Business Development Manager, Export Cluster (Africa & LEVANT)

Hershey Company; Dubai; On-site; AED 250,000 - 450,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Total rewards package

Medical & wellness

Competitive pay & incentives

Paid time off

Career development

Role-based benefits

Job summary

The Hershey Company is seeking a Business Development Manager, Export Cluster to drive expansion across Africa and the LEVANT, opening new markets and customers while strengthening performance with regional distributors.

You will own the full commercial agenda in a lean, startup-style setup, leveraging an established network and a proven ability to launch new markets. Bachelor’s degree and 7+ years in FMCG/export preferred.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of commercial experience within FMCG, with a track record in export or new-market business development.
• Demonstrated experience personally opening new markets and/or new customers in Africa and/or the LEVANT.
• An established, ready-to-activate network of trade and distributor contacts across Africa and LEVANT markets.
• Working knowledge of the regulatory and trade landscape across Africa and LEVANT markets.
• Strong commercial and negotiation skills.
• An entrepreneurial, agile operator profile — comfortable working independently in a lean, start-up-style setup, self-directed, resilient, and driven to pursue growth without close supervision.

Responsibilities

• Identify, prospect, and open new customers and new markets across Africa and the LEVANT, using an existing network of regional contacts and relationships.
• Build the go-to-market approach for markets where Hershey has limited or no current presence, from initial market entry through to a running commercial operation.
• Develop and execute customer growth plans and joint business plans for newly onboarded accounts.
• Manage and grow relationships with current Regional Distributors handling Hershey’s export business across Africa and the LEVANT.
• Monitor distributor performance, compliance, and route-to-market effectiveness.
• Partner with distributors to improve sales execution, coverage, and in-market capability.
• Navigate and advise on import, trade, and regulatory requirements specific to Africa and LEVANT markets.
• Track competitive activity, market dynamics, and regulatory shifts, translating them into commercial action.
• Ensure strong in-store execution across newly opened and existing accounts.
• Drive visibility, distribution, and assortment objectives.
• Support innovation launches and promotional campaigns across the cluster.
• Analyze sales trends, customer performance, and new-market pipeline.
• Generate actionable insights to guide expansion priorities.
• Support forecasting and business planning activities for the Export Cluster.

Skills

FMCG experience

Export market experience

New market development

Negotiation skills

Entrepreneurial mindset

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Business/Marketing/Commerce

Job description

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Business Development Manager, Export Cluster (Africa & LEVANT)

About The Hershey Company

The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) is an industry-leading snacks company known for making more moments of goodness through its iconic brands. With a strong portfolio across chocolate, confectionery, and salty snacks, Hershey delights consumers every day. Our beloved brands include Hershey’s, Reese’s, KitKat®, Dot’s Pretzels, Lesser Evil, Jolly Rancher, Twizzlers, Ice Breakers, and more.

At Hershey, we are committed to making a meaningful difference in the communities where we live, work, and do business. This commitment originated with our founder, Milton Hershey, and continues to shape who we are today.

Guided by our employee value proposition, Lead Today. Create Tomorrow, we empower our people to drive impact now while shaping what comes next. Our One Hershey mindset brings teams together across functions, geographies, and businesses, enabling us to operate with speed, collaboration, and shared purpose.

The Hershey Company is proud to be recognized as a top employer in the United States, reflecting our commitment to our people, culture, and purpose.

How Will You Fit in the Big Picture?

The Business Development Manager, Export Cluster will lead the expansion of Hershey’s footprint across Africa and the LEVANT by opening new markets and new customers, while strengthening performance with existing Regional Distributors. This is a builder role for a self-starting, entrepreneurial operator who has personally opened export markets before, carries an established network of contacts across the region, and is comfortable owning the full commercial agenda end-to-end in a lean, start-up-style setup with minimal day-to-day oversight.

What Will You Do?

• Identify, prospect, and open new customers and new markets across Africa and the LEVANT, using an existing network of regional contacts and relationships.
• Build the go-to-market approach for markets where Hershey has limited or no current presence, from initial market entry through to a running commercial operation.
• Develop and execute customer growth plans and joint business plans for newly onboarded accounts.
• Manage and grow relationships with current Regional Distributors handling Hershey’s export business across Africa and the LEVANT.
• Monitor distributor performance, compliance, and route-to-market effectiveness.
• Partner with distributors to improve sales execution, coverage, and in-market capability.
• Navigate and advise on import, trade, and regulatory requirements specific to Africa and LEVANT markets.
• Track competitive activity, market dynamics, and regulatory shifts, translating them into commercial action.

Commercial Execution

• Ensure strong in-store execution across newly opened and existing accounts.
• Drive visibility, distribution, and assortment objectives.
• Support innovation launches and promotional campaigns across the cluster.

Business Analytics & Reporting

• Analyze sales trends, customer performance, and new-market pipeline.
• Generate actionable insights to guide expansion priorities.
• Support forecasting and business planning activities for the Export Cluster.

Experience

• 7+ years of commercial experience within FMCG, with a track record in export or new-market business development.
• Demonstrated experience personally opening new markets and/or new customers in Africa and/or the LEVANT.
• An established, ready-to-activate network of trade and distributor contacts across Africa and LEVANT markets.
• Working knowledge of the regulatory and trade landscape across Africa and LEVANT markets.
• Strong commercial and negotiation skills.
• An entrepreneurial, agile operator profile — comfortable working independently in a lean, start-up-style setup, self-directed, resilient, and driven to pursue growth without close supervision.

Preferred

• Experience within multinational FMCG organizations.
• Additional regional language skills relevant to Africa or LEVANT markets.

Education

• Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Marketing, Commerce, or a related discipline.

Benefits and Perks

• At Hershey, we offer competitive pay and a comprehensive total rewards package designed to support your wellbeing, financial security, and life outside of work.
• Health & Wellbeing: Medical, plus wellness programs that support your physical and mental health.
• Financial Security: Competitive pay, annual incentive opportunities.
• Time Off & Flexibility: Paid time off, company holidays, and flexible ways of working where applicable.
• Growth & Development: Career development programs, learning opportunities, and internal mobility.
• Benefits may vary based on role, location, and eligibility.