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Leadership Development Program Associate

Acosta Group
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Overview:

The Leadership Development Program (LDP) at Acosta Group is a full-time, salaried opportunity that prepares you for a pivotal cross-functional role within the organization. Over 18 months, you will rotate through 5–6 organization subgroups, including Retail, Foodservice, Business Intelligence, Sales, Marketing, and more. 

This rotational structure provides a comprehensive understanding of our business and the consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry, positioning you to take on a role that aligns with both your career interests and the company’s strategic needs. Throughout the program, you’ll gain hands on experience, receive executive mentorship, participate in live and virtual leadership training, and broaden your cross-functional knowledge. Together, these elements ensure that upon graduation from the program, you are equipped with the skills, insights, and professional network to accelerate your career.  

 

Annual salary: $65,000 

Start date: July 2026 

Locations: Lewisville, TX, Jacksonville, FL, Bentonville, AR, Bloomfield, NJ, St. Louis, MO, Toronto CAN        

 

Rotation Overviews:

Retail Field Execution

Gain experience and knowledge in the roles of Retail Coverage Merchandiser and Retail Business Manager. This rotation is designed to elevate your knowledge and skills in the following areas: 

  • Acosta Group’s foundational business and culture
  • Customer and client relationships
  • Fiscal year planning for in-store execution
  • In-store selling of client products
  • Self-leadership and supervisory management
  • Retail specific technology
  • CPG industry

Foodservice

Immerse yourself in one of the fastest growing sectors of our business. This rotation provides exposure to how CORE Foodservice partners with brands, distributors, and operators. Key learning areas include: 

  • Understanding the foodservice channel and customer dynamics
  • Developing strategic and tactical selling skills 
  • Building strong relationships with key partners and operators
  • Delivering solutions to drive measurable results for clients

Business Intelligence

Engage as a Corporate Analyst and Associate Business Manager. This rotation is designed to elevate your knowledge and skills in the following areas: 

  • Collecting and analyzing syndicated scan data
  • Delivering high impact strategic value to clients and customers
  • Conducting data analysis for strategic selling and negotiating
  • Techniques for identifying trends and patterns in data
  • Using data to drive decision-making and strategy
  • Building customer and client relationships

Headquarter & Omnichannel Sales

Gain experience as a business manager, honing your skills in effective sales and relationship building with clients and retailers. This rotation is designed to elevate your knowledge and skills in the following areas: 

  • Advanced selling techniques
  • Consumer data planning, tracking and analysis
  • Prioritizing requirements to serve as a strategic partner in headquarter-selling
  • Translating client and customer needs into practical business objectives
  • Delivering high impact strategic value to clients and customers
  • Managing, growing, and maximizing accounts
  • Achieving client and customer objectives related to sales, productivity, profitability, and marketing strategy
  • Fostering customer and client relationships
  • Best in class ecommerce knowledge and techniques

Brand Advocacy Solutions

Engage as an account coordinator working directly with clients and customers. This rotation is designed to elevate your knowledge and skills in the following areas:

  • Coordinating and executing Assisted Sales & Training (AS&T) programs
  • Collaborative efforts between our strategy and creative teams
  • Coordinating and assisting the client services teams on the execution of activations, programs, and live events
  • Understanding Mosaic’s consultative approach and how it delivers ROI to clients

 

Additional Rotation:

The final rotation is customized to align with your interests, skillsets, and organizational priorities. This rotation is designed to help you seamlessly integrate into a team while continuing to advance your professional development. 

Qualifications:

  • Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration or a related field 
  • Minimum GPA: 3.25
  • Reliable transportation to support local and regional travel requirements

Desirable Skills and Attributes:

  • Passionate about diverse subjects including Retail, Foodservice, Business Intelligence, Sales, and Marketing.
  • Proactive, dependable, and personable, with exceptional organizational, interpersonal, and communication skills.
  • A willingness to ask questions, acknowledge mistakes, and continually deepen their knowledge.
  • Strong leadership skills; capable of providing concrete examples of leadership from previous projects or work experiences and articulate their specific contributions as a leader.
  • The ability to assess processes meticulously and formulate well-informed, tangible proposals.
  • Proficient in computer applications such as Microsoft Excel, Word and PowerPoint.