Companion Animal Business Development Manager

Job Title:

Business Development Manager – Companion Animal US

Location:

United States (Remote) |

Hours:

Full-Time | Vacancy Type:
New | Compensation: $160,000 to $170,000

Get ready to Own growth as a Business Development Manager – Companion Animal US at Trouw Nutrition, a Nutreco company. As global leaders in animal nutrition and aquafeed, our shared purpose of Feeding the Future is making a positive global impact for generations to come. Join us in this impactful role and help drive the growth of our companion animal business across the United States.

By identifying new market opportunities, developing strategic partnerships, and expanding existing customer relationships, you will play a critical role in delivering sustainable commercial success. Own your direction, Own your development and Own your path.

As the Business Development Manager – Companion Animal US, you will lead the development and execution of growth strategies across Trouw Nutrition's pet food and adjacent categories business, with a focus on dog and cat markets throughout the United States. You will identify, qualify, and secure new customers, strategic partners, and channel opportunities while expanding existing business through consultative selling and account development.

Working closely with Marketing and Commercial Leadership, you will develop customer value propositions, build business cases, manage opportunities through the full sales cycle, and ensure profitable growth through a disciplined approach to pipeline management, forecasting, and customer relationship development. This role offers the opportunity to own high-impact commercial initiatives while contributing directly to the future growth of the Companion Animal business.

• Commercially driven professional with a proven record of generating new business and expanding strategic customer relationships.
• Strong business development expertise with a customer‑centric mindset and ability to translate market insights into actionable growth strategies.
• Comfortable working cross‑functionally with sales, marketing, and product teams, influencing stakeholders without direct authority.
• Develop compelling value propositions that drive customer engagement.
• Entrepreneurial environment where ownership, accountability, and growth are valued and rewarded.
• Bachelor's degree in Business, Animal Nutrition, Marketing, Agricultural Business, Life Sciences, or a related field (preferred).

Minimum 5+ years of experience in business development, sales, commercial strategy, or related commercial roles.

• Proven track record of winning new business and growing existing customer accounts.
• Experience with in companion animal nutrition, pet food, animal nutrition, food ingredients, functional ingredients, supplements, or related industries.
• Strong consultative sales skills with the ability to build customer value propositions and business cases.
• Experience managing complex sales cycles from prospecting through contract negotiation and onboarding.
• Demonstrated success developing and executing strategic growth plans.
• Experience identifying and qualifying new customers, channel opportunities, and strategic partnerships.
• Ability to develop and manage sales pipelines, forecasts, and CRM activities with a high degree of accuracy.
• Strong commercial acumen including pricing, negotiation, profitability, and revenue growth management.
• Excellent presentation, communication, and relationship‑building skills.
• Strong analytical abilities including opportunity sizing, pipeline analysis, and business forecasting.
• Experience collaborating with marketing teams to develop customer‑facing materials, campaigns, and commercial strategies.
• Ability to translate customer insights into actionable recommendations for internal stakeholders.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
• Customer‑centric approach with the ability to build long‑term strategic relationships.
• Demonstrated ownership mindset with a high level of initiative and accountability.
• Experience working with pet food manufacturers, ingredient buyers, co‑manufacturers, distributors,…