BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

Groupe Avril; Town of Belgium (WI); Hybrid; EUR 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Oleon, an Avril business unit, seeks a Business Development Manager to drive the commercial development of its European food ingredients portfolio. You will identify customer segments, understand specifications and production processes, and translate market information into a clear commercial roadmap.

You will engage commercial and technical stakeholders to convert conversations into opportunities and guide them through testing, approval and initial volumes.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in business, engineering or related field.
• Proven experience in B2B sales or business development in the food ingredients industry.
• Ability to discuss product specifications and production processes.
• Excellent communication across organizational levels and stakeholder management.
• Willingness to travel regularly across Europe and fluent in English.

Responsibilities

• Develop the commercial roadmap for the food ingredients portfolio across Europe.
• Identify customer segments, applications, and geographic opportunities.
• Build relationships with commercial, technical, procurement and R&D stakeholders.
• Move opportunities through full development process to initial volumes.
• Coordinate with commercial, technical, production and quality teams.

Skills

B2B sales

Business development

Food ingredients industry

Education

Bachelor's or Master’s in Business or Engineering

Job description

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

atERTVELDE

Work in your element

At Oleon, we bring you natural chemistry. Ambitious, with both feet on the ground. That's who we are and that's how we will continue to grow. Our specialty lies in converting natural fats and oils into a wide range of oleochemical products. We offer them in a large variety of markets such as: cosmetics, nutrition, crop protection, industrial ingredients, lubricants, oilfield, coatings, detergents, and many more.

Oleon has over 1,000 employees worldwide in 10 different countries. Enthusiastic people who are completely in their element here at Oleon are more than welcome to join our team.

As business development manager, you will drive the commercial development of our food ingredients portfolio across Europe. You will start by building a strong understanding of our food ingredients portfolio, including its specifications, strengths and potential applications. Based on this knowledge and relevant market information, you will identify promising customer segments, applications and geographical opportunities and translate them into a clear commercial roadmap. You will then actively approach potential customers and build relationships with commercial, technical, procurement and R&D stakeholders. By understanding their needs, you will turn initial conversations into concrete business opportunities. You will guide these opportunities through the full development process, from first contact and product qualification to testing, approval and initial commercial volumes. Throughout this journey, you will work closely with our commercial, technical, production and quality teams. You will bring structure to your pipeline, coordinate the next steps and keep projects moving forward. When the most obvious markets offer limited potential, you will explore new segments, applications or regions.

You'll succeed if:

• You bring a solid foundation with a bachelor’s or master’s degree in business, engineering or a related field, combined with proven experience in B2B sales or business development within the food ingredients industry.
• You understand food manufacturing environments and are comfortable discussing product specifications, production processes, customer requirements and approval flows.
• You communicate with ease across different levels of an organization and can engage both commercial and technical stakeholders.
• You have a strong hunter mentality and persistence to approach new prospects, open doors and develop opportunities from the ground up.
• You combine an entrepreneurial and hands‑on mindset with a structured way of working, allowing you to prioritize markets, manage your pipeline and navigate longer sales cycles.
• You are internationally minded, fluent in English and willing to travel regularly across Europe.

Next to your skills, it is your drive and motivation that will make all the difference!

Working at Oleon is working in a growing and entrepreneurial company that offers an interesting salary in combination with substantial additional benefits. Opportunities to grow & to develop yourself are imbedded in our organization and are available based on your proven personal performance & ambition.

Oleon is dedicated to fostering an inclusive environment that embraces all forms of diversity. We ensure equal opportunities in our recruitment and integration processes and ensure that you can be yourself in our professional environment.

Oleon is a business unit of Avril, the industrial and financial leader in the French vegetable oil and protein sector.

Avril is present in consumer food, animal nutrition and expertise, renewable energy and chemistry, with a recorded revenue of 8,2 billion euro across 18 countries in 2025. The Group focuses its growth on a unique value-sharing model. Avril and its 8,478 employees, driven by its purpose, "Serving the Earth", are committed to addressing climate change and population growth challenges.

Joining Avril means choosing to work in a company that harmoniously brings together performance and responsibility, innovation and humbleness, the group and individuals. Avril: there is another way.