Vice President of Flavor Sales

Company: This company is a well-established, privately held and family-owned creator and manufacturer of flavor, fragrance and ingredient solutions. It

supports food, beverage and consumer product customers through an international manufacturing and commercial network.

Flavors represent the largest part of the business, with established capabilities across beverage, bakery, confectionery, culinary, dairy and health and

wellness nutrition. The company combines R&D, application, sensory, regulatory and manufacturing resources with the speed, service and close customer

relationships of an independent flavor house.

Following continued investment and a planned leadership transition, the company is seeking a VP of Flavor Sales to lead its next stage of commercial growth.

Role: The VP of Flavor Sales will lead the commercial growth strategy for the North American flavor business. The successful individual will report to the

President, work regularly with the Chief Executive Officer and sit on the executive management team.

The role has oversight of more than 15 team members, including an established Director of Sales and the wider sales organization. The final reporting

structure will reflect the needs of the business and the strengths of the appointed leader.

The VP will take responsibility for revenue growth, market share, sales strategy, pricing, forecasting, lead generation and commercial performance. The

position will also work closely with marketing on brand positioning, messaging, market visibility, campaign effectiveness and qualified lead development.

The current sales leader is preparing to retire from the full-time position and will move into an advisory capacity. This will provide continuity across key

customers, relationships and institutional knowledge.

This is a strategic and hands-on leadership role. The successful person must set direction while remaining close to customers, the sales team, commercial

data and market activity.

Main Responsibilities

Strategy and Planning

• Develop and execute the long-term commercial strategy for the flavor business

• Establish revenue, margin, market share and customer growth objectives

• Align sales targets with marketing activity, operational capacity and company strategy

• Identify new growth opportunities through market, customer and competitor analysis

• Prepare and manage the sales budget

• Maintain clear visibility of commercial risks, investment needs and growth priorities

Sales Leadership

• Lead the complete sales process from lead generation through opportunity conversion

• Establish sales metrics, territories, account ownership, quotas and performance expectations

• Lead, coach and develop the Director of Sales and wider commercial team

• Build a disciplined, results-driven sales organization

• Develop strategic account plans for major customers and growth accounts

• Strengthen senior relationships with key customers and commercial partners

• Build a high-quality pipeline of qualified and commercially attractive opportunities

• Improve pipeline accuracy, forecasting and CRM discipline

• Lead pricing strategy and major negotiations while protecting margin and customer value

• Establish clear pricing measures and commercial approval processes

Marketing Oversight

• Work with the marketing team on brand positioning, messaging and market visibility

• Align marketing campaigns with sales priorities, customer needs and growth objectives

• Track marketing return on investment, lead quality and conversion rates

• Translate consumer trends, category developments and market intelligence into commercial activity

• Support the development of customer propositions, sales tools and product launch plans

• Ensure marketing and sales teams follow a shared commercial strategy

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Work with R&D, flavor creation, applications and sensory teams to prioritize customer opportunities

• Align forecasts and customer commitments with operations, supply chain and finance

• Partner with regulatory and quality teams to support responsive and compliant customer service

• Represent sales in executive management discussions, annual planning and investment decisions

• Provide clear performance, pipeline and market updates to the President and Chief Executive Officer

Key Requirements & Skills

• A degree in Food Science, Business or a related field

• Ten or more years of commercial experience within flavors, food ingredients or additives

• Strong direct flavor industry experience is preferred

• Proven record of increasing revenue, market share and profitable customer growth

• Experience developing and leading sales and marketing teams

• Experience managing sales directors, account managers or comparable commercial leaders

• Strong knowledge of North American food and beverage customers

• Understanding of technically led and consultative sales processes

• Experience managing key accounts, territories, pipelines and sales budgets

• Ability to translate technical capabilities into relevant customer value propositions

• Confidence working with presidents, chief executives, owners and senior customer contacts

• Collaborative leadership style with the ability to influence across commercial, technical and operational functions

• Comfortable introducing structure, accountability and performance measures within an entrepreneurial business

• Willing to work on-site in Illinois and travel regularly to customers

• Motivated by the opportunity to lead a core business division and shape its next stage of growth

• Strong financial acumen and forecasting ability

• Deep understanding of profit and loss targets

• Expert knowledge of CRM platforms and data analytics

• Strong understanding of marketing strategy and sales methodologies

• Confidence in pricing, negotiation and margin management

• Clear written, verbal and interpersonal communication

• Strong planning and organizational capability

• Sound commercial judgement supported by accurate data.