Locus Fermentation Solutions
Business Development Leader
Locus Fermentation Solutions, Solon, Ohio, United States, 44139
Job Description:
Drive near and long-term revenue growth and strategic partnerships by identifying and securing new business opportunities for our innovative biosurfactant product line.OverviewHaving just received TSCA registration for our Amphi CL and CH sophorolipid biosurfactants, Locus is the only US manufacturer approved to manufacture and sell commercial quantities of biosurfactants. We are looking to act fast on our first mover status and accelerate business development (BD) and market growth.We are seeking a dynamic and hungry BD Head to lead BD strategy creation and aggressively execute plans to rapidly develop target markets and drive short-term revenue growth for our innovative, sustainable, award-winning sophorolipid biosurfactants. This role will focus on expanding our market presence in industrial sectors with applications in cleaning, degreasing, biofilm remediation, metalworking fluids, lubricants, CASE, and agricultural adjuvants.The ideal candidate will have a strong track record in business development and technical sales, with a deep understanding of market dynamics, strategic marketing, and a proven ability to establish trust, close deals, and accelerate growth. This leader will be responsible for identifying new business opportunities, building relationships with key decision-makers, and positioning our novel, performance-boosting biosurfactants as the preferred choice for industrial applications.This is a global role, and you will report to the SVP of the Locus Ingredients division with expectations to immediately develop market penetration strategies collaboratively with the team and execute on said strategies to build a robust opportunity portfolio and close/win new business.The Candidate Must Have the Following for Consideration:Experience at a B2B specialty chemical company either as a direct manufacturer or distributorBackground and experience in technical selling, business development, or strategic marketing in the specialty chemical spaceBackground and experience in at least one key market: I&I cleaning, CASE, metalworking fluids, agricultural adjuvants, lubricantsMinimum 5 years of industry experience in customer-facing rolesThe preferred candidate will also have:A technical degree in engineering, chemistry, or similar fieldExperience selling or developing strategy for surfactant product lines or ingredients/additivesPreferably 10+ years of related experiencesStrategic marketing experience and has developed strategic market plans (TAM, value proposition, market/customer segmentation, value chain analysis, buying process, market activation plan, etc.)Formal training in consultative sales (e.g., Wilson Learning Worldwide “Counselor Salesperson”)Global professional experiencesKnows how to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) ethically to accelerate progressKey Responsibilities & Tasks:Research target markets and segment customers to develop and then execute strategic BD plansDevelop, test, and refine data-driven, performance-based value propositions and develop sales/communication toolsProactive and aggressive prospecting to build a robust opportunity portfolioCross-functional collaboration with technical, marketing, finance, operations, etc., to communicate and influence the voice of the Ingredients’ business unit to drive alignment for commercial successLead the end-to-end sales cycle from identifying an opportunity to contract negotiation and closeDrive near term wins and accelerate revenue generationCreate a standardized reporting structure to communicate progress, estimate forecasts, and capture gating itemsCRM reporting and vigilant/timely documentation - prepare business and sales reports, call reports, key account plans, budgets, travel schedules, customer presentations, and customer meeting agendas; maintain an up-to-date and documented CRM (HubSpot) with all communication activity and call notesA secondary is to assess previous partnerships for monetization opportunities beyond sales of our current commercial products (e.g., IP licensing, new product development, or other opportunities aligned with the division and corporate strategies)Drive near-term commercial success
– this person will be hands on from strategy creation to opportunity identification to closing/winning business. You must be comfortable with ambiguity and wearing different hats along the way including cold and/or warm calls. A successful candidate will have an entrepreneurial mindset.Prepare and present technical presentations tailored to demonstrate Locus product offerings as solutions to customer challenges, teaching prospects and customers on the value in using sophorolipid biosurfactantsGather, assimilate, and assess market information on an ongoing basis to assist in developing strategies and updating/modifying strategy in placeMarket intimacy – has a pulse on the market through customers, competitive insights, industry organizations, and government agencies and communicates back to the organization on trends, key market or customer developments, competitive intelligence, and pricingUtilize internal and external resources to improve technical knowledge of Locus technologies to articulate sources of value creation across multiple markets and applications.Seeks and provides clarity around priorities, desired outcomes, and the behaviors required to deliver those outcomesEnjoys and facilitates constructive, professional debateBuilds and presents on BD execution plans and progress, key account plans, and territory