Business Development Manager

About SunOpta

SunOpta delivers customized supply chain solutions and innovation for top brands, retailers, and foodservice providers across a broad portfolio of beverages, broths, and better-for-you snacks. With over 50 years of expertise, SunOpta fuels customers’ growth with high-quality, sustainability-forward solutions distributed through retail, club, foodservice, and e-commerce channels across North America.

Job Summary

SunOpta is seeking a highly motivated, dedicated, and detail-oriented Business Development Manager with a strong hunter sales mindset. In this role, you will be responsible for aggressively identifying and securing new business opportunities with national and regional accounts, while also cultivating and expanding relationships with existing customers across the company. The ideal candidate thrives in a fast-paced, high-growth environment and consistently pursues new markets and customers to drive company growth and market share. This position offers a unique opportunity to make a significant impact on SunOpta’s continued development and expansion.

Essential Functions of the Job

• Directly manage key national and regional accounts as they pertain to both new and existing business opportunities.

• Key accounts will cover multiple channels (club, grocery, foodservice) and categories (aseptic and better-for-you snacks) as required by business needs.

• Leverage a hunter sales approach to proactively seek out and secure new business opportunities, including cold-calling, networking, and building pipelines for future growth.
• Lead or support contract negotiations and renewals (based on contract size / complexity), ensuring favorable terms for both the company and the customer
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Collaborate closely with internal teams such as supply chain, quality, AR, finance, and business management to coordinate efforts and deliver seamless customer experiences from inquiry to delivery.
• Develop and maintain by-SKU forecasts for revenue and velocity for strategic accounts.
• Develop and execute on aggressive sales goals in revenue and margin targets.
• Track and share important performance results offering recommendations for future planning to management on a regular basis.
• Become an expert in our product portfolio and operations in order to be the main point of contact and provide strategic insight across the portfolio.
• Work collaboratively with business management to execute and win bids across the portfolio with assigned customers.
• Build and maintain relationships with merchants across key accounts and respective product desks.
• Assist in creating category stories for all key accounts across portfolios.
• Other tasks, as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience
• 5+ years of experience in a selling role in the food and beverage industry with heavy emphasis on business development

Minimum Qualifications

• Experience in various go to market solutions (Private Label, co-manufacturing, and branded businesses)

Knowledge and Skills

• A strong analytical mindset with an intuitive sense of how to use relationships and data-driven insights to provide customer solutions.
• Collaborative mindset with the ability and desire to work with internal teams to achieve results
• A proven understanding and track record of solutions selling
• Exceptional problem-solving abilities
• Ability to manage and execute on multiple priorities.
• Ability to adapt to changing operational requirements in pursuit of the sales targets.
• Ability to be self-motivated and deliver/produce high quality work with little oversight.
• Excellent organizational skills
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Excellent interpersonal skills: ability to interact with all personality types and behaviors; flexibility.
• Ability to work effectively in a high-pressure, fast paced environment.
• Proficient in Microsoft office suite

Additional Considerations

• Travel Expectation: 30- 50%
• Location: Eden Prairie, MN (Remote arrangements available)

Work Environment/Physical Demands

• Approximately; 95% of the work is performed in an office environment. 5% of work may involve being in the agricultural or manufacturing environment.

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time, with or without notice.

AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER EOE M/W/VET/DISABLED