Sales Business Development Manager

Job Summary

SALES BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

Job description

Growing food manufacturer specializing in the development and manufacturing of highquality protein bars and functional snacks for today’s performance-driven and wellness-conscious consumers is looking for a sales/business development professional to join their team in Jonesboro, Arkansas. Combining expertise in food science, ingredient functionality, and product formulation, the company provides private label as well as branded solutions to bring innovative, market-ready snack products to life.

In addition to its functional snack portfolio, the company also produces a wide range of bakery and sweet products, including breads, cakes, pastries, cookies, desserts, and innovative sweet snacks. With strong capabilities in bakery formulation, product development, and scalable manufacturing, the company supports customers from concept development through commercial production.

This position is located in Jonesboro, Arkansas and requires relocation.Relocation assistance is available for qualified candidates.

Position Summary

We are seeking a high-performing, results-driven Sales Manager to lead profitable annual sales growth and expand strategic partnerships across the food manufacturing and co-manufacturing sector.

This role partners with leading food brands, retailers, and foodservice organizations to deliver scalable, innovative product solutions across frozen, refrigerated, and shelfstable categories. The ideal candidate combines strong commercial acumen with a deep understanding of food manufacturing capabilities, R&D-driven selling, and longterm customer partnership development.

This individual contributor role reports to senior commercial leadership and plays a critical role in identifying new business opportunities, strengthening existing relationships, and driving sustainable revenue growth.

Key Responsibilities:

Growth & Revenue Development

• Develop and execute strategies to achieve and exceed annual sales and profitability targets.
• Identify, pursue, and secure new business opportunities across branded, private label, and co-manufactured product categories.
• Focus on customers who value technical expertise, innovation, and flexible manufacturing capabilities.
• Build and expand a robust pipeline of qualified opportunities to support long-term growth.

Customer Acquisition & Relationship Building

• Target and engage key decision-makers across brand, retail, foodservice, and ingredient channels.
• Build long-term strategic relationships through customer engagement activities such as facility visits, product demonstrations, and collaborative solution development.
• Position technical capabilities, R&D strength, and manufacturing flexibility as core differentiators.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner closely with R&D, operations, quality, procurement, finance, and commercial teams to develop tailored customer solutions.
• Lead the development of customized proposals, product concepts, and commercialization strategies.
• Ensure alignment across internal stakeholders to support successful product launches and ongoing customer success.

Market Intelligence & Strategy

• Monitor industry trends including clean label, health and wellness, functional nutrition, and evolving consumer preferences.
• Leverage insights from trade shows, industry events, and customer engagement to identify growth opportunities.
• Translate market intelligence into actionable business development strategies.

Performance Management

• Maintain accurate forecasting, pipeline management, and reporting to track revenue performance and growth opportunities.
• Monitor customer retention, account performance, and overall portfolio health.
• Ensure disciplined execution against growth plans and strategic objectives.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of B2B sales or business development experience within food manufacturing, co-manufacturing, food ingredients, bakery, or related CPG sectors.
• Proven track record of driving new account acquisition and delivering consistent annual sales growth.
• Strong understanding of food manufacturing processes, supply chain dynamics, and product commercialization.
• Experience working with private label, branded products, or contract manufacturing partnerships preferred.
• Entrepreneurial mindset with strong strategic thinking and execution capabilities.
• Ability to thrive in a matrixed, cross-functional environment.

This individual must be willing to relocate and work out of company's headquarters in Jonesboro, Arkansas. Relocation assistance is provided. Salary is negotiable depending on experience. If interested please email your full resume to rob foodemployment.com

How to Apply

Interested candidates should submit their application online using the link below.