Associate/Sales Director, Kemin Food Technologies APAC

We Are Kemin

We are visionaries who see things differently and are inspired by the world around us. We have been dedicated to using applied science to improve the quality of life for over half a century. Committed to feed and food safety, Kemin maintains top-of-the-line manufacturing facilities where over 500 specialty ingredients are made for humans and animals in the global feed and food industries, as well as the health, nutrition, and textile markets. We provide product solutions and options to customers in more than 120 countries.

A privately held, family-owned and operated company, Kemin has more than 3,000 global employees including manufacturing facilities in Belgium, Brazil, China, India, Italy, Russia, Singapore, South Africa and the United States.

A visionary with a result-driven mindset to achieve business growth and operational excellence in the B2B food ingredient sector. This role will manage a high performing sales team that manages key accounts, drive distributor networks, leverage technical solution selling, and utilize customer and competitor insights to shape innovative solutions. Guided by Kemin’s philosophy of being "Compelled by Curiosity," you will ensure accountability, optimize processes, and nurture talent to deliver exceptional results and foster a high-performance team culture. Your ability to network with key decision makers, especially C-suite executives, and fully comprehend customers' unique buying cycles will be crucial to driving success in this role.

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Sales Leadership & Management

• Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing regional sales team, fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Design and implement strategic sales plans to achieve and exceed company revenue goals.
• Oversee the performance of sales managers and teams, providing regular feedback, coaching, and corrective actions as needed.
• Establish and promote a positive, results-driven work environment that aligns with the organization’s values and vision.

Sales Execution & Revenue Generation

• Drive overall sales across all regions, ensuring revenue targets are consistently met or
  exceeded.
• Develop and maintain strategic relationships with high-value customers, including C-suite
  executives, ensuring long-term partnerships and 100% customer retention.
• Identify and capitalize on new business opportunities and growth markets, personally
  leading high-stakes negotiations.
• Define and implement pricing strategies to ensure gross margin year-on-year (YoY)
  growth while maintaining competitive market positioning.

Competitive Analysis & Market Intelligence

• Monitor competitor activities, market share, product launches, and pricing strategies to
  develop actionable insights.
• Leverage market intelligence to refine sales approaches and differentiate company
  offerings.
• Develop and lead strategies to counter competitive challenges, ensuring the company
  maintains a dominant position in the market.

New Product Launches & Introductions

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including R&D, marketing, and regulatory, to
  develop and execute go-to-market strategies for new product launches.
• Ensure sales teams are fully trained on new product features, applications, and value
  propositions to maximize adoption and revenue generation.
• Identify and target key customer segments to drive rapid penetration of innovative
  offerings.

Operational Excellence

• Manage sales budgets, expenses, and forecasts to ensure Business Unit net income
  achievement and efficient resource allocation.
• Drive the implementation of advanced sales technologies, tools, and best practices to
  optimize team productivity and reporting accuracy.
• Lead the standardization of sales processes across the region, fostering operational
  consistency and excellence.

Customer Relationship Management

• Act as the primary executive sponsor for key accounts, ensuring a multi contact model
  and able to identify all key decision makers at a fast past.
• Proactively address customer concerns and champion initiatives to exceed customer
  expectations, securing long-term loyalty.
• Promote customer-centric strategies to retain existing clients and expand wallet share.

Team Development & Coaching

• Build a leadership pipeline by mentoring and developing sales managers, ensuring their
  readiness for future roles.
• Foster a culture of continuous learning through structured development plans, training,
  and stretch assignments.
• Provide timely and constructive feedback to inspire peak performance, collaboration, and
  innovation across the team.

Communication & Collaboration

• Maintain open and effective communication with all stakeholders, including senior leadership, marketing, R&D, Technical and other cross-functional teams.
• Represent the company as a thought leader at industry events, conferences, and customer meetings, elevating the company’s brand and reputation.
• Build and nurture relationships with key decision makers, including C-suite executives, within customer organizations to influence purchasing decisions
  
  

• Ideally a master’s degree in food science or a related field
• Minimum 10 years of proven success in regional sales and business development managing a high-performing sales team within the food ingredients with customer networks in bakery & confectionary, sauces & seasoning and processed meat
• Demonstrated success in creating long-term sales strategy that consistently meet or exceed ambitious revenue and performance goals through disciplined execution.
• Demonstrates deep understanding of customers' unique buying cycles and tailor selling cycles to achieve >40% project hit rate.
• Experience in establishing efficient and scalable processes that drive continuous improvement across the sales organization.
• Demonstrated a solution-oriented mindset, thriving in ambiguous or challenging environments.
• Fluency in English is essential. Proficiency in one or more Asian languages is highly advantageous due to the regional scope of the role.

Decision Making & Freedom to Act: This position reports to the President, Kemin Food Technologies Asia. It is a “hands-on” position with significant autonomy, breadth, and flexibility to exceed expectations.

Working Conditions: The position will operate ideally from a Kemin office and is expected to spend ~50% travelling. The position is considered 40 hours per week and requires tremendous flexibility as a senior management role.