Commercial Development Associate - Dallas

Manna•Dallas, TX

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Manna operates an established drone delivery service and is expanding into the United States. We are hiring a Commercial Development Associate to prepare new U.S. markets for launch. In this role you are accountable for external engagement: proving food supply through local vendors or third-party partners and engaging with customers and local communities before the service is introduced. This role requires direct, hands-on engagement with property owners, merchants, partners, and local stakeholders who may be unfamiliar with drone delivery. The objective is to ensure new markets are commercially viable, locally understood, and ready for rollout.

Requirements

Experience in vendor management, procurement, business development, or a sales-related role.
Experience introducing a new service, platform, or physical operation into US 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 is a plus.

Responsibilities

Identify, evaluate, onboard and manage local vendors owning the full lifecycle from first contact through to a live agreement and ongoing relationship management.
Negotiate commercial terms with vendors - pricing, menus, promotions and service levels - to secure the best value for Manna and its customers.
Support the Operations team on securing launch sites - providing local market and vendor insight and helping engage property owners where useful. Site acquisition and approvals are owned by Operations.
Engage directly with decision-makers to explain how the service operates and address concerns.
Set up and manage partnerships with aggregators where appropriate.
Ensure participating vendors understand how the service works prior to customer introduction.
Track vendor performance against agreed KPIs and service levels, addressing any issues proactively.
Identify clusters of vendors in candidate cities and suburbs to help pinpoint potential new bases and explore vendor opportunities beyond food as new categories open.
Support Corporate Affairs and Communications on 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 up to date on new vendors, menus, specials and promotions so customers receive accurate, timely information.
Work with communications, support and marketing teams to ensure accurate local messaging, and collaborate with Operations, Finance and Legal to keep vendor relationships aligned with business needs and compliance requirements.
Keep the vendor pipeline and records accurate and up to date and capture learnings from early US market entry to make expansion into additional markets more repeatable over time.