tertiary qualification in business, commerce, marketing, economics or a related discipline.
• 5-8+ years’ experience in FMCG, consumer healthcare, retail, petcare or another data-rich commercial environment.
• Deep experience in customer development, trade marketing, category management, commercial strategy or revenue growth management.
• Proven ability to build customer value propositions, Joint Business Plans, category playbooks and customer-facing commercial narratives.
• Strong knowledge of Australian retail, eCommerce and multi-channel customer dynamics.
• Advanced analysis of customer sales, scan, shopper, pricing, promotion and trade-investment data.
• Strong commercial acumen across P&L, gross-to-net, margin, customer economics and contribution.
• Ability to turn evidence into clear choices, recommendations and execution.
• Strong communication, influencing and cross-functional leadership skills.