Account Manager - Food and Nutrition

JobSummary Manage and grow a portfolio of customers within the assigned Food Nutrition (F N) segment by promoting and selling specialty ingredients, food additives, functional ingredients, and raw materials. The role focuses on developing long-term customer relationships, identifying new business opportunities, providing technical and commercial solutions, and achieving sales and profitability targets. Key responsibilities: Sales and Business Development Develop and execute territory and account plans to achieve sales revenue, gross profit, and business growth objectives. Identify and pursue new business opportunities within assigned Food and Nutrition market segments to expand the customer base and increase sales. Promote the company's portfolio of food ingredients, specialty chemicals, additives, and functional ingredients to meet customer application requirements and generate revenue. Build and maintain a healthy sales pipeline through prospecting, networking, and customer referrals to sustain business growth. Prepare quotations, negotiate commercial terms, and close sales opportunities to maximize revenue and profitability. Achieve assigned sales targets, gross margin objectives, and key performance indicators to support organizational goals. Account Management Build and maintain strong relationships with purchasing, R D, quality assurance, production, and senior management teams to strengthen customer partnerships and drive business growth. Understand customers' manufacturing processes, product development goals, and ingredient requirements to recommend appropriate solutions. Identify opportunities to introduce new ingredients and improve product formulations to enhance product performance and customer value. Conduct regular business reviews with strategic accounts to evaluate performance and identify growth opportunities. Resolve commercial and service-related concerns to ensure high customer satisfaction and retention. Product and Technical Support Develop comprehensive knowledge of the company's food ingredient portfolio and applications to provide effective product recommendations. Collaborate with the Food and Nutrition technical team to deliver ingredient solutions that meet customer requirements. Coordinate product sampling, application testing, trials, and evaluations to support customer product development. Support new product development initiatives by introducing innovative ingredient technologies and solutions. Monitor food industry trends, consumer preferences, and ingredient innovations to identify new business opportunities. Supplier Relationship Management Collaborate with principal managers to support sales initiatives, marketing activities, and business development programs. Participate in supplier meetings, technical training, and product launches to strengthen product knowledge and supplier partnerships. Share market intelligence, customer feedback, and competitive insights to support supplier business strategies. Support supplier growth objectives through market penetration and account development to expand business opportunities. Market Intelligence Monitor competitor activities, pricing strategies, and market trends to identify competitive opportunities and business risks. Prepare market reports and sales forecasts to support strategic planning and decision-making. Recommend strategies to expand the company's product portfolio and customer base to drive sustainable business growth. Commercial and Administrative Responsibilities Prepare accurate sales forecasts and demand projections to support inventory planning and supply chain efficiency. Monitor customer purchasing patterns and inventory requirements to ensure product availability and optimize sales opportunities. Coordinate with Supply Chain and Customer Service teams to ensure timely product availability and on-time deliveries. Manage customer pricing, contracts, and account documentation to ensure commercial accuracy and compliance. Monitor customer receivables and support credit management activities to ensure timely collections and healthy cash flow. Maintain accurate customer records, sales activities, and opportunity data in the CRM system to support effective sales management and reporting. Document and submit detailed customer visit reports in Salesforce in a timely manner, outlining key discussions, customer requirements, market and competitor insights, sales opportunities, agreed action items, and follow-up plans to support effective account management and business development. Prepare and submit a weekly itinerary/work plan outlining scheduled customer visits, target accounts, sales objectives, and planned activities to ensure effective customer coverage and achievement of sales targets. Compliance and Quality Ensure compliance with company policies, quality standards, and regulatory requirements to maintain operational excellence and customer confidence. Support customer audits, documentation requests, and product traceability activities to meet quality and regulatory requirements. Others Other duties as assigned by the immediate manager. Required qualifications and skills: Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Nutrition, Chemistry, Food Technology, Business Administration, Marketing, or a related field. Minimum 3–5 years of experience in account management, sales, business development, or technical sales within the food ingredients, nutrition, or related industries. Proven experience in food ingredient distribution, specialty ingredients, or solution selling within the food and nutrition market. Strong understanding of food ingredients, including functional ingredients, food additives, emulsifiers, stabilizers, sweeteners, flavors, nutritional ingredients, and related applications. Experience managing customer accounts, developing customer relationships, and driving sales growth initiatives. Demonstrated ability to understand customer requirements, provide product recommendations, and support application development. Experience in preparing sales forecasts, account plans, and business development strategies to achieve sales and profitability targets. Strong communication, presentation, negotiation, organizational, and analytical skills. Customer-focused with the ability to build strong relationships with customers, suppliers, and internal stakeholders. Ability to work independently, manage multiple priorities, and collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams. Strong business acumen with a proactive and results-oriented mindset.