Business Development Manager

Regional Business Development Manager, Asia Pacific (China focus) | Specialty Nutrition Ingredients | Singapore

We are representing a well-funded, science-led producer of sustainable omega-3 nutrition ingredients. It started as an R&D business and is now a global player, with patent-protected technology supplying the food, beverage and infant nutrition sectors. As the business expands in Asia Pacific, it is adding a Regional Business Development Manager to its Singapore team.

What you will do

Business development and growth

•Identify, qualify and win new business across your markets, and build a strong pipeline that matches the company's growth priorities

•Appoint, develop and manage distributors to grow market share, with clear plans, targets and regular business reviews

•Build customer value propositions and turn opportunities into clear commercial plans

•Lead opportunities from first conversation through evaluation and negotiation to close

•Track regional market dynamics, customer needs and competitor activity, and spot ways to improve product mix and share of wallet

Key accounts and partners

•Keep account plans for key distributors and customers, and lead regular business reviews

•Build relationships across customer organisations, from commercial and procurement to innovation, technical and supply chain, including senior stakeholders

•Work with Applications, R&D and Innovation to turn customer needs into viable commercial opportunities

Commercial management

•Set pricing, margin expectations and go-to-market approaches for significant deals with the regional head

•Negotiate within agreed commercial parameters, using quantified value-selling arguments

•Own delivery against your growth, volume and margin targets, keep forecasts accurate and give clear visibility of pipeline and risks

•Work with Quality, Operations, Supply Chain, Legal and Customer Service so commitments match capacity and inventory

•Contribute to the regional commercial strategy and annual operating plan

How success is measured

•Value, quality, conversion and speed of your new business pipeline

•New business sales, volume and profitable growth

•Gross contribution and margin against agreed objectives

•Forecast accuracy and successful commercialisation of significant new opportunities

What you will bring

•6+ years of progressive B2B sales, business development or commercial experience across several Asia Pacific markets, including China

•A track record of new business you personally won and grew, not only accounts you inherited, and the numbers to show it

•Experience working through and managing distributors

•A background in food ingredients, nutrition, infant formula, nutraceuticals, food and beverage, life sciences or a related B2B sector

•Strong commercial judgement on pricing, margins, forecasting and profitability, and strong negotiation, influencing and value-selling skills

•Experience with multinational customers and stakeholders across functions and levels

•Analytical skills, using data to support commercial decisions

•Comfort where structures are still being built: adaptable, proactive, creative in solving problems, and able to work with a high degree of autonomy

•Clear written and spoken communication with senior customers and internal stakeholders

•Mandarin proficiency, to work with distributors and customers in China

•A degree in Business, Food Science, Nutrition, Life Sciences or a related field, or equivalent experience

•Willingness to travel regularly, regionally and internationally

Why consider it

• •Regional ownership in a small team, with a direct line to regional leadership
• •A proprietary, patent-protected product with a clear point of difference, from a financially strong, well-backed business

Location: Singapore, with regular regional and international travel.