Job Title: Category Development Manager- Beverage

Location: Wauconda, IL (Greater Chicago Area)

Sector: Marketing / Food and Beverage

Type: Full-time / On-site

Pay: Up to $125,000

Travel: ~30%

Benefits: Yes

Who is Synergy Flavors

With a vision of captivating the senses through inspiring taste solutions, Synergy Flavors is a leading global manufacturer and supplier of flavorings, extracts, and essences. While this Chicago area company is now a part of the Carbery Group which has 900+ employees and 12+ facilities worldwide, Synergy takes pride in being a global company with a local heart.

Synergy's Values

• Passionate about our customers, we listen
• Freedom to innovate, we create
• Invested in our people, we grow
• Responsible to a better world, we care

Job breakdown

Synergy is looking for a Category Development Beverage Manager (CDM) for their Wauconda, IL location. As CDM you will feed Synergy's innovation pipeline through a combination of identifying customer and market needs, partnering with various departments to establish/meet marketing goals, and networking to identify new customers. In addition to competitive pay, this opportunity also includes full benefits, an environment that encourages individuality, and product (food and beverage) samples to help energize you throughout the day.

What you will own

• Collaborating with R&D and senior leadership by identifying and communicating growth opportunities and capability gaps, and competitive offerings in these segments
• Developing value proposition by researching current and future customer needs/wants
• Working with Account Managers, Sales Directors, and VP of Sales in developing and executing strategies and identifying new accounts
• Serving as the market SME (subject matter expert) externally and internally
• Collaborating with the commercial team on Beverage pricing strategy to produce the highest possible long-term market share, sales volume, and profitability

Skills you will bring to the table

• Proven leadership abilities
• Beverage industry experience
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Proactivity with or without coffee
• Cultural competency and sensitivity
• Excellent networking abilities
• Excellent organization related to strategic planning, marketing, and project management

Negotiables

• Master's Degree
• Experience marketing ingredients to beverage companies

Non-negotiables

• Bachelor's Degree in Business, Marketing, Food Science, or Chemistry
• 8+ years job experience in product management, marketing, and/or sales in the food ingredients and/or flavor industry
• Experience in new product development from conception to market launch

Next steps

If you're ready to join Synergy, here's what to do and what to expect:

• Apply!
• You sit back and relax; we review your application
• We send you an email regardless of if the job is a match or not, within 10 days
• If it is a match, you will have a couple of rounds of interviews
• You will have a final response within 14 days of the final interview

Please anticipate the entire process taking 6 weeks or less