Director of Business Development

Kalon Search•North Chicago, IL

3d•Onsite

About The Position

Our client is searching for a Director of Business Development, Branded Ingredients who will be responsible for driving growth of a branded and specialty ingredients portfolio. This individual will identify, develop, and close new business with dietary supplement, sports nutrition, functional food, and ready-to-drink beverage customers. The successful candidate will bring significant experience and established relationships within the branded ingredient and supplement industries. This person must be able to quickly engage key decision-makers, understand customer needs, position differentiated ingredient solutions, and convert opportunities into profitable, long-term business. This role is based in Chicago, IL

Requirements

7+ years of successful sales or business development experience within branded ingredients, dietary supplements, sports nutrition, functional foods, beverages, nutraceuticals, or related industries.
Demonstrated success developing new business and selling specialty or branded ingredients into supplement, nutrition, functional beverage, or related markets.
Established relationships and a strong network within the branded ingredient, supplement, or functional beverage industries.
Proven ability to develop, negotiate, and close profitable business opportunities.
Strong communication, relationship-building, and value-selling skills.
Entrepreneurial mindset with the ability to work independently and build a growing business platform.
Bachelor’s degree or equivalent relevant experience in business, sales, marketing, food science, nutrition, or a related field.

Nice To Haves

Experience selling probiotics, prebiotics, creatine, flavors, fibers, vitamin/mineral premixes, sweeteners, or other specialty nutritional ingredients.
Existing relationships with major supplement, sports nutrition, health and wellness, direct-selling, or beverage companies.
Experience commercializing new ingredient technologies or product platforms.

Responsibilities

Develop and execute strategies to drive growth of the branded ingredients business.
Identify, pursue, and close new business opportunities within the dietary supplement, sports nutrition, functional food, and ready-to-drink beverage markets.
Leverage established industry relationships and networks to access key customer decision-makers and accelerate business growth.
Build and maintain a robust pipeline of opportunities that delivers against revenue and margin objectives.
Lead the sales process from prospecting through commercialization, including customer engagement, product positioning, negotiations, and contract execution.
Collaborate with R&D, Innovation, Marketing, Technical Services, Operations, and other cross-functional teams to develop and launch customer solutions.
Monitor market trends, competitive activity, customer needs, and emerging ingredient opportunities to support future growth initiatives.
Represent the organization at customer meetings, industry conferences, trade shows, and other market-facing events.
Deliver against established new customer, revenue, and margin objectives and provide regular pipeline and business updates to senior leadership.