Senior Business Development Representative

AGRI-NEO – JOB DESCRIPTIONSenior Business Development Representative – Fruits & VegetablesMember of: Commercial TeamLocated: Toronto, Canada COMPANYAgri-Neo’s mission is to help safely feed the world. Our vision to accomplish this is to set new food safety standards with our treatments for many foods. Our first product line is Neo-Pure, which leverages our proprietary technology of liquid formulas and systems that apply our solutions onto spices, nuts, seeds, and pulses in food processing facilities. These solutions control pathogens such as Salmonella and other quality indicator microorganisms (TPC, coliforms, etc.) to ensure the food is safe to eat and to prevent recalls. We have also built a pipeline of products for pathogen and micro control that will be launching for other food categories, including fruits & vegetables (frozen, fresh) and powders. We are looking for a motivated and well-spoken Senior Business Development Representative to join our commercial team to focus on developing these new markets, starting with fruits & vegetables.POSITION SUMMARYAs our Senior Business Development Representative, you will analyze the fruits and vegetables market to help prioritize the rollout of a food safety solution for pathogen/micro reduction, starting with Individually Quick Frozen (IQF) berries such as raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries. You will also lead our efforts to uncover new target markets in other IQF and fresh cut fruits and vegetables and build advocacy along the supply chain to create pull for our products. This will include developing comprehensive business cases for new opportunities that you discover, factoring in market need and trends, competitive dynamics, unit economics, financial modeling, and regulatory environment. You will be responsible for finding anchor clients that could be early adopters of our products for each new target market. You will be responsible for conducting research and analyzing different market segments by attending conferences, tradeshows, and networking events. You will build relationships with influencers of our target customers, including major ingredient buyers, consumer packaged goods companies, and retailers to get them to advocate for the adoption of our products with their vendors (our target customers). You will work closely with your colleagues in commercial, including sales, marketing, and account management, and other functions like Sciences and Engineering to help prioritize our R&D efforts. You will have a clear understanding of our products and be able to demonstrate how they work in in-person or virtual meetings.Key ResponsibilitiesIdentify and prioritize target markets for our food safety solution for fruits and vegetables, starting with IQF berries and vegetables, by developing comprehensive business cases factoring in market / competitive / value chain dynamics, regulatory environment, and unit economics.Find and engage prospective anchor clients for commercial rollout of new market segments and products.Close first sales into new target markets for new product lines.Conduct primary market research and analyze trends in market, regulatory, and competition for product portfolio.Build relationships with influencers in supply chain to create advocacy and market pull.Attend conferences, tradeshows, and networking events. Create and present a strong value proposition through proposals and product demonstrations. Work cross-functionally to disseminate research findings, make recommendations, including to R&D. Handover knowledge and sales process to dedicated salespeople when they join for a new market.Help with marketing coordination (trade shows, pamphlets, input on website update, etc.)QualificationsBachelor’s degree in Business, Science, or Engineering.4+ years of business development or sales experience in the food industry, with a strong preference in fruits and vegetables. Experience with frozen fruit and/or vegetables a plus as well.Experience in closing sales deals as a lead.Successful track record of building proven high ROI business cases for new market opportunities, including all leading all phases of work – discovering new market segments, developing compelling value propositions, and securing anchor clients. Strong analytical and financial modeling skills, with demonstrated ability to figure out potential target market segments with minimal guidance. Strong technical acumen. Possess a natural curiosity and ability to quickly understand food safety technology.Passion for business development, with prior experience in developing network of relationships to build advocacy for sales offerings.Must have a valid passport and driver’s license for international travel.Must be able to travel +50% of the time.SkillsStrong interpersonal skills. Results oriented, driven personality.Hard-working and committed to contacting new prospects and customers daily.Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal in English.Strong analytical and research skills. Able to piece together multiple external factors to match internal capabilities to turn loosely defined market opportunities into commercial and R&D priorities.Strong networking skills to gain access to and educate influencers in market to build advocacy for product offerings.Use influencing skills to gain alignment, agreement, and commitments (internal/external).Sound presentation skills, both in development of compelling stories around technical data and presenting them at all levels within customer and internal organization.Must have excellent PowerPoint and Excel skills.Desire and aptitude to learn technical product features. As part of our commitment to inclusivity, diversity, equity and accessibility, our goal is a workforce built on respect that reflects the communities we serve. We thank all applicants for their interest in Agri-Neo but only those selected for an interview will be contacted.We are proud to be in compliance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), 2005 and the Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation. We are happy to honor accommodations at any part of the recruitment process and invite you to let us know how we can help.