Sales Manager - Export, International Business

Firstfry Foods; Rajkot; On-site; INR 1,500,000 - 2,100,000; Full time

Job summary

FirstFry Foods is seeking a Sales Manager – Export to build and lead our international sales from the ground up in Rajkot, Gujarat. You will identify importers, distributors, and buyers, negotiate terms such as FOB and CIF, and coordinate with production, quality, and marketing to align on packaging, pricing and private-label opportunities.

You will travel internationally to key markets, participate in trade shows, and manage end-to-end export documentation while tracking performance through our

Qualifications

• Proven export sales experience in frozen potato products or frozen foods.
• Strong market research, sales planning, pricing and negotiation skills.
• Knowledge of export documentation, Incoterms, letter of credit and cold-chain logistics.
• Familiarity with APEDA, FSSAI, halal, HACCP/BRCGS standards.
• Fluency in English; additional languages a plus.

Responsibilities

• Build export function with a market-by-market sales plan, targets, and sales process from enquiry to delivery and after-sales support.
• Identify, qualify and onboard importers, distributors, buyers including QSR, HoReCa and private-label partners.
• Prepare and negotiate FOB/CIF price lists by SKU and volume, Incoterms, and payment terms; collaborate with finance on margins.
• Maintain export documentation, samples, QA approvals, and end-to-end export processes.
• Represent FirstFry at trade shows and market visits to turn meetings into orders.
• Track pipeline, orders, forecasts and collections in the CRM; report against targets.
• Monitor competitors, pricing and trends to guide product range and positioning.

Skills

Export sales

International business development

Market research

Sales planning

Pricing negotiation

Incoterms knowledge

Communication skills

Data analysis

Stakeholder management

Entrepreneurial mindset

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing or International Trade

MBA or related postgraduate qualification

Tools

CRM

Job description

FirstFry Foods is a new Indian frozen food company making high-quality frozen potato products for foodservice and retail customers in India and international markets.

Role Description

This is a full-time, on-site role based in Rajkot, Gujarat. It includes regular visits to our plant in Gujarat and international travel to key markets. As Sales Manager – Export, you will own FirstFry's international sales from the very first container. That means finding the right importers, distributors and foodservice buyers, winning our first export orders, and growing them into long-term accounts. You will work closely with the founding team and with production, quality, supply chain and marketing on pricing, product specifications, packaging and private-label programmes. You will also bring market feedback back into product development and brand strategy.

Key Responsibilities

• Build our export function from scratch. This includes a market-by-market sales plan, targets, and the processes that take an order from enquiry and quotation through to delivery and after-sales support.
• Identify, qualify and onboard importers, frozen food distributors, QSR chains, HoReCa operators, caterers and private-label buyers. Lead with our strengths: flexible MOQs, mixed-SKU containers, private-label capability and fast, responsive service.
• Prepare and negotiate commercial proposals, including FOB and CIF price lists by SKU and volume, Incoterms, and secure payment terms such as advance payment or letters of credit. Work with finance on costing and margins.
• Maintain a strong export sales kit, including product specification sheets, samples, certification documents and the company profile. Manage sample dispatch, buyer trials and QA approvals. Managing and creating end to end export documentation for the company.
• Represent FirstFry at trade shows such as Gulfood, at APEDA buyer–seller meets and on market visits, and turn those meetings into orders.
• Track the pipeline, orders, forecasts and collections in our CRM, and report regularly on performance against targets.
• Monitor competitors, pricing and trends in the global frozen potato and foodservice market. Share insights that guide our product range, packaging and positioning.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in export sales, international business development or global key account management in the frozen potato products such as frozen fries. Experience with frozen foods or other cold-chain products is strongly preferred.
• Strong skills in market research, sales planning, pricing and negotiation, with a track record of opening new markets and closing deals.
• Working knowledge of export documentation, Incoterms, letters of credit and cold-chain logistics.
• Working knowledge of food export compliance, including APEDA and FSSAI requirements, halal certification, and HACCP, FSSC 22000 or BRCGS standards.
• Ability to build and maintain relationships with distributors, importers and other trade partners, backed by strong stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Comfort working with sales targets and basic data analysis to monitor performance and sharpen strategy.
• An entrepreneurial, hands-on approach and comfort building processes from scratch in an early-stage company.
• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, International Trade or a related field. An MBA or other postgraduate qualification is an advantage.
• Fluency in English. Arabic, French or other languages relevant to our target markets are a plus.