Associate Account Manager

Job Summary

We are looking for a talented Account Manager to be based in Nairobi, Kenya! Be part of a motivated, passionate, and open-minded team where together we can achieve greatness and make a real impact. Your potential is our inspiration.

IFF is a global leader in flavors, fragrances, food ingredients and health & biosciences, we deliver sustainable innovations that elevate everyday products.

Taste: Crafting unique, technology-enabled flavor designs that define the identity of food and beverage brands, shape trends in flavor building and fuel market success.

As an Associate Account Manager, you will be responsible for driving sustainable business growth, strengthening strategic customer partnerships, and delivering profitable solutions across West Africa. Working closely with customers and cross-functional teams, you will help translate market opportunities into commercial success while positioning IFF as a trusted innovation partner.

Where You'll Make a Difference

• Deliver annual sales, profitability, and volume targets across assigned accounts and territories.
• Develop and execute strategic account plans aligned to regional business objectives.
• Identify and secure new business opportunities while expanding existing customer partnerships.
• Build and maintain a healthy opportunity pipeline using Salesforce (SFDC).
• Lead commercial negotiations and support pricing and margin optimization initiatives.
• Develop trusted relationships with key stakeholders across customer organizations.
• Create customer growth roadmaps and joint business plans to drive long-term success.
• Lead innovation projects from concept through commercialization.
• Translate market trends and consumer insights into actionable customer opportunities.
• Partner with Technical, R&D, Product Development, Operations, Regulatory, and Customer Experience teams to deliver winning solutions.
• Drive customer satisfaction, retention, and proactive issue resolution.
• Support forecasting, demand planning, and business review activities.
• Manage customer profitability, receivables, budgeting, and forecasting activities.
• Ensure accurate reporting, pipeline management, and account planning through Salesforce.

What Makes You the Right Fit?

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Food Science, Chemistry, Biotechnology, or a related field.
• Minimum 5-8 years of B2B sales and account management experience.
• Experience within Food Ingredients, Flavors, Fragrances, Nutrition, FMCG Ingredients, Specialty Chemicals, or related industries.
• Proven success managing strategic accounts and complex sales cycles.
• Demonstrated track record of delivering revenue growth and profitability targets.
• Experience working across multiple West African markets.
• Strong commercial and negotiation skills with a customer-focused mindset.
• Excellent stakeholder management and relationship-building capabilities.
• Strong financial acumen