Arkema - Milwaukee, WI
posted 4 months ago
The Business Development Manager - Flexible Packaging is a pivotal role within the North American Flexible Packaging commercial team, which includes Sales, Product Line Management (PLM), Business Development, and Technical Service. This position is primarily focused on the North American Flexible Packaging market, which encompasses converters and film producers, with a particular emphasis on flexible packaging coatings applications. However, the role also extends support to laminating applications as necessary. The Business Development Manager will work closely with the marketing team to support strategic initiatives and regional execution, ensuring alignment with market needs and company objectives. As a customer-facing role, the Business Development Manager is expected to be viewed as a packaging trend and design expert by customers. This involves building a continuous and robust new business development (NBD) funnel that aligns with the typical 2-5 year buying cycle prevalent in the industry. The position reports directly to the North America Flex Pack Sales and Marketing Director and is responsible for identifying and driving high-impact new business projects with North American converters and film producers, focusing on new applications or innovative technologies. Key activities include identifying the unique needs of target prospects, establishing a fit with the company's technology, and crafting a value-based message to generate interest. The Business Development Manager will collaborate closely with customers' product development teams to bring new technology to market and present relevant market trends, technologies, and applications to key stakeholders. Additionally, the role requires the ability to manage large, complex NBD projects involving multiple stakeholders, leading the product qualification process with the support of technical services, and transitioning commercialized projects to the sales team. The manager will also collaborate globally on key accounts and relevant business development projects, manage the project pipeline through Salesforce.com, and utilize Miller Heiman tools to effectively manage opportunities and customer meetings. Representing the company at industry groups, associations, technical committees, and trade shows is also a critical aspect of this role.