Business Development Manager, Nutraceuticals

Are you the kind of person that is always thinking, sketching, seeking, and adjusting? Who needs to understand how things work and then figure out how they can work better? Are you a passionate, tenacious, solver who loves to work with others who share your drive? Are you positive, constructive, and ingenious?

Are you always solving?

Then we’d like to meet you and bet you’d like to meet us.

Ashland has an exciting opportunity for a Business Development Manager to join our Nutraceuticals business (formerly Pharmachem) within the Life Sciences division. This home-based position will support the global Nutraceuticals business. This home-based position will report to the General Manager of the Nutraceuticals division.

The Nutraceuticals business is comprised of two focus areas: proprietary ingredients and custom formulation. Proprietary ingredients are science-backed with clear benefits to the end consumer. Proprietary ingredients includes branded ingredients, novel delivery systems, and aloe vera. In Custom formulations, Ashland is focused on solving customers toughest challenges. Ashland can serve as both a development and manufacturing partner.

The responsibilities of the position include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Be key member of commercial leadership team driving the global business activities across the entire business including branded / proprietary ingredients, custom formulation, aloe vera, and toll processing.
• Identify areas in which Ashland can win new business including but not exclusive to new application for current products, emerging brands / new customers, new business models, adding new ingredients to the portfolio, both organically and inorganically, and developing new business models that can unlock material revenue streams for the business.
• Support new product develop initiatives, helping define the agenda via identifying customer needs and market opportunities.
• Deploy data and analytics to steer business strategy, innovation, investment, and partnerships; creating robust business cases that improve probability of success.
• Establish relationships, and partnerships when relevant, with academia, suppliers, and other industry players, seeking out initiatives to better position Ashland in the market.
• Leads efforts to engage with retailers and e-commerce, unlocking new business opportunities across the value chain.
• Map / understand the dietary supplement market, identifying / quantifying trends using both direct activities with customers and trade shows in addition to market research.
• Maintain deep knowledge of the science and technology, including industry advancements, constantly seeking to understand how developments can be understood to be able drive business.
• Analyze and compare technologies to identify white spaces, in both ingredients and services, and hone Ashland’s value proposition to deliver value.
• Feed market needs and insights into the innovation pipeline, partnering with R&D and marketing to deliver high value products to the market.
• Support sales team in various business development activities such as seeking to understand customer needs, launching new products, and communicating Ashland’s value proposition.
• Able to be technically proficient including able to lead technical discussions / seminars with customers and at industry events.
• Support short- and long-term strategy creation including evaluation of product offerings and defining where we play in the value chain and business planning processes.
• Overnight travel between 20% and 50% mainly domestic but some international
• Be proficient in and effectively use internal systems including CRM.

In order to be qualified for this role, you must possess the following:

• B.S. / B.A. in applicable field of study including but not limited to life sciences, engineering, marketing, and business administration. 15+ years of direct industry experience would be accepted in replace of a BS/BA degree
• 10+ years of business development, sales or marketing experience in the ingredients market within the pharma/nutra/food industry.
• Track record of developing new business, new customers, and/or commercializing new products.
• Strong oral, written, presentation and interpersonal skills.
• Demonstrated ability to develop a network of stakeholders across the industry including customers, industry experts, manufacturers and other ingredient suppliers.
• Strategic thinking capabilities, ability to synthesize data and insights into the business plan.
• High sense of urgency and accountability.
• A true hunter mindset, able to identify value creation opportunities.
• Action-oriented, able to lead initiatives in new areas.
• Strong collaboration and teamwork skills, with the ability to relate to all levels in an organization.

The following skill sets are preferred by the business unit:

• Experience in B2B sales of ingredients into the dietary supplement / nutraceuticals space.
• Deep contacts within the Nutraceuticals industry, across the value chain including at large retailers.