Vice President of Sales

Vice President, Sales – USA & International Markets

About the Role

Alexander Steele Recruitment is partnering with a leading global food ingredients organisation to appoint a Vice President of Sales – USA & International Markets.

This is a senior commercial leadership position with responsibility for developing and executing the sales strategy across the United States and key international regions, including Europe, China, Southeast Asia and Latin America.

The role will lead the commercial growth of both value-added dairy protein solutions and established commodity ingredient portfolios. A major priority will be expanding the organisation’s global customer base, entering new end-use markets and building long-term strategic partnerships.

The successful candidate will lead regional sales teams and the Customer Experience function, while playing a key role in wider decisions relating to portfolio strategy, commercial investment and long-term growth.

The position will be based in the United States and will require regular international travel.

Key Responsibilities

Commercial Strategy

Develop and execute the sales strategy for the United States and international markets.

Create regional commercial plans that balance the growth of value-added whey and milk proteins with the continued profitable management of commodity products, including whey, permeate and lactose.

Establish clear regional targets for revenue, volume, margin, portfolio mix and commercial contribution.

Ensure regional sales activity is aligned with wider portfolio priorities and local market conditions.

Value-Added Portfolio Growth

Lead the commercial integration and expansion of value-added whey and milk protein portfolios.

Develop regional positioning, segmentation, pricing and channel strategies.

Work closely with Marketing, Innovation and R&D to translate technical capabilities into compelling customer propositions.

Drive the portfolio towards higher-margin and more strategically important applications.

Commodity Portfolio Management

Ensure the continued profitable valorisation of whey, permeate and lactose across international markets.

Develop regional strategies that balance volume placement, market exposure and margin protection.

Manage customer and channel mix to reduce volatility and commercial risk.

Provide strong oversight of pricing, contracts, negotiations and market exposure.

New Customer and Market Development

Build new customer bases across the United States and international markets.

Identify and develop new customers, applications, end-use segments and strategic partnerships.

Introduce clear prospecting, qualification and conversion processes across the global sales organisation.

Ensure sustainable growth is generated through both existing customer development and structured new business acquisition.

Strategic Account Management

Design and implement a consistent strategic account management methodology across all regions.

Define criteria for strategic account designation and establish clear account-planning processes.

Develop value-creation plans and executive engagement strategies for key customers.

Elevate commercial relationships from transactional supply arrangements to long-term strategic partnerships.

Global Sales Leadership

Lead and develop regional sales organisations across the United States, Europe, China, Southeast Asia and Latin America.

Set clear strategic direction while enabling regional leaders to adapt execution to local market conditions.

Improve forecasting accuracy, pricing governance, pipeline management and commercial discipline.

Take an active role in major customer relationships, strategic negotiations and complex commercial agreements.

Customer Experience

Provide leadership to the Customer Experience organisation supporting the United States and international markets.

Ensure the function delivers high levels of responsiveness, consistency, service and reliability.

Align customer service priorities with wider commercial objectives.

Use customer feedback and market insights to improve commercial processes and strengthen retention.

Executive and Cross-Functional Collaboration

Act as the senior commercial partner to Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Quality, Finance, Marketing, Innovation and R&D.

Ensure alignment between customer commitments, production availability, inventory planning and international logistics.

Provide executive leadership with market intelligence, commercial risk assessments and growth recommendations.

Contribute to senior-level decisions regarding portfolio strategy, commercial investment and long-term value creation.

Candidate Profile

The successful candidate will have:

12–15+ years of senior sales or commercial leadership experience

Experience within dairy ingredients, food ingredients, nutrition, feed or commodity-based industries

A proven track record of leading multi-region or global sales organisations

Strong experience developing both existing accounts and new customer bases

Demonstrable success growing value-added ingredient portfolios

Strong understanding of commodity markets, pricing, contracts and risk management

Experience implementing key account or strategic account frameworks

Strong knowledge of international trade, regional customer structures and global market dynamics

The ability to lead change and standardise commercial practices across multiple regions

Strong executive presence and credibility with customers, partners and senior stakeholders

Education

A bachelor’s degree in Business, Science or a related discipline is required.

An MBA or equivalent postgraduate qualification would be advantageous.

Location and Travel

This position will be based in the United States.

Regular domestic and international travel will be required.

Candidates currently based outside the United States may be considered, subject to eligibility and relocation requirements.

The Opportunity

This is an outstanding opportunity to join a significant international ingredients organisation at an important stage of growth.

The successful candidate will have the opportunity to shape the global commercial strategy, lead an established international sales organisation and drive the expansion of a high-value dairy ingredients portfolio across multiple regions.

For a confidential discussion, please apply directly or contact Clarke Smith at Alexander Steele Recruitment.