Business Development Executive - New Zealand

Addiction Pet Foods; Auckland; On-site; NZD 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Addiction Pet Foods New Zealand is seeking a commercially driven Business Development Executive to accelerate growth across the New Zealand market. You will work with the Sales Director – New Zealand, identify opportunities, build strategic relationships, and drive revenue growth across nationwide markets.

This field-based role requires strong independence, strategic market thinking, and the ability to travel regularly across New Zealand to engage customers and partners.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in business development and field sales.
• Strong ability to build strategic customer relationships and partnerships.
• Experience managing longer sales cycles and complex negotiations.

Responsibilities

• Identify and develop new business opportunities across New Zealand.
• Prospect and open new customer accounts and commercial partnerships.
• Build long-term relationships with key customers and decision-makers.
• Develop priority markets, customers, territories, and growth opportunities.
• Manage opportunities through the full sales cycle from prospecting to conversion.

Skills

Business development

Field sales

Territory management

Relationship building

Negotiation

Strategic thinking

Market intelligence

Travel readiness

Commercial judgement

Driver's licence

Job description

Business Development Executive – New Zealand

Addiction Pet Foods New Zealand

Field-Based | Nationwide Travel Across New Zealand

About The Role

Addiction Pet Foods New Zealand is looking for a commercially driven and strategic Business Development Executive to help accelerate growth across the New Zealand market.

Working closely with the Sales Director – New Zealand, this role will focus on identifying new business opportunities, developing strategic customer relationships, expanding market presence, and converting growth opportunities into sustainable revenue.

This is not simply an account maintenance role.

We are looking for someone who can think strategically about the market, identify where the strongest opportunities are, build relationships with the right customers and partners, and help shape the company’s commercial growth plan across New Zealand.

The successful candidate will be highly independent, commercially focused, and comfortable working in the field, while also contributing market intelligence and practical recommendations to support national sales strategy.

What You’ll Be Doing

You will work closely with the Sales Director to develop and execute business development initiatives across New Zealand.

Your Responsibilities Will Include

• Identifying and developing new business opportunities across the New Zealand market.
• Prospecting and opening new customer accounts and commercial partnerships.
• Building strong, long‑term relationships with key customers and decision‑makers.
• Working with the Sales Director to identify priority markets, customers, territories, and growth opportunities.
• Developing and executing business development and territory plans.
• Managing opportunities through the full sales cycle, from initial prospecting and relationship building through to negotiation, conversion, and ongoing development.
• Growing revenue and market penetration within both new and existing accounts.
• Presenting Addiction Pet Foods’ brands, products, commercial proposition, and growth opportunities to prospective customers.
• Developing commercially relevant proposals and recommendations based on customer needs and market opportunities.
• Maintaining disciplined follow‑up across opportunities that may require multiple customer touchpoints and longer conversion cycles.
• Gathering competitor, customer, pricing, channel, and market intelligence to support commercial decision‑making.
• Identifying emerging market opportunities and recommending actions to the Sales Director.
• Collaborating with Sales, Marketing, Product, Supply Chain, and other internal teams to support customer growth.
• Representing Addiction Pet Foods professionally during customer meetings, trade activities, events, and other business engagements.
• Providing clear and timely reporting on pipeline activity, customer opportunities, risks, competitor activity, and sales progress.
• Managing your own travel schedule, customer appointments, priorities, and follow‑up actions across New Zealand.

About You

• We are looking for a strategic salesperson who combines strong business development capability with disciplined execution.
• You enjoy opening doors, building relationships, understanding commercial opportunities, and turning market insights into practical sales activity.
• You are comfortable working independently but also value working closely with a Sales Director to align priorities, challenge ideas, and build a stronger national sales strategy.
• You are persistent without being transactional, commercially curious, and able to build credibility with different types of customers.

What We Are Looking For

You will ideally bring:

• Proven experience in business development, field sales, territory management, account development, or key account management.
• A strong record of identifying and converting new business opportunities.
• Experience developing markets, customers, or territories rather than simply servicing an established account base.
• Strong commercial judgement and the ability to identify where to invest time and resources for the greatest return.
• Experience managing longer sales cycles requiring consistent follow‑up and relationship development.
• Strong communication, presentation, negotiation, and influencing skills.
• Ability to build relationships with business owners, buyers, managers, and senior decision‑makers.
• Strong planning, organisation, and pipeline‑management capability.
• The ability to analyse customer and market information and translate it into commercial action.
• A proactive and self‑directed working style.
• Resilience and persistence in prospecting and customer conversion.
• Confidence working in a field‑based role with significant autonomy.
• Willingness and ability to travel regularly throughout New Zealand, including overnight travel.
• A valid driver’s licence.

Highly Regarded

The following experience would be advantageous:

• Experience in FMCG, pet food, consumer products, food, retail, distribution, animal health, or other relevant commercial sectors.
• Demonstrated success developing new markets or opening new customer accounts.
• Experience launching or growing a new product range.
• Experience building business development plans or market‑entry strategies.
• Strong understanding of distributor, retail, wholesale, or B2B commercial environments.
• Experience presenting commercial growth plans to senior management.
• Existing business relationships that may support market development.
• Understanding of premium branded products and value‑based selling.

What Success Looks Like

Success in this role will be measured by more than activity.

You Will Be Expected To

• Build a strong and credible pipeline of new business opportunities.
• Convert targeted opportunities into sustainable revenue.
• Expand Addiction Pet Foods’ presence across New Zealand.
• Develop productive long‑term customer relationships.
• Identify new market and commercial opportunities.
• Provide meaningful market intelligence to support national sales decisions.
• Work effectively with the Sales Director to translate strategy into execution.
• Consistently follow through on commitments and opportunities.

Working Conditions

• This is a field‑based, nationwide role.
• The successful candidate will spend significant time in the market meeting customers, developing opportunities, and building relationships across both the North and South Islands.
• Regular regional travel and overnight trips will be required.
• Because of the independence and travel involved, the role requires strong:
  • Time management.
  • Territory and journey planning.
  • Personal accountability.
  • Road safety awareness.
  • Resilience.
  • Follow‑through.

This opportunity will suit someone who enjoys being close to the market, meeting customers, developing new business, and taking ownership of commercial growth.

Why Join Us?

This is an opportunity to play a meaningful role in the growth of Addiction Pet Foods in New Zealand.

You will work closely with the Sales Director – New Zealand, giving you the opportunity to contribute directly to commercial strategy while remaining hands‑on in the market.

You will have the autonomy to develop opportunities, influence how we approach customers and markets, and help shape the next stage of our New Zealand growth.

For the right person, this is an opportunity to go beyond selling products and become a key contributor to how the business develops commercially across the country.

If you are a strategic, commercially driven salesperson who enjoys building new business and creating growth from the ground up, we would like to hear from you.