Business Development Associate, North America

Grounded Packaging; Vancouver; On-site; CAD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Grounded Packaging in Vancouver is seeking a smart Business Development Associate to join our North American team. This role sits at the intersection of packaging, sustainability and supply chain, focusing on identifying and developing opportunities across North America in the CPG and specialty coffee spaces.

You'll learn packaging quickly, build relationships with founders and operators, and work with a small, fast-moving team that uses AI to drive research, prospecting and project execution.

Qualifications

• Experience in startup CPG, specialty coffee, or related industry.
• Commercial minded with relationship-building skills.
• Willing to learn quickly and adapt.
• Organized with ability to manage multiple opportunities.
• Comfortable with ambiguity in a small, evolving company.
• Willing to travel within North America.

Responsibilities

• Identify and develop new business across North America, especially CPG and specialty coffee.
• Research companies, reach out to prospects and build relationships.
• Learn packaging quickly and explain options to customers.
• Collaborate with the team to convert opportunities into packaging projects.
• Apply AI tools for research, prospecting and communication.
• Attend customer meetings and industry events across North America.

Skills

Startup CPG

Specialty coffee

Commercial mindset

Learns quickly

Organised

Comfort with ambiguity

AI-enabled

People skills

Sustainability-minded

Willing to travel

Job description

Business Development Associate, North America

Grounded is looking for a smart, commercially minded Business Development Associate to join our North American team in Vancouver. We're particularly interested in people who have spent time in one of two worlds:

• Startup and high-growth CPG: You might work for an emerging consumer brand, co-manufacturer, ingredient company, distributor, agency or another business connected to the startup CPG ecosystem.
• Specialty coffee: You might work for a specialty roaster, green coffee company, equipment business, distributor or another company connected to the specialty coffee community.

You don't need to know packaging, we can teach you that. What we're looking for is industry knowledge, commercial instinct, intellectual curiosity, technical capability and a real desire to learn and progress.

About Grounded

Grounded is building a better way for consumer brands to source and manage sustainable flexible packaging. We work with emerging brands through to some of the world's fastest-growing consumer businesses, combining deep packaging expertise, global manufacturing and our own technology to develop, manufacture and manage their packaging.

We're a small team by design and operate much more like a startup than a traditional packaging company. We use technology and AI extensively, move quickly and give people plenty of responsibility.

The role

This is a business development role, but it isn't simple transactional selling. Grounded sits at the intersection of product, brand, manufacturing, sustainability and supply chain. A project can involve materials, specifications, artwork, compliance, pricing, freight, warehousing and inventory.

You’ll learn how to find and develop new opportunities, understand what customers are trying to achieve and help develop the right solution. In practice, the role is a combination of business development, technical problem-solving and project management.

We can teach you packaging. What we need is someone capable of learning it quickly and becoming technically credible with customers.

What you'll do

• Identify and develop new business across North America, particularly within CPG and specialty coffee.
• Research companies, reach out to prospects and build relationships with founders and operators.
• Learn packaging quickly and help customers understand their options.
• Work with the wider team to turn opportunities into successful packaging projects.
• Use AI extensively across research, prospecting, technical learning, communication and follow-up.
• Attend customer meetings, trade shows and industry events across North America.

Who we're looking for

• You know the space. You have some experience around startup CPG, specialty coffee or a related industry.
• You're commercially minded. You enjoy meeting people, finding opportunities and developing relationships.
• You're hungry to learn and you learn quickly. You can absorb a lot of information and become comfortable with technical subjects.
• You're organised. You can manage multiple opportunities and follow up consistently.
• You're comfortable with ambiguity. You enjoy working in a small business that moves quickly and is constantly evolving.
• You're AI-enabled. You already use AI or are motivated to become very good at it.
• You're good with people. You can build genuine relationships with founders and operators.
• You care about sustainability. You should be interested in what we're trying to solve.
• You're happy to travel. Vancouver is the base, but North America is the market.

Your background

Your current title could be sales, partnerships, business development, account management, customer success or operations. You might work at a growing consumer brand, specialty coffee business, co-manufacturer, distributor, supplier, ingredient company, agency or another company connected to these industries.

Packaging experience is helpful, but it isn't necessary. We’d rather teach a smart, motivated industry person packaging than make packaging experience a prerequisite.

The opportunity

You’ll join a small team, work closely with experienced people across the business and get exposure to a genuinely technical sales process. You’ll have the opportunity to become expert in packaging and sustainability, use AI extensively in how you work and develop into a strong commercial operator.

If you're good, there is a lot of room to grow with it.