About this role
<p style="text-align:justify"><strong>About the role</strong></p> <p style="text-align:justify"> </p> <p style="text-align:justify">The Business Development Manager is a strategic leadership role responsible for driving and executing the premium powder growth agenda across the Central Eastern Europe and Middle East Africa region. This position identifies, develops, and secures high-value business opportunities in both existing and emerging markets, ensuring sustainable and profitable growth. Acting as a trusted thought partner to the Global Cocoa and Chocolate teams, the Business Development Manager plays a key role in shaping the region’s long-term growth strategy, strengthening market positioning, and translating strategic priorities into actionable business development initiatives aligned with Global Cocoa and broader Group objectives.</p> <p style="text-align:justify"> </p> <p style="text-align:justify"><strong>Key Responsibilities Include</strong></p> <p style="text-align:justify"> </p> <p style="text-align:justify"><strong>Strategic Growth Leadership</strong></p> <ul style="text-align:justify" type="disc"> <li>Define and execute premium powder growth agenda across the region (defining right product/customer mix with sales teams)</li> <li>Anticipate market trends, customer needs, and competitive dynamics, translating them into actionable strategies with cross-functions (R&D, QA, Supply Chain)</li> </ul> <p style="text-align:justify"><strong>Business Continuity</strong></p> <ul style="text-align:justify" type="disc"> <li>Coordinate powder activities across teams and regions, acting as a bridge between sales and internal stakeholders</li> <li>Develop a strong network of contacts within the Group - Customer Care, Marketing, Sourcing, Finance and Supply Chain - in order to support day to day business in the region and pro-actively supports the sales team, distributors & customers</li> <li>Lead cross-functional initiatives to penetrate high-potential customer segments and geographies (alignment with Chocolate)</li> </ul> <p style="text-align:justify"><strong>Market Dynamics and Analysis</strong></p> <ul style="text-align:justify" type="disc"> <li>Utilize data and other functional tools to research potential territories and markets, preparing reports with findings and recommendations</li> <li>Understanding regional dynamics and presenting comprehensive demand per sub-region annually are the essentials of the role (lead workshops on competition landscape, market sizing and consumption trends)</li> </ul> <p style="text-align:justify"><strong>Best Practices Implementation:</strong></p> <ul style="text-align:justify"> <li>Build strong relationships with counterparts within Global Cocoa and Chocolate Regions and introduce best practices to the region from internal and external sources</li> </ul> <p style="text-align:justify"> </p> <p style="text-align:justify"><strong>About You</strong></p> <p style="text-align:justify"> </p> <ul style="text-align:justify"> <li>Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, Industrial & Food Engineering</li> <li>10+ years in sales, business development or related commercial leadership roles, ideally within global or complex markets (experience in B2B, Food industry is preferred)</li> <li>Expertise in structuring and negotiating complex commercial agreements and partnerships</li> <li>Exceptional strategic thinking, analytical capability, and financial acumen</li> <li>Strong understanding of market dynamics and sales processes</li> <li>Ability to lead and collaborate with cross-functional teams</li> <li>Fluent in English; speaking French is preferred due to the region’s customer base or and any other language in the region</li> <li>Regular travel within region and to BC locations (Louviers, Hamburg, Zurich) required (on average 40% of work time)</li> <li>Strategic planning and execution</li> <li>Project management</li> </ul> <p style="text-align:justify"> </p>