Account Manager : Flavors at International Flavors & Fragrances

Job Description

Manage and develop a business portfolio of relevant customers with the primary objective of generating a sustainable annual revenue increase, (specific CAGR with agreed target mix of organic business and new business), utilising both your knowledge of, and network within, the food and ingredients industry as well as your network of IFF colleagues and knowledge of IFF materials, capabilities, resources and technologies.

Scope

Responsible for all the activities related to growing profitable sales with a group of customers depending on the size of the customer or sales territory. Travel to all related countries to meet with customers on a regular basis.

Key Responsibilities

• To sustainably increase account portfolio revenue and manage profitability on assigned client account portfolio using the extensive and available IFF resources.
• To develop clear, agreed to business plans, focusing both on the development of new business opportunities, as well as ensuring current business is effectively maintained and serviced by IFF. Key expectations from sales management for the business plans include:
• To update and maintain respectively, your market knowledge of each key segment (i.e. Savoury, Beverage, SPO and Dairy) as well as knowledge and insight for strategic client account business i.e. future strategic directions e.g. African expansion, brand strategies, brand / total flavour potentials, annual capacities, annual volumes, competitors etc.
• Incorporate this knowledge into your business plans with focus on high value / high access opportunities that yield longer term new business value to IFF.
• Incorporating a clear personal strategy to develop and maintain excellent relevant relationships with key personnel at client level, so as to generate critical data/information - Purchasing / Technical Development / Marketing
• Influencing decisions - managing upwards within client account structures to ensure IFF has access to key decision makers.
• Effectively communicating to all relevant parties i.e. commercial management, C&A and operations, the agreed business plans. Too formally review and update plans on frequent basis (at minimum annually or as stipulated by sales manager).
• Ensuring that the key differentiators or USP’s from IFF, specifically IFF technologies, are applied in both reactive responses to client briefs as well as identification and application into pro-active business planning to help you achieve point b.
• Show clear thought, planning and execution incorporating appropriate delegation for the purpose of completing system required and routine administrative duties e.g. documentation, system updates and customer service function.
• Various weekly updates, discussion and sharing with sales manager and other relevant parties of visit reports, sales project activity updates (IFFMAN) and project debriefs.
• Monthly sales report submitted to sales manager with a review of client meeting activities, feedback on + $ 250k opportunities, completed pro-active initiatives, wins and losses, trends in the market that will impact your ability to meet sales targets and lastly competitor activity and movements.
• Updates of the IFF SFT ( sales forecasting tool) at appropriate times
• Most admin tasks are to be managed by delegation (bearing in mind that management hold the account managers ultimately responsible for delegated tasks) to your assigned CPD (assistant) however the following tasks are to be personally managed:
• Quotations (in line with IFF business practices e.g. MOQ, lead times) of material prices via IFFMAN.
• Value added service proposals with consequent discussion with commercial management
• IFF price adjustments: Annual data updates using IFF models and client discussions.
• Generate monthly expense reports

Required Skills

• Minimum 4 year undergraduate BSc or BTech Food Tech degree with minimum 7 years relevant experience.
• Demonstrable high level of strategic agility and problem solving skills
• Demonstrable communication and presentation skills
• Demonstrable ability to successfully close sales negotiations.
• Ability to contribute strategically to the growth and direction of the Company
• Strong open references.

Required Experience

Preferred 4 year BSc with additional degree level business qualifications e.g. BCom or MBL/MBA with 7 years relevant experience.

Experience - Commercial role, preferably business development with either a competitor, a related ingredient supplier, a relevant Food and Drink /Flavour / Fragrance related business.

Competencies

Job & Business Knowledge, Results Oriented, Customer Oriented, Business Acumen, Interpersonal & Communication Skills, Strategic Agility, Development of Subordinates, Delegation, Problem solving and Teamwork