Business Development & Technical Advisor Lead

DECCO Italia s.r.l.; Mumbai; On-site; INR 4,000,000 - 7,000,000; Full time

Job summary

DECCO Italia s.r.l. seeks a proactive Business Development & Technical Advisor Lead – India to drive market expansion and lead R&D and innovation workflows for post-harvest solutions in India.

This senior role blends commercial leadership with deep technical expertise, acting as the primary liaison among customers, R&D, operations, and DECCO teams to deliver product validation, advisory support, and regulatory alignment across major crops such as citrus, mango, and grapes.

Qualifications

• Master’s or Bachelor’s in Horticulture, Agriculture, Plant Pathology, Post‑Harvest Technology, Food Science, or related field.
• MBA or commercial qualification is an added advantage.
• 5–10 years of experience in post-harvest, fresh produce, agrochemicals, or agri‑solutions.

Responsibilities

• Lead India business development strategies aligned with DECCO WW global objectives.
• Provide market and technical input to country/global R&D and product development teams.
• Develop and strengthen distribution partner capabilities through technical and commercial training.

Skills

Post-harvest tech

Fungicides

Coatings

Sanitizers

Application equipment

Commercial acumen

Strategic thinking

Communication skills

Influencing skills

Independent work

Agile mindset

Integrity & compliance

Education

Master’s or Bachelor’s in Horticulture, Agriculture, Plant Pathology, Post-Harvest Technology, Food Science, or related field

MBA or commercial qualification

Job description

Position Title: Business Development & Technical Advisor Lead – India

Function

• Post‑Harvest Solutions | Business Development | Technical Advisory | Product development

Reporting To

• Business Head, India and Matrix to R&D and Innovation Head

Role Purpose (Job Summary)

• The Business Development & Technical Advisor Lead – India is a strategic, customer‑facing leadership role responsible for Business development (driving market expansion, revenue growth) and R&D and Innovation workflow (product development, technical recommendation) for DECCO’s post‑harvest solutions in India.
• The role combines commercial leadership with deep post‑harvest technical expertise, acting as the key link between customers, R&D, operations, and country/global DECCO teams. The incumbent will build long‑term partnerships across the fresh produce value chain—exporters, packhouses, retailers, growers and agribusinesses—while ensuring product validation, technical adoption through advisory and regulatory support.

Key Responsibilities

1. Business Development

• Develop and execute India‑specific business development strategies aligned with DECCO WW global objectives.
• Identify and develop new market segments (export‑oriented fruits, wholesale & retail, packhouses, cold storages).
• Build strong commercial relationships with key stakeholders, distributors, exporters, and strategic partners.
• Driveportfolio introduction and market expansion (fungicides, coatings, sanitizers, equipment, near-harvest and post-harvest solutions).
• Develop crop‑wise technical and expansion strategies based on India’s production and export priorities.
• Provide market and technical input to country/global R&D and product development teams.
• Develop and strengthen distribution partner capabilities through technical and commercial training.

2. Technical Advisory

• Act as the technical lead for DECCO post‑harvest solutions in India.
• Support customers with application protocols, trials, validation studies with effective technical implementation.
• Lead post‑harvest diagnostics and solutions for major Indian crops (e.g., citrus, mango, grapes, pineapple, pomegranate, apples, bananas and others).
• Drive new product introductions, trials (field, packhouse, storages, laboratory), and scale‑up programs.
• Support registration strategies and regulatory need.
• Guide internal sales and technical teams to build a strong pipeline of post‑harvest expertise.

3. Cross‑Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with operations, supply chain, marketing, regulatory, and finance teams.
• Coordinate with country/global DECCO experts for knowledge transfer, innovation adoption, and best practices.
• Support global and regional projects related to sustainability, digitalization, and technology adoption.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Revenue growth and market share in India via business development
• New packhouse acquisition and strategic account development
• Successful technical trials and commercialization
• Customer satisfaction and retention
• Compliance with regulatory and quality standards
• Capability uplift of distributors and internal teams

Required Qualifications

• Education
• Master’s or Bachelor’s degree in Horticulture, Agriculture, Plant Pathology, Post‑Harvest Technology, Food Science, or related field.
• MBA or commercial qualification is an added advantage.

Experience

• 5-10 years of experience in post‑harvest, fresh produce, agrochemicals, or agri‑solutions.
• Proven experience in business development combined with technical responsibilities.
• Strong exposure to Indian fruit value chains and export markets.
• Experience working with multinational agribusinesses is preferred.

Technical & Functional Skills

• Deep understanding of post‑harvest physiology, pathology, and treatments
• Strong knowledge of fungicides, coatings, sanitizers, application equipment
• Commercial acumen with ability to link technical value to business outcomes
• Strategic thinker with execution focus
• Strong customer orientation and credibility with technical stakeholders
• Excellent communication, presentation, and influencing skills
• Ability to work independently and lead through influence
• High integrity and compliance mindset
• Agile and comfortable in a dynamic, growth‑oriented environment

Travel Requirement

• Extensive domestic travel across major horticulture belts and packhouse clusters.
• Occasional international travel for global meetings, training, and strategy alignment.