Senior Business Development Manager

About the Role

The Senior Business Development Manager is responsible for overseeing distributor management across the assigned market or markets. The position plays an important role in driving both revenue growth and profit performance for the zone and the CBU.

This person will build joint business plans with distributors and ensure strong execution in the market. They will work closely with distributor teams all the way to customer level to help grow the business effectively.

The role calls for someone who is commercially sharp, highly motivated, and comfortable balancing strategic planning with hands-on execution. It suits a person who can negotiate strongly, think creatively, and adapt their approach depending on the situation.

Key Duties

• Oversee multiple sales channels such as off-premise and away-from-home, with emphasis on hypermarkets, supermarkets, impulse, airports, hotels, and restaurants.
• Lead discussions on trade terms, including volume commitments, rebates, and pricing adjustments.
• Create and align business plans with partners, identify growth levers, and track action plans through to completion.
• Identify potential risks and business opportunities across the channels.
• Challenge and secure the resources needed to execute plans, including partner organization support and investment decisions such as P&L and trade marketing funding.
• Put trade marketing plans into action and suggest improvements based on market needs.
• Handle promotional planning and forecasting.
• Monitor distributor KPIs closely through market visits, reporting, and ongoing performance reviews.
• Prepare monthly performance updates for internal stakeholders and external partners.

Stakeholder Relationships

Internal: Zone Director, reporting managers, Marketing, Finance, Legal, Supply Chain, Quality, Marketing team, Trade Marketing, Local HR, EVAI Central HR, and other departments or business units based on functional needs such as Factory teams.

External: Distributor general managers, distributor channel and brand managers, customers across retail and away-from-home channels, other Danone CBU managers, and business development managers from other FMCG companies.

Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate typically brings 6 to 8 years of relevant experience in sales, distributor management, key account management, and trade marketing, preferably within a strong multinational FMCG environment, especially spirits or premium/high-end categories.

This role requires a practical, results-focused professional who can adapt quickly, work flexibly, and understand the business fast. Strong organization is essential, along with the ability to build, present, and follow up on business plans with partners.

Other important qualities include an open mindset, strong listening skills, self-motivation, energy, passion, and the ability to work effectively across different cultures and build engagement. The role also demands forward planning and the ability to anticipate future needs.

Required Competencies

• Strong understanding of the market and category landscape.
• Knowledge of off-premise channels and customers, including retail, on-the-go, and on-premise settings.
• Solid negotiation capability.
• Experience in trade marketing.
• Ability to plan and track budgets.
• Analytical thinking.
• Capacity to influence internal teams, distributors, partners, and customers.
• Understanding of strategic direction and marketing principles.
• Strong presentation skills.
• Business-level English is required.
• Fluency in English and Arabic is expected; additional languages are an advantage.

About the Company

Evian Volvic Alpro International (EVAI) is the international business unit behind the global growth of evian, Volvic, and Alpro. The organization delivers premium hydration and plant-based nutrition to more than 90 markets worldwide.

Operating across 13 locations and supported by a culturally diverse workforce representing more than 30 nationalities, EVAI provides an international environment with room to grow.

The company is focused on developing and scaling business across geographies through a broad distributor network, supported by a sales and marketing organization that works locally with autonomy, high execution standards, and entrepreneurial thinking.

As part of Danone, EVAI combines the flexibility of a lean structure with the reach and purpose of a global group, creating opportunities for growth, leadership exposure, and meaningful impact, with functional teams acting as strong business partners.

Join EVAI to help shape the future of well-known brands in a business where your ideas matter and your contribution has real impact.