Sales Manager, India, Food Ingredients

Vallée Executive Search; Maharashtra; On-site; INR 800,000 - 1,200,000; Full time

Job summary

Vallée Executive Search is seeking a Sales Manager to establish and grow the Baking BU across West and South India. Based in Mumbai, you will lead distributor scouting, pricing strategy, and direct sales to bakeries and HoReCa, while executing joint business plans with partners.

You will manage a regional sales footprint, work with cross-functional teams, and travel regularly to cover major markets in the region.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of B2B sales in food/bakery ingredients or food services.
• Experience scouting, evaluating and onboarding distributors.
• Background in cocoa, starches, flour, flavors, yeast, enzymes or emulsifiers.
• Willingness to travel across West & South India.

Responsibilities

• Identify and onboard distributor partners to establish market coverage.
• Set distributor pricing, margins, credit terms, and rebates.
• Drive direct sales to Artisan/Industrial Bakeries and HoReCa accounts.
• Plan joint business plans and promotional campaigns with partners.

Skills

B2B sales

Distributor management

Market development

Travel willingness

Food ingredients

Education

Bachelor's degree in Food Technology/Science or related field

Job description

Our client is an established European specialty ingredient manufacturer with over 30 years of operations in India, serving multiple sectors across food, beverage, savory, and sweet applications. Headquartered in Mumbai, the company is now hiring a pioneer Sales Manager to establish and grow its Baking Business Unit across West and South India.

ABOUT THE ROLE

Reporting directly to the Country Sales Director, the Sales Manager will be the first dedicated sales driver for the Baking BU in the region. Based in Mumbai and managing territories across West & South India (including Mumbai, Pune, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Pondicherry, etc.), key responsibilities include:

• Distributor Scouting & Setup: Identify, evaluate, negotiate with, and onboard new distributor partners to establish comprehensive market coverage.
• Pricing & Commercial Terms: Set distributor margin structures, pricing corridors, credit terms, and rebate schemes.
• Key Account Growth: Drive direct sales and conduct field visits/trials with Industrial Bakeries, Artisan Bakeries, and HoReCa accounts.
• Business Planning: Execute joint business plans, promotional campaigns, and sales forecasts with distribution partners.

REQUIREMENTS

• Education: Bachelor's degree in Food Technology, Food Science, Marketing, or a related field.
• Experience: 5+ years of B2B sales experience in food/bakery ingredients or food services, with a proven track record of scouting, evaluating, and onboarding new distribution networks.
• Sector Background: Background in specialized food ingredients such as cocoa, starches, flour, flavors, yeast, enzymes, or emulsifiers.
• Commercial & Technical Skills: Strong understanding of distributor pricing, margin management, and selling to target end-users (Artisan Bakeries, Industrial Bakeries, HoReCa).
• Territory Coverage: Strong network across West & South India markets and willingness to travel regularly across the region.