Technical Sales Manager Health & Wellness/Food & Beverage - Kennesaw, GA
ADM is a leader in microbial biotechnology, microbiome and natural health solutions with a science-focused portfolio that addresses the current needs and challenges for today’s consumer. Our comprehensive and holistic vision spans across cellular and molecular biology, microbiology, nutrition and metabolomics, bioprocesses and genomics. Through R&D-based harmonized research platforms, ADM has unparalleled expertise in finding, designing and developing microorganisms for industrial and health-related purposes. Our commitment to quality, excellence and pushing boundaries at every stage of product development sets us apart.
Within the fields of probiotics and postbiotics, ADM’s capabilities cover the entire process from strain discovery to commercial production, developing new functional, scientifically-documented biotic strains that address today’s consumer needs. We pride ourselves in collaborating with our partners to tailor new products for the desired end target, using all other tools available within ADM’s eleven laboratories and vast global network of R&D and application centers.
Position Summary We are seeking an experienced technical sales professional to support ADM’s Health & Wellness microbiome portfolio, including probiotics, postbiotics and related biotic solutions for food and beverage applications.
In this role, you will partner closely with Key Account Managers and customers to drive market expansion and pipeline development by delivering technical expertise, enabling innovation and translating microbiome science into commercially viable solutions. This includes supporting product formulation, co-development initiatives and application optimization aligned to customer and market needs.
Position Responsibilities
Individual will be responsible for working closely with customers in North America (Canada, the United States and Mexico) in the use of microbiome-based ingredients in the formulation of food and beverage applications. This would entail collaborating with customers to incorporate these ingredients into new and existing products, supporting product reformulation, and enabling innovation aligned with health and wellness trends.
This individual will organize and deliver technical training for customers building understanding and confidence in microbiome ingredient applications.
In addition, this position will:
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Communicate with customer base on all facets of technical topics including ingredient functionality, specifications, stability, application performance, regulatory considerations, food safety and quality
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Serve as a liaison between regulatory, scientific affairs and commercial teams to support research-backed claims, substantiation and product positioning
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Partner with R&D and applications teams to support customer formulations, prototypes, demonstrations and innovation projects
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Collaborate with sales teams to articulate and differentiate technical and functional benefits of microbiome solutions versus competitive offerings
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Deliver technical training and capability building to internal sales and customers
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Support trade shows, customer engagements and industry events as a technical subject matter expert
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Identify and advance new opportunities through active participation in the sales process and management of technical workstreams
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Assist product management and commercial teams with strategic projects and customer-driven innovation initiatives
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Microbiome Expertise: Strong knowledge of probiotics, postbiotics and microbiome science, including strain functionality, stability, dosage and delivery formats in food and beverage systems
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Application & Formulation Depth: Proven ability to support incorporation of microbiome ingredients into beverages, functional foods and adjacent applications, including stability, taste, processing and shelf-life considerations
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Customer Co-Development: Experience working directly with customer R&D teams on formulation challenges, prototype development and commercialization pathways
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Science-to-Value Translation: Ability to translate clinical, mechanistic and functional benefits into clear, differentiated customer value propositions
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Regulatory & Claims Acumen: Working understanding of global and regional regulatory frameworks, structure/function claims and substantiation requirements relevant to microbiome ingredients
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Technical Problem Solving: Strong analytical and troubleshooting capabilities to resolve formulation, processing and performance challenges
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Cross-Functional Integration: Effective collaboration across R&D, regulatory, marketing and commercial teams to accelerate innovation and customer outcomes
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Pipeline Enablement: Ability to leverage technical expertise to identify, qualify and advance opportunities within the commercial pipeline
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Build strong relationships with priority accounts, key stakeholders and internal cross-functional teams
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Develop a robust pipeline of qualified microbiome opportunities aligned to regional growth priorities
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Lead and support multiple customer technical engagements
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Demonstrate ability to independently engage customer R&D teams and identify innovation opportunities
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Establish disciplined use of CRM to track pipeline, technical activities and opportunity progression
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Contribute to early-stage wins or advancement of strategic opportunities
Ongoing Performance Measures
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Pipeline Growth: Consistent expansion in number, quality and value of microbiome-related opportunities
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Market Expansion: Entry into new customers, applications and categories within functional food and beverage segments
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Conversion Effectiveness: Advancement of technical opportunities into commercial success in partnership with sales
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Customer Impact: Strong customer engagement, repeat collaboration and recognition as a trusted technical partner
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Commercial Contribution: Revenue impact through successful support of innovation, reformulation and product launches
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Internal Enablement: Improved sales team effectiveness through technical training, tools and insights
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Innovation Influence: Capture and translate customer needs into actionable insights to inform future product development
Qualifications / Experience
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B.S. in Food Science, Nutrition, Microbiology or related field; advanced degree preferred
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5+ years of experience in technical sales, applications or R&D within food, beverage or dietary supplement industries, preferably with microbiome or functional health ingredients
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Strong understanding of probiotic/postbiotic applications, market trends and customer landscape
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Demonstrated success in consultative selling and cross-functional collaboration
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Excellent communication and presentation skills, including ability to engage technical and commercial audiences
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Strong problem-solving and project management capabilities
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Proficiency in CRM (e.g., Salesforce) and Microsoft Office tools
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Willingness to travel (~50%)
Excited about this role but don’t think you meet every requirement listed? We encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this role or another one of our openings.
ADM requires the successful completion of a background check.
REF:110130BR
AJCIND
