Commercial Development Associate - Dallas

Manna•Dallas, TX

14h•Onsite

About The Position

Manna is expanding its drone delivery service into the United States and is seeking a Commercial Development Associate to prepare new U.S. markets for launch. This role involves external engagement to secure food supply through local vendors or third-party partners, and to engage with customers and local communities before the service is introduced. The associate will work directly with property owners, merchants, partners, and local stakeholders who may be unfamiliar with drone delivery. The goal is to ensure new markets are commercially viable, locally understood, and ready for rollout.

Requirements

Demonstrated ability to learn quickly, operate independently, and represent a business credibly in unfamiliar settings.
Experience in vendor management, procurement, business development, or a sales-related role.
Experience introducing a new service, platform, or physical operation into U.S. markets.
Experience working directly with external stakeholders such as landlords, property owners, vendors, partners, or local authorities.
Experience progressing agreements, contracts, or partnerships where there is limited precedent or an undefined playbook.
Strong negotiation and contract management skills.
Strong analytical skills, with the ability to assess vendor performance and identify areas for improvement.
Strong communication skills, with the ability to explain unfamiliar concepts clearly and without jargon.
Willingness to travel regularly and spend time on the ground in new locations.

Nice To Haves

Experience in logistics, supply chain, or e-commerce.

Responsibilities

Identify, evaluate, onboard, and manage local vendors throughout their lifecycle, from initial contact to a live agreement and ongoing relationship management.
Negotiate commercial terms with vendors, including pricing, menus, promotions, and service levels, to ensure optimal value for Manna and its customers.
Support the Operations team in securing launch sites by providing local market and vendor insights and assisting with engagement with property owners.
Set up and manage partnerships with aggregators as needed.
Ensure participating vendors understand the service operations before customer introduction.
Track vendor performance against agreed KPIs and service levels, proactively addressing any issues.
Identify clusters of vendors in candidate cities and suburbs to help pinpoint potential new bases and explore vendor opportunities beyond food as new categories emerge.
Support Corporate Affairs and Communications with early customer and community engagement in new areas, acting as a local point of contact and addressing questions or objections clearly and factually.
Keep the Customer Service team informed about new vendors, menus, specials, and promotions to ensure accurate customer information.
Collaborate with communications, support, and marketing teams to ensure accurate local messaging, and work with Operations, Finance, and Legal to align vendor relationships with business needs and compliance requirements.
Maintain accurate and up-to-date vendor pipeline and records, and capture learnings from early U.S. market entry to improve the repeatability of expansion into additional markets.