Sales & Business Development Manager – Specialty & Intermediate Chemicals

About This Role

Drive profitable growth for specialty chemicals across multiple markets by expanding the customer base, deepening existing relationships, and identifying new business opportunities. This role focuses on developing strategies for sales growth and market expansion, managing the sales process from lead generation to closing, and maintaining consultative relationships with stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute strategies to drive sales growth, margin improvement, and market expansion with a focus on new customer and application development
• Manage the sales process from lead generation to closing, ensuring alignment between customer needs and company capabilities
• Identify, qualify, and secure new opportunities at existing and developmental accounts
• Achieve defined performance goals, such as developing a minimum of five new customers and generating a minimum of $1M in the first 18 months
• Partner with distribution sales channels (e.g., Marketing and Sales team) to generate and execute Key Account plans and develop new leads
• Build and maintain consultative relationships with stakeholders at all levels – commercial, technical, production, and management
• Monitor market trends, customer needs, and competitive landscapes to identify new opportunities
• Provide support to internal and external technical teams during the approval process
• Negotiate and execute joint development agreements and supply agreements
• Develop a budget for sales each calendar year in coordination with sales management

Requirements

• Proven experience in Technical Sales and Account Management with a track record of profitable sales growth, particularly through new business development
• Extensive experience selling specialty materials in industries such as Consumer Care (Personal Care and HI&I), Chemical Intermediates, Oil & Gas, and other related applications
• Strong technical knowledge and credibility when working with surfactant, detergent, compatibilization, and corrosion inhibition technologies
• Excellent interpersonal and relationship management skills
• Fluent in English

Qualifications

• Minimum BS – Business, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering or related technical degree preferred. Advanced technical degree or MBA strongly preferred.
• Proven experience in Technical Sales and Account Management with a track record of profitable sales growth, particularly through new business development. Extensive experience selling specialty materials.

Nice to Have

• Spanish proficiency
• Background and high-level understanding of surfactant chemistries or closely related functional materials
• Experience developing and executing detailed Account and New Business Development Plans
• Strong organizational and time management skills with the ability to manage multiple projects
• Experience in Account Management
• Highly effective working with product and application development personnel and managing a diverse product and project portfolio
• Accomplished in identifying, understanding and communicating new opportunities with developmental accounts
• Familiar with customer technical approval/qualification, testing and scale-up protocols for formulated and intermediate chemical products
• Exceptional listening, communication, and presentation skills
• Proficient with Internet, E-mail and Microsoft Office Product Suite (Word, Outlook, Excel & PowerPoint)
• Advanced technical degree or MBA

Skills

* Required skills

Benefits