plansManage contractual relationships with customers, tracking expiration dates and ensuring that all contracts needed are current and that terms and conditions of existing agreements are being met.Represent Locus at tradeshows and similar events, utilizing the support of technical teams and marketing.Perform a variety of sales functions to include in person meetings, virtual meetings, product demonstrations, networking with industry professionals, calling, etc.Perform all other duties as assigned.Key Qualities:Humble, hungry, people smartEnough technical acumen to interact directly with engineers and technical teams at prospects and customers to influence adoption of Locus solutionsSelf-manage; self-starter; can work independently, on a team, and as a cross-functional team leaderComfortable in ambiguityExcellent written, verbal, and presentation skillsStrong organizational skillsAdaptability and can manage multiple opportunities, large and small, daily in a fluid environmentAttention to detailCross-functional team player (esp. with technical, operations, and marketing) and leader, building partnerships internally across the enterprise as well as externally across the value chainRelationship builder – Locus internal and external with market and customers; will attend industry conferences and tradeshows and represent LocusListens to understandOptimistic, but a realistInfluence managementAccountabilityCan build and demonstrate trustCompetitive and driven to results; moves fast and takes risksResponsive and resilientCurious and loves to learnAbility to use team collaboration tools, MS Word, Excel, Outlook, PPT efficiently.Travel:This person prefers to build relationships face-to-face, travel up to 50% possible and could include international travel.Success in this role looks like the following:Built and building a robust opportunity pipeline driving opportunities to close/wins while filling the funnel on the front end continuouslyFirst and foremost, sustainable growth as measured by revenue and profitabilityDevelops, presents, and updates on BD strategies, plans, and progress at a minimum quarterlySecondary success is identifying new partnerships for new fermented molecules, products to complement the current Amphi sophorolipid biosurfactants, licensing IP, or otherCompensation:Competitive base salary with annual bonus and/or sales commission plan.Physical Demands:The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly positioning themselves in various transportation vehicles including cars and planes. The employee spends long periods of time in front of a computer or moving through an office or lab environment. The employee will occasionally lift and or carry up to 25 lbs.Work Environment:Work is typically performed in a temperature-controlled environment. Noise level is typically low to moderate.
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Drive near and long-term revenue growth and strategic partnerships by identifying and securing new business opportunities for our innovative biosurfactant product line.OverviewHaving just received TSCA registration for our Amphi CL and CH sophorolipid biosurfactants, Locus is the only US manufacturer approved to manufacture and sell commercial quantities of biosurfactants. We are looking to act fast on our first mover status and accelerate business development (BD) and market growth.We are seeking a dynamic and hungry BD Head to lead BD strategy creation and aggressively execute plans to rapidly develop target markets and drive short-term revenue growth for our innovative, sustainable, award-winning sophorolipid biosurfactants. This role will focus on expanding our market presence in industrial sectors with applications in cleaning, degreasing, biofilm remediation, metalworking fluids, lubricants, CASE, and agricultural adjuvants.The ideal candidate will have a strong track record in business development and technical sales, with a deep understanding of market dynamics, strategic marketing, and a proven ability to establish trust, close deals, and accelerate growth. This leader will be responsible for identifying new business opportunities, building relationships with key decision-makers, and positioning our novel, performance-boosting biosurfactants as the preferred choice for industrial applications.This is a global role, and you will report to the SVP of the Locus Ingredients division with expectations to immediately develop market penetration strategies collaboratively with the team and execute on said strategies to build a robust opportunity portfolio and close/win new business.The Candidate Must Have the Following for Consideration:Experience at a B2B specialty chemical company either as a direct manufacturer or distributorBackground and experience in technical selling, business development, or strategic marketing in the specialty chemical spaceBackground and experience in at least one key market: I&I cleaning, CASE, metalworking fluids, agricultural adjuvants, lubricantsMinimum 5 years of industry experience in customer-facing rolesThe preferred candidate will also have:A technical degree in engineering, chemistry, or similar fieldExperience selling or developing strategy for surfactant product lines or ingredients/additivesPreferably 10+ years of related experiencesStrategic marketing experience and has developed strategic market plans (TAM, value proposition, market/customer segmentation, value chain analysis, buying process, market activation plan, etc.)Formal training in consultative sales (e.g., Wilson Learning Worldwide “Counselor Salesperson”)Global professional experiencesKnows how to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) ethically to accelerate progressKey Responsibilities & Tasks:Research target markets and segment customers to develop and then execute strategic BD plansDevelop, test, and refine data-driven, performance-based value propositions and develop sales/communication toolsProactive and aggressive prospecting to build a robust opportunity portfolioCross-functional collaboration with technical, marketing, finance, operations, etc., to communicate and influence the voice of the Ingredients’ business unit to drive alignment for commercial successLead the end-to-end sales cycle from identifying an opportunity to contract negotiation and closeDrive near term wins and accelerate revenue generationCreate a standardized reporting structure to communicate progress, estimate forecasts, and capture gating itemsCRM reporting and vigilant/timely documentation - prepare business and sales reports, call reports, key account plans, budgets, travel schedules, customer presentations, and customer meeting agendas; maintain an up-to-date and documented CRM (HubSpot) with all communication activity and call notesA secondary is to assess previous partnerships for monetization opportunities beyond sales of our current commercial products (e.g., IP licensing, new product development, or other opportunities aligned with the division and corporate strategies)Drive near-term commercial success
– this person will be hands on from strategy creation to opportunity identification to closing/winning business. You must be comfortable with ambiguity and wearing different hats along the way including cold and/or warm calls. A successful candidate will have an entrepreneurial mindset.Prepare and present technical presentations tailored to demonstrate Locus product offerings as solutions to customer challenges, teaching prospects and customers on the value in using sophorolipid biosurfactantsGather, assimilate, and assess market information on an ongoing basis to assist in developing strategies and updating/modifying strategy in placeMarket intimacy – has a pulse on the market through customers, competitive insights, industry organizations, and government agencies and communicates back to the organization on trends, key market or customer developments, competitive intelligence, and pricingUtilize internal and external resources to improve technical knowledge of Locus technologies to articulate sources of value creation across multiple markets and applications.Seeks and provides clarity around priorities, desired outcomes, and the behaviors required to deliver those outcomesEnjoys and facilitates constructive, professional debateBuilds and presents on BD execution plans and progress, key account plans, and territory plansManage contractual relationships with customers, tracking expiration dates and ensuring that all contracts needed are current and that terms and conditions of existing agreements are being met.Represent Locus at tradeshows and similar events, utilizing the support of technical teams and marketing.Perform a variety of sales functions to include in person meetings, virtual meetings, product demonstrations, networking with industry professionals, calling, etc.Perform all other duties as assigned.Key Qualities:Humble, hungry, people smartEnough technical acumen to interact directly with engineers and technical teams at prospects and customers to influence adoption of Locus solutionsSelf-manage; self-starter; can work independently, on a team, and as a cross-functional team leaderComfortable in ambiguityExcellent written, verbal, and presentation skillsStrong organizational skillsAdaptability and can manage multiple opportunities, large and small, daily in a fluid environmentAttention to detailCross-functional team player (esp. with technical, operations, and marketing) and leader, building partnerships internally across the enterprise as well as externally across the value chainRelationship builder – Locus internal and external with market and customers; will attend industry conferences and tradeshows and represent LocusListens to understandOptimistic, but a realistInfluence managementAccountabilityCan build and demonstrate trustCompetitive and driven to results; moves fast and takes risksResponsive and resilientCurious and loves to learnAbility to use team collaboration tools, MS Word, Excel, Outlook, PPT efficiently.Travel:This person prefers to build relationships face-to-face, travel up to 50% possible and could include international travel.Success in this role looks like the following:Built and building a robust opportunity pipeline driving opportunities to close/wins while filling the funnel on the front end continuouslyFirst and foremost, sustainable growth as measured by revenue and profitabilityDevelops, presents, and updates on BD strategies, plans, and progress at a minimum quarterlySecondary success is identifying new partnerships for new fermented molecules, products to complement the current Amphi sophorolipid biosurfactants, licensing IP, or otherCompensation:Competitive base salary with annual bonus and/or sales commission plan.Physical Demands:The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly positioning themselves in various transportation vehicles including cars and planes. The employee spends long periods of time in front of a computer or moving through an office or lab environment. The employee will occasionally lift and or carry up to 25 lbs.Work Environment:Work is typically performed in a temperature-controlled environment. Noise level is typically low to moderate.
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