Business Development Manager

Regional Business Development Manager, Asia Pacific (China focus) | Specialty Nutrition Ingredients | SingaporeWe 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 doBusiness 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 walletKey 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 opportunitiesCommercial 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 planHow 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 opportunitiesWhat 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 internationallyWhy 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.