Senior Manager, Business Development at Rutgers in New Brunswick, NJ

The Food Innovation Center at Rutgers University is a unique food incubator and business accelerator that is part of the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station (NJAES). The Center supports established early stage entrepreneurs and food companies from concept to commercialization. Combining years of industry expertise and advanced technology offered by Rutgers, we provide food safety, product design and scale up expertise within FDA and USDA certified facilities to help companies successfully build and grow their business.

Posting SummaryRutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is seeking a Senior Manager, Business Development for the Food Innovation Center. The primary function of the Senior Manager, Business Development, is to conduct business development and lead generation activities to build and develop robust pipeline of growth stage, innovative, and disruptive food and beverage businesses that will benefit from utilization of the services available at the Food Innovation Center at Rutgers University. The Manager will be responsible for maximizing sales and meet our customer acquisition and revenue growth targets. This position is consistent and critical to achieving the mission, vision, and success of the Food Innovation Center at Rutgers University.

Among the key duties of this position are the following:

• Responsible for the design of sales plans, development and management of business and technical mentoring, sensory evaluation and facility usage projects.

• Acts as a client liaison for the Center.

• Interacts with and travel to other locations at Rutgers University and various state, county, and local agencies and offices throughout New Jersey.

• Assists with the business development needs of small to medium sized food companies in South Jersey as well as agricultural producers who wish to expand into value-added processing of commodities.

• Serves as the point of first contact with most clients, and must professionally respond to their needs and represent the Center.

• Works in a team environment with all employees and other resources utilized by the Food Innovation Center.

Position Pension EligibilityABP

Minimum Education and Experience• Bachelor’s Degree in business or economics or a related field or an equivalent combination of education and/or experience.

• A minimum of five (5) years of experience in various aspects of the food business, including business development, project management, commercialization, sensory evaluation methods and marketing of food and beverage products.

Certifications/LicensesRequired Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities• Strong sales experience in the food industry.

• Ability to initiate and multi-task in a fast-paced environment.

• Must possess excellent oral and written communication skills, and a proven work record that evidences the successful business development performances.

• Must excel as a team player and demonstrate a positive attitude with individuals internal and external to Food Innovation Center at Rutgers University.

• A broad understanding of all functional needs that may be required by food and beverage companies, including sales, marketing, sensory evaluation, and product development, in order to ensure successful engagement of projects from concept through commercialization.

• Use of personal vehicle in order to travel for business demands; a valid driver’s license would be required for this position.

Preferred Qualifications• Experience with the specialty food and agricultural food industries, strongly preferred.

• Entrepreneurial and niche marketing experience in the food industry is highly desirable.

• Knowledge of social media platforms and how they are used to promote the Center (LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook).

Equipment UtilizedPhysical Demands and Work Environment• This position will be primarily based at the Bridgeton, NJ facility but will require working out of the Piscataway, NJ location as needed.