Distribution Channel Manager

This position is located in the United States. 

The Distribution Channel Manager is responsible for managing strategic distributor relationships, driving profitable sales growth, expanding market coverage, and ensuring effective execution of Budenheim’s product and commercial strategies through distribution partners. This role serves as a key link between Budenheim, its distributors, and end-use markets, identifying opportunities to grow existing business while developing new channels and applications.

Complexity of the Job

·         Develop and execute Budenheim USA’s distribution channel strategy in alignment with overall commercial objectives.

·         Balance the technical and commercial needs of national, regional, specialty distributors and internal stakeholders across the Life Science portfolio

·         Identify opportunities to expand geographic coverage, customer reach, and product penetration through existing and new distributors.

·         Identify and address potential channel conflicts while maintaining productive relationships with direct sales teams and channel partners.

·         Operate effectively across a global organization with varying cultures, regulations, commercial practices, and time zones.

Sales Activities and Relationship Management

• Achieve assigned sales, margin, and growth objectives through channel development, and new business generation.

• Respond to commercial and technical inquiries and coordinate distributors needs with Customer Service, Supply Chain, Quality, Finance, Marketing, Innovation and Application Development, and other supporting functions.

• Maintain strong knowledge of the Life Science portfolio and customer applications to recommend solutions, solve problems, and support product or application development.

• Identify and qualify prospects, develop opportunities, and maintain an accurate sales pipeline in Salesforce

• Prepare and negotiate quotations, pricing, forecasts and commercial terms within approved strategies, policies, and authority.

Distribution Partner Management

• Build strong, long-term relationships with key distributor principals, across commercial, technical and procurement.

• Establish joint business plans, sales targets, account priorities, and market-development initiatives with distributors.

• Monitor distributor performance, pipelines, and market coverage; conduct business reviews and recommend channel improvements.

• Help distributors identify and convert opportunities through customer visits, technical support, commercial negotiations, and training.

Market and Competition

• Analyze market trends, customer needs, competitors, pricing, applications, and channel activity to identify growth opportunities.

• Share market and customer insights with relevant teams to support product, application, portfolio, and growth decisions.

Budgeting, Planning and Systems

• Lead or support annual budgeting and sales, account, and territory planning.

• Maintain monthly sales and demand forecasts with Supply Chain Planning and other stakeholders.

• Maintain accurate customer, opportunity, activity, pricing, and market data in Salesforce and other business systems.

Reporting and Business Reviews

• Report sales and margin results, pipeline activity, market developments, distributor performance, and significant deviations.

• Complete customer and distributor visit reports and participate in sales meetings, account discussions, and business reviews.

• Provide commercial and technical input to product innovation, portfolio development, customer service, and growth initiatives.

Authorities

• Negotiate pricing and commercial terms within delegated authority and recommend account, channel, and market-development actions to management.

• Escalate significant opportunities and business risks and represent Budenheim at customer, distributor, and industry events.

Other Responsibilities

• Travel approximately 40% to 50% within the territory, with occasional international travel.

• Collaborate with regional and global teams and participate in cross-functional projects requiring commercial or technical input.

• All other duties as assigned; responsibilities may evolve with business needs.

Education and Work Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant technical discipline, or a business degree combined with relevant technical industry experience preferred.

• At least five years of relevant technical sales, account management, business development, or technical service experience in the ingredient industry or a related Life Science market.

• Ability to understand technical products and applications and translate them into effective commercial solutions.

• Experience managing customer relationships; distributor or indirect-channel experience is preferred.

• Strong communication, presentation, negotiation, analytical, organizational, and relationship-management skills.

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and CRM systems; Salesforce experience is preferred.

Core Requirements:

·  Demonstrates the organization's core values of Excellence, Respect, Integrity, and Adaptability and acts with professionalism and confidentiality.

·  Organizes and prioritizes work effectively and meets deadlines.

·  Complies with the Integrated Management System and applicable company quality, safety, environmental, and occupational health requirements.