Senior Sales Manager

Description

We are a global leader in food & beverage ingredients. Pioneers at heart, we operate at the forefront of consumer trends to provide food & beverage manufacturers with products and ingredients that will delight their consumers. Making a positive impact on people and planet is all part of the delight. With a deep-rooted presence in the countries where our ingredients are grown, we are closer to farmers, enabling better quality, and more reliable, traceable and transparent supply. Supplying products and ingredients at scale is just the start. We add value through our unique, complementary portfolio of natural, delicious and nutritious products. With our fresh thinking, we help our customers unleash the sensory and functional attributes of cocoa, coffee, dairy, nuts and spices so they can create naturally good food & beverage products that meet consumer expectations. And whoever we’re with, whatever we’re doing, we always make it real.

Position Summary

Reporting to the Head of Sales, NA Cocoa, the Senior Sales Manager will serve as a senior commercial leader responsible for developing and executing global account strategies that deliver profitable growth, strengthen executive-level customer partnerships, and expand ofi’s position with strategic multinational customers. This role requires strong financial acumen, disciplined business planning, and the ability to influence complex stakeholder networks across regions, functions, and customer organizations to drive aligned commercial execution and long-term value creation.

The ideal candidate for this position will bring a strong track record of managing global strategic accounts, leading enterprise-level commercial planning, and delivering sustained business growth in a complex, matrixed environment. They should be highly effective at translating customer, market, financial, and operational insights into account strategies that improve margin, accelerate growth, and create value for both customers and ofi. The successful candidate will be an executive-level communicator, a strong negotiator, and a trusted business partner who can influence senior global stakeholders, align cross-functional teams, and lead high-impact initiatives with a sharp commercial and financial focus.

*The location for this position is Chicago (strongly preferred) or remote in the following states: AL, AZ, CA, CT, GA, IL, NV, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OR, RI, TX

Position Responsibilities

• Lead the development and execution of strategic global account plans for assigned key customers and priority prospects, with a focus on profitable revenue growth, margin expansion, risk management, and long-term partnership value.

• Own and elevate senior-level customer relationships across regional and global stakeholder groups, identifying enterprise opportunities and positioning solutions that align with customer priorities and ofi’s strategic objectives.

• Achieve or exceed annual sales, margin, volume, and growth targets through disciplined pipeline management, account planning, financial analysis, and commercial execution.

• Partner with global and regional cross-functional teams across ofi, including operations, supply chain, product management, finance, sustainability, and customer service, to deliver against account strategies and resolve complex business issues.

• Develop account forecasts, profitability analyses, business reviews, and strategic updates for leadership and key stakeholders, using data and financial insights to inform decision-making and drive accountability.

• Lead commercial negotiations, contract discussions, pricing strategies, and value-based customer proposals to support sustainable growth and protect business value.

• Influence and align global stakeholders, including customer leadership, internal commercial teams, supply chain partners, and functional leaders, to ensure coordinated execution across markets and regions.

• Mentor less experienced team members, share market and customer insights, and contribute to broader sales capability building across the organization.

• Perform other duties as assigned.

Position Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree is required, with preferred majors in Business, Management, Marketing, or related studies.

• Eight (8)+ years of progressive sales, business development, key account management, or commercial leadership experience is required. Experience in food ingredients, food manufacturing, or food service industry is strongly preferred.

• Demonstrated success managing strategic customer relationships, leading complex negotiations, and delivering profitable growth is required.

• Experience managing global or multinational customer relationships and influencing stakeholders across multiple regions, functions, and levels of seniority is strongly preferred.

• Advanced business and financial acumen with the ability to analyze sales performance, margin drivers, pricing dynamics, market trends, and customer insights to shape commercial strategy is required.

• Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills, including the ability to influence senior stakeholders internally and externally, are required.

• Ability to build trusted relationships across all levels, both internal and external, is required.

• Strong self-initiative with an ability to operate independently and lead within a complex, matrixed organization is required.

• High proficiency in Microsoft Office applications including PowerPoint, Excel, Word, Teams and Outlook is required.

• Ability to work occasional weekends and evenings for travel or fulfillment of position responsibilities.

• State issued driver’s license and clean driving record is required.

• Willingness and ability to travel a minimum of 20% of the time is required.

• For remote employees, commitment to spend at least five days per month in the assigned office, in addition to regular travel obligations.

Pay Statement:

The pay for this role in the state of Illinois ranges from $144,000-$175,000 and is based on the position responsibilities and geographic location. Actual pay within this range may be determined based on the candidate's experience, qualifications, and/or other determining factors.

Additional components include but are not limited to:

• Bonus: Eligible for a discretionary performance-based bonus as provided by the plan terms and governing documents
• Benefits: Employees (and their eligible dependents) covered through affordable access to healthcare, protection, and saving for the future
• Well-being: We offer events, resources and learning opportunities that inspire a physical, social, emotional, and financial well-being lifestyle for our employees and their families

Note: This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive. Employee may perform other related duties as negotiated to meet the ongoing needs of the organization.

ofi provides equality of opportunity for all persons with respect to hiring without discrimination on the grounds of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, pregnancy, age, disability, veteran status, or sexual orientation. All employment will be decided on the basis of qualifications, merit and business need. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, you may contact us for support at: US-Talent.Acquisition@ofi.com

At ofi, we celebrate our diversity. Olam Americas LLC is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace.