Sales Manager - Specialty Food Ingredients

Our client is the global market leader in lactic acid and its derivatives, and a leading supplier of emulsifiers, functional enzyme blends, minerals, vitamins, and algae ingredients. They use their unique expertise in fermentation and other processes to deliver sustainable solutions for the preservation of food and food production, health, and our planet.

For over 100 years, they have been uncompromising in commitment to safety, quality, innovation, and performance. Drawing on their deep application and product knowledge, they work side-by-side with customers to make their cutting-edge technologies work for them. Their solutions help differentiate products in markets such as food, home & personal care, animal nutrition, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and bioplastics.

Responsibilities:

• Manage Key & Regional accounts, prospects and indirect sales channels through multilevel relationship building, KPI's, commercial and technical support.
• Support product launches and introduction new applications & solutions, in collaboration with other disciplines like Business Development, Applications Team.
• Responsible for realization of business targets (revenues, volumes, prices, margins, pipeline) of customers.
• Growth of project pipeline and execution/progress on active projects, in collaboration with Business Development, Applications, R&D and/or other disciplines.
• Develop and execute on tactical year planning for assigned territory in specific segments, accounts & distributors, following business strategies, action plans & initiatives
• Contract negotiations and closing with support of internal functions, execute on pricing strategies
• Collaboration with demand planning to implement accurate account forecasting.
• Collaboration with EMEA customer service team to manage customer interface.
• Gather market trends and competitive information to identify new sales opportunities and realize growth.

Requirements:

• We are looking for enthusiastic and hands-on specialty ingredients sales manager with focus on driving growth. Strong customer focus and result oriented.
• At least 5 years of experience in technical sales of specialty ingredients / solutions in the food industry.
• BSc or Msc in Food Technology, Food Science or similar.
• Proven ability to build and foster strategic partnerships with key customers and distributors.
• Excellent skills in networking with people and building business relationships. Proven effective interfacing with and influencing customers at all levels and functions.
• Skilled in sales planning, prospecting, and closing business deals.
• Knowledge and experience with full selling cycle from unlocking the customer needs to delivering the solution 
• Knowledge of the Food market and working with Food companies, understanding the dynamics and needs.
• Recognized for ability to work across an organization and cross-functionally, new business development projects.
• Flexible and adaptable to change and passionate.
• Working knowledge of the most common digital tools like a CRM system and the Microsoft applications like Excel Outook and PowerPoint,
• Good command of at least two of the following languages: German, Dutch, English
• Able and willing to travel up to 70%

Locations:

• Netherlands
• Belgium
• Germany
• Austria