Corn Ingredient Sales Exec

Ag 1 Source; Urbandale (IA); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Ag 1 Source seeks a Sales Executive Specialty Ingredients to translate technical ingredient expertise into measurable business growth across food, pharmaceutical, and personal care markets. The role focuses on building strategic partnerships, uncovering new applications, and expanding a specialty ingredients portfolio from a remote, customer-facing position.

The ideal candidate combines consultative selling with industry knowledge to create value for customers and drive revenue.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree preferred in related field.
• 7–10 years of B2B sales or account management experience in ingredients or related industry.
• Strong understanding of corn wet-milling, grain-based ingredients, or related applications.
• Proven success in developing strategic account plans and closing new business.
• Ability to build trusted relationships at multiple levels within customer organizations.
• Proficiency with CRM systems, forecasting tools, and pipeline-management processes.
• Excellent communication, presentation, negotiation, and influencing skills.
• Strategic, action-oriented mindset with ability to analyze trends and opportunities.

Responsibilities

• Market and sell specialty ingredient products to food, pharma, and personal care sectors.
• Identify, develop, and close new business opportunities driving revenue growth.
• Build and strengthen strategic relationships with current and prospective accounts.
• Analyze account potential and execute growth plans to increase market share.
• Provide technical sales support and coordinate internal resources for innovative solutions.
• Maintain CRM records for leads, opportunities, forecasts, and pipeline progress.
• Monitor and report on customer activity, competitive intelligence, and market trends.

Skills

Consultative selling

Education

Bachelor’s degree in food science, agriculture, business, milling science, grain science, or related field

Tools

CRM systems

Sales forecasting tools

Pipeline management

Job description

Sales Executive Specialty Ingredients

Turn technical ingredient expertise into measurable business growth. This high-impact sales role offers the opportunity to build strategic customer partnerships, uncover new applications, and expand a specialty ingredients portfolio across the food, pharmaceutical, and personal care markets. The ideal candidate combines consultative selling, commercial discipline, and industry knowledge to create solutions that deliver lasting value for customers.

What’s in it for you

• A highly visible role with direct influence on revenue growth, market expansion, and customer strategy.
• The opportunity to develop long-term partnerships with leading customers in the food, pharmaceutical, and personal care industries.
• A remote, customer-facing environment with autonomy to manage a territory, pipeline, and strategic accounts.
• Collaboration with experienced professionals across Research and Development, Technical Services, Operations, Procurement, Quality, Marketing, and Supply Chain.
• Ongoing exposure to emerging ingredient applications, market trends, trade associations, conferences, and industry events.

This role will be responsible for

• Marketing, promoting, and selling specialty ingredient products to customers in the food, personal care, and pharmaceutical sectors.
• Identifying, developing, and closing new business opportunities that drive profitable revenue growth.
• Building, managing, and strengthening strategic relationships with key current and prospective accounts.
• Analyzing account potential and executing targeted growth plans to increase market share and customer engagement.
• Providing technical sales support and coordinating internal resources to deliver responsive, innovative ingredient solutions.
• Maintaining accurate CRM records for leads, opportunities, sales activities, customer interactions, forecasts, and pipeline progress.
• Monitoring and reporting customer activity, competitive intelligence, emerging applications, industry developments, and market trends.

Expectations will include

• Developing a deep working knowledge of the product portfolio, ingredient applications, corn wet-milling, market dynamics, and customer needs.
• Delivering exceptional customer service while partnering effectively with cross-functional internal teams.
• Representing the organization professionally through active participation in relevant trade associations, conferences, trade shows, and customer events.
• Consistently advancing a qualified pipeline and achieving sales, profitability, and account-growth objectives.
• Traveling 50% or more for customer visits, prospecting, business meetings, training, conferences, trade shows, and association events.
• Navigating customer manufacturing, grain-processing, and milling facilities while following all site-specific safety, PPE, GMP, and food-safety requirements.
• Transporting luggage, product samples, presentation materials, and trade-show items weighing up to 25 pounds as needed.

A qualified candidate will possess the following

• A bachelor’s degree in food science, agriculture, business, milling science, grain science, or a related field is preferred.
• Seven to ten years of B2B sales, business development, technical sales, or account management experience in food ingredients, corn wet-milling, or a related industry.
• A strong understanding of corn wet-milling operations, grain-based ingredients, food manufacturing, or ingredient applications.
• Demonstrated success developing strategic account plans, closing new business, and achieving sales and profitability goals.
• The ability to build trusted, high-value relationships at multiple levels within customer organizations.
• Proficiency with CRM systems, sales forecasting tools, and pipeline-management processes.
• Exceptional communication, presentation, negotiation, and influencing skills.
• A strategic, action-oriented mindset with the ability to analyze trends, identify opportunities, and solve complex business challenges.
• A commitment to continuous learning, professional development, industry engagement, and safe work practices.

*Candidates must be eligible to work in the US as well as meet the qualifications listed above in order to be considered for the Sales Executive job.