Vice President of Flavor Sales

Company
This company is a well-established, privately held and family-owned creator and manufacturer of flavor, fragrance and ingredient solutions. It supports food, beverage and consumer product customers through an international manufacturing and commercial network.

Flavors represent the largest part of the business, with established capabilities across beverage, bakery, confectionery, culinary, dairy and health and wellness nutrition.

The company combines R&D, application, sensory, regulatory and manufacturing resources with the speed, service and close customer relationships of an independent flavor house.

Following continued investment and a planned leadership transition, the company is seeking a VP of Flavor Sales to lead its next stage of commercial growth.

Role
The VP of Flavor Sales will lead the commercial growth strategy for the North American flavor business. The successful individual will report to the President, work regularly with the Chief Executive Officer and sit on the executive management team. The role has oversight of more than 15 team members, including an established Director of Sales and the wider sales organization. The final reporting structure will reflect the needs of the business and the strengths of the appointed leader. The VP will take responsibility for revenue growth, market share, sales strategy, pricing, forecasting, lead generation and commercial performance. The position will also work closely with marketing on brand positioning, messaging, market visibility, campaign effectiveness and qualified lead development. The current sales leader is preparing to retire from the full-time position and will move into an advisory capacity. This will provide continuity across key customers, relationships and institutional knowledge. This is a strategic and hands-on leadership role. The successful person must set direction while remaining close to customers, the sales team, commercial data and market activity.

Main Responsibilities
Strategy and Planning

Develop and execute the long-term commercial strategy for the flavor business

Establish revenue, margin, market share and customer growth objectives

Align sales targets with marketing activity, operational capacity and company strategy

Identify new growth opportunities through market, customer and competitor analysis

Prepare and manage the sales budget

Maintain clear visibility of commercial risks, investment needs and growth priorities

Sales Leadership

Lead the complete sales process from lead generation through opportunity conversion

Establish sales metrics, territories, account ownership, quotas and performance expectations

Lead, coach and develop the Director of Sales and wider commercial team

Build a disciplined, results-driven sales organization

Develop strategic account plans for major customers and growth accounts

Strengthen senior relationships with key customers and commercial partners

Build a high-quality pipeline of qualified and commercially attractive opportunities

Improve pipeline accuracy, forecasting and CRM discipline

Lead pricing strategy and major negotiations while protecting margin and customer value

Establish clear pricing measures and commercial approval processes

Marketing Oversight

Work with the marketing team on brand positioning, messaging and market visibility

Align marketing campaigns with sales priorities, customer needs and growth objectives

Track marketing return on investment, lead quality and conversion rates

Translate consumer trends, category developments and market intelligence into commercial activity

Support the development of customer propositions, sales tools and product launch plans

Ensure marketing and sales teams follow a shared commercial strategy

Cross-Functional Leadership

Work with R&D, flavor creation, applications and sensory teams to prioritize customer opportunities

Align forecasts and customer commitments with operations, supply chain and finance

Partner with regulatory and quality teams to support responsive and compliant customer service

Represent sales in executive management discussions, annual planning and investment decisions

Provide clear performance, pipeline and market updates to the President and Chief Executive Officer

Key Requirements & Skills

A degree in Food Science, Business or a related field

Ten or more years of commercial experience within flavors, food ingredients or additives

Strong direct flavor industry experience is preferred

Proven record of increasing revenue, market share and profitable customer growth

Experience developing and leading sales and marketing teams

Experience managing sales directors, account managers or comparable commercial leaders

Strong knowledge of North American food and beverage customers

Understanding of technically led and consultative sales processes

Experience managing key accounts, territories, pipelines and sales budgets

Ability to translate technical capabilities into relevant customer value propositions

Confidence working with presidents, chief executives, owners and senior customer contacts

Collaborative leadership style with the ability to influence across commercial, technical and operational functions

Comfortable introducing structure, accountability and performance measures within an entrepreneurial business

Willing to work on-site in Illinois and travel regularly to customers

Motivated by the opportunity to lead a core business division and shape its next stage of growth

Strong financial acumen and forecasting ability

Deep understanding of profit and loss targets

Expert knowledge of CRM platforms and data analytics

Strong understanding of marketing strategy and sales methodologies

Confidence in pricing, negotiation and margin management

Clear written, verbal and interpersonal communication

Strong planning and organizational capability

Sound commercial judgement supported by accurate data.

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