Organisation: Unilever
Business Unit: Unilever Food Solutions (UFS)
Job Title: Territory Development Manager – Chicago, IL
Job Requisition ID: R-1172123
Employment Type: Full-Time
Work Arrangement: Remote
Location: Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
Closing Date: 23 January 2026
About Unilever Food Solutions
Unilever Food Solutions (UFS) is the €3bn+ foodservice division of Unilever, operating across 72 countries and serving operators, distributors, and partners throughout the global foodservice industry. UFS creates value through innovative culinary solutions and is committed to improving food experiences across the value chain.
UFS is accelerating its digital transformation to drive growth through data-driven and technology-enabled go-to-market capabilities, with a global ambition to reach 3 million operators by 2030 through integrated online and offline engagement strategies.
Purpose of the Role
The Territory Development Manager is responsible for driving sustainable business growth across operators, local chains, and distributor trade partners within the assigned territory. The role focuses on increasing reach, penetration, and market share through a multi-touchpoint engagement model that combines digital and face-to-face interactions.
You will use data, CRM tools, and market insights to position Unilever Food Solutions as a valued partner while delivering an exceptional customer experience.
Key Responsibilities
Demand Creation and Business Growth
- Drive turnover, reach, penetration, and digital engagement within the assigned territory
- Engage local chain and operator customers to deliver sales growth targets
- Implement a full Key Account Management approach, including CBP, Win & Retain funnels, and contact matrices
- Execute a multi-touchpoint contact strategy (approximately 20% digital and 80% face-to-face engagement)
Sales Execution and Customer Engagement
- Convert business insights and market data into activation and solution-selling opportunities
- Use market trends to develop concept-based solution selling
- Prepare customer visits with tailored solution recommendations
- Utilize Salesforce CRM to manage customer interactions, pipelines, and workflow
- Conduct face-to-face and virtual culinary demonstrations, sampling, and ideation sessions
- Follow up on opportunities to ensure progression to close
Distributor and Trade Partner Collaboration
- Coordinate monthly customer orders to ensure growth targets are achieved
- Work closely with distributors and trade partners to expand assortment and align priorities
- Build and maintain strong relationships with distributor sales representatives
- Engage trade customers to align on secondary sales data (SSD)
Promotions, Claims, and Administration
- Implement customer promotions aligned to key seasons and events
- Ensure timely submission and settlement of trade claims
Critical Skills Required
- Strong hunter mentality with a focus on new demand creation (70% hunting / 30% farming)
- Fast adopter of contemporary technology, including AI tools, Power BI, and Excel
- Entrepreneurial mindset with strong solution-selling capability
- Curiosity and awareness of evolving foodservice and culinary trends
- Ability to sell premium brands using superiority selling stories and culinary solutions
- Strong networking and stakeholder engagement skills
- Bilingual ability (Spanish or Mandarin) is an advantage
Essential Experience
- CPG foodservice sales experience (B2B)
- Culinary or chef-led selling experience
- Established network of foodservice operator partners
- Distributor, ingredient, or broker sales experience
- Experience using CRM systems, preferably Salesforce
- Operator or foodservice operations experience
- Strong geographical and market knowledge
- Food or hospitality education background (CIA, food, or hospitality) is advantageous
- Experience working within a multinational corporate environment
Compensation and Benefits
- Salary Range: USD 69,360 – USD 104,040 per annum
- Bonus: Performance-based bonus eligible
- Long-Term Incentive: LTI eligible
- Benefits: Comprehensive benefits package including health insurance, retirement savings, paid leave, and additional voluntary benefits (subject to plan terms and conditions)
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Unilever is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion and provides equal employment opportunities to all applicants. Reasonable accommodations are available for individuals with disabilities throughout the recruitment process.