Commercial Manager - North America

Company: This company is a well-established international manufacturer and supplier of natural and speciality ingredients to the flavour, fragrance, food 
and beverage industries. The organisation supports a broad international customer base, ranging from major global groups to specialist and regional 
manufacturers. The business combines modern manufacturing and technical capabilities with an agile, entrepreneurial culture. It is recognised for its 
product quality, customer relationships and ability to develop tailored ingredient solutions for international markets. Following continued investment and 
commercial growth, the company is now seeking to appoint a Commercial Manager - North America to strengthen its position and accelerate growth across 
the US market.

Role: The company is seeking an experienced and entrepreneurial Commercial Manager to deliver profitable growth across North America. While the 
business already has relationships with several established customers, the principal opportunity will be to generate new business with small and mediumsized flavour and fragrance houses. The strongest candidates are likely to come from an ingredient supplier, distributor or trading business and will bring an established network across the relevant customer base. Experience within either flavours or fragrances will be considered, although strong flavour-sector  exposure could be particularly valuable. This is a highly hands-on role. The successful individual will need to work independently, originate opportunities  and manage the full commercial cycle while collaborating closely with technical, operational and commercial colleagues based internationally. The Northeast 
is the preferred location because of its concentration of flavour and fragrance companies, although other locations could be considered for an exceptional candidate with the right network. The position offers the opportunity to play a visible role in developing the company’s North American business within a  performance-led culture that rewards new revenue, margin growth and sustainable customer relationships.

Main Responsibilities
• Develop and execute a commercial strategy to deliver profitable growth across North America
• Prioritise the acquisition and development of small and medium-sized flavour and fragrance houses
• Build an active pipeline of new customers and projects through direct outreach, referrals, networking and industry relationships
• Manage and grow assigned strategic accounts while maintaining a clear focus on incremental and newly originated business
• Lead the full commercial cycle from prospect identification and qualification through sampling, negotiation, conversion and account 
development
• Build trusted relationships with procurement, commercial, technical, creative and senior customer contacts
• Coordinate product samples, technical documentation, trials and customer support with international teams
• Prepare territory plans, account strategies, sales forecasts and updates against agreed revenue and margin targets
• Negotiate pricing and commercial terms that support both customer value and sustainable margin development
• Provide market intelligence on customers, competitors, distributors, ingredient trends and emerging opportunities
• Support effective coordination between customers and the company's commercial, technical, customer service and logistics functions
• Represent the company at customer meetings, industry exhibitions, conferences and networking events
• Maintain accurate CRM records, opportunity stages, contact information and commercial reporting
• Contribute to the longer-term structure and development of the North American commercial operation
• Travel regularly across North America and periodically to the company's international headquarters

Key Requirements
• Substantial B2B commercial experience within flavour, fragrance, food ingredients, natural extracts or a related speciality ingredient market
• An established network among US flavour and fragrance companies, particularly small and medium-sized houses
• Proven success in independently originating new business rather than relying primarily on inherited accounts
• Experience working for an ingredient supplier, distributor or trader would be particularly relevant
• Strong flavour or fragrance market knowledge
• Broader experience across both categories would be advantageous
• Demonstrated ability to convert technical ingredient opportunities into profitable commercial relationships
• Confident managing the complete sales process, including prospecting, qualification, pricing, negotiation, forecasting and account growth
• Commercially astute, with a strong understanding of revenue quality, gross margin and performance-based incentives
• Highly self-directed, resilient and comfortable operating with limited day-to-day local infrastructure
• Able to collaborate effectively across time zones with international commercial, technical and operational teams
• Capable of combining strategic market development with the practical day-to-day work required to win and retain customers
• Strong communication, presentation and relationship-building skills
• Well organised, accountable and disciplined in CRM use, pipeline management and commercial reporting
• Experience within a structured organisation and the ability to introduce proportionate improvements would be valuable
• Based in the Northeast US or another location close to a relevant customer cluster
• Willing and able to travel extensively across North America and periodically internationally
• Entrepreneurial, collaborative and motivated by the opportunity to make a visible contribution within a growing international business