Business Development Manager - Plastic Ingenuity

Company Summary:

At Plastic Ingenuity, our mission is to deliver quality products and services to our customers that will exceed their expectations and anticipate their needs. The products and insights provided by Plastic Ingenuity create meaningful impact in industries such as medical devices, food safety, and tamper evident packaging.  We work as a team to maintain a strong engineering and technological focus, with an emphasis on continuous improvement. We pride ourselves on a solutions-oriented culture based on the fundamental principles of teamwork, integrity, and respect. We focus on the use of green technologies and environmentally conscious support systems to minimize our carbon footprint.  As part of the team, each contribution is integral to the overall success of the company.

Role Summary:

This role is focused on rapidly building a pipeline of opportunities within the food service segment, primarily on the US West Coast. The Business Development Manager is responsible for acquiring, penetrating, and winning new business at strategically important accounts.

The ideal candidate for this role is excellent at building new relationships, is naturally persistent, and has a proven record of meeting ambitious sales targets. They are adept at understanding formal and informal organizational structures and identifying key decision makers. They will be evaluated on the number, deal size, and quality of opportunities they uncover and develop at their target accounts, so a strong "hunter" mindset is required. Approximately 50% travel is required with up to 75% travel at times.

Accountable for:

Accountability will center on building relationships, prospecting and forecasting, achievement of targeted sales objectives, and directing activities across functional groups. Expectations include the ability to sell at all levels of management. Being skilled at customer centric selling approaches and effectively selling the value of our products and services are keys to success. The Business Development Manager develops and maintains account plans in partnership with Commercial and Operations leadership to ensure awareness and alignment of customer needs throughout the business and Plastic Ingenuity's ability to serve. This role works closely with Marketing, Account Management, Engineering, and Operations teams to develop and implement new solutions from concept to commercialization.

• Develop, manage, and grow a portfolio of strategic (large, complex) accounts.
• Prospecting and Lead Generation:
  • Identify potential customers through research, industry events, and networking.
  • Cold call and email prospective clients to introduce the company's products or services.
  • Maintain and update a database of leads.
  • Work with marketing to execute campaigns.
• Market Research:
  • Stay up to date with industry trends, competitors, and market conditions.
  • Provide feedback to the marketing and product development teams based on customer insights.
• Collaborate with customers to understand unmet needs and business objectives, and advocate for those needs throughout Plastic Ingenuity.
• Coordinate the involvement of Plastic Ingenuity resources to meet customers' expectations, account performance objectives, and solution development.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, business, or a related field.
• Four years of relevant experience; or six years of experience in a related customer-facing role.
• Excellent interpersonal skills with an aptitude for building strong relationships.
• Strong presentation and communication skills (written and verbal communication)
• Strong commercial acumen, technical aptitude, and business knowledge to present a compelling value proposition to customers.
• Must model the highest degree of moral and ethical behavior.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Proven track record in B2B sales, with a focus on acquiring new customers.
• Willingness to travel as business and customer needs require. (Approximately 50% to 75%)

Desired Qualifications:

• Relevant industry experience preferred (packaging, plastics, contract manufacturing, etc.) a
• Relevant experience with B2B sales within the food service industry.
• Strong negotiation skills with a problem-solving attitude.
• Broad knowledge of manufacturing processes.