General Manager – Food Ingredients

General Manager – Build & Lead U.S. Sales Office (Chicago, IL)

Industry: Clean-label, natural fermented preservative ingredients (bakery + emerging meat applications)

Overview

A global manufacturer of fermented, clean-label preservative ingredients used across bakery, sauce, dairy, meat, and plant-based applications. As part of the company’s North American growth strategy, they are launching a new U.S. sales and distribution presence in the Greater Chicago metro area—and looking for a General Manager to lead it from day one.

This is a hands-on, high-impact leadership role for a commercial builder: you’ll stand up local operations, hire and coach a small sales team, develop the go-to-market strategy, and serve as the company’s primary U.S. representative to customers, distributors, and industry partners—while partnering closely with the global headquarters across leadership, R&D, and quality.

Required Skills

• Proven leadership ability to launch, build, and operate a new commercial office or business unit
• Strong B2B sales capability in food-related markets, with success in new business development and account growth
• Ability to recruit, train, and lead a small sales team (expected team size: 2–3 sales reps)
• Excellent negotiation skills (pricing, contracts, commercial terms) and strategic account management
• Strong communication and cross-cultural collaboration skills, including working effectively with overseas stakeholders
• Comfort representing a company externally at customer meetings, trade shows, and industry events
• Organized, metrics-driven approach to budgeting, reporting, and performance management

Nice to Have Skills

• Experience selling clean-label ingredients and/or natural preservative solutions
• Established network across U.S. bakeries, ingredient distributors, and food manufacturers
• Experience working with an Asia-based parent company or manufacturing partner
• Familiarity with U.S. market dynamics tied to FDA expectations and clean-label trends

Preferred Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Business, or a related field
• 8+ years of sales and/or general management experience in food ingredients, bakery, or specialty food manufacturing
• MBA is a plus

Other Requirements

• On-site role based in the Greater Chicago Metro Area (preferred)
• Willingness to travel domestically for customer visits and trade shows
• Ability to support coordination tied to distribution/warehousing needs and local vendor relationships

If you’re ready to lead a high-growth U.S. expansion with real ownership, real autonomy, and direct access to global leadership, submit your application today and let’s start the conversation.

Recruiter Information:
Joe Sommerfeldt
joes@kinsa.com