Key Account Manager – Bakery Ingredients
Meet Our Recruiter
Jamie Pickup
About the Role
Paragon Talent is supporting a food ingredients business with the appointment of two Key Account Managers to develop its US bakery ingredients business.
These roles have a strong focus on winning new business. You will identify prospective customers, build relationships and work with technical colleagues to turn customer needs into ingredient solutions and commercial opportunities.
We are looking for experienced B2B ingredient salespeople who combine a technical food background with a proven ability to open doors and develop business within the bakery industry.
The Role
You will help build the business’s presence in the US, developing opportunities with bakery manufacturers, distributors and industrial customers.
Your responsibilities will include:
- Identifying and winning new customers through proactive outreach, networking and industry contacts
- Building a pipeline of opportunities and managing customers from first contact through technical development and onboarding
- Understanding customer formulation challenges and working with internal technical teams to develop suitable solutions
- Creating customer plans, leading pricing discussions and negotiating commercial agreements
- Developing customer relationships and identifying further opportunities as accounts become established
- Monitoring sales, margins, volumes and pipeline progress
- Representing the business at trade shows and sharing market insights with the wider team
Ingredient development and approval can involve lengthy sales cycles. Success will require patience, consistent follow-through and the ability to keep projects moving across customer and internal teams.
About You
You will already have meaningful experience selling food ingredients into bakery applications, alongside the technical understanding to hold credible conversations with customers.
We would be interested in speaking with candidates who bring:
- B2B sales experience in bakery ingredients, such as enzymes, yeast, flour, functional blends or related ingredient solutions
- A degree in food science, chemistry, biology, chemical engineering or a comparable technical qualification or background
- A track record of identifying prospects, winning new customers and developing commercial opportunities
- A consultative approach, with the ability to understand formulation challenges and explain the technical and commercial value of an ingredient
- Experience working closely with technical support, applications, R&D or product development teams
- The organisation and independence needed to manage a territory and build a developing market
Previous experience in applications, R&D or technical support could be valuable, provided you have since developed a strong sales track record.
Location and Travel
The preferred locations are the US East Coast or Midwest. Candidates based in Toronto or Montreal may also be considered.
You should be comfortable with regular customer travel, expected to account for at least 50% of your time, with occasional international travel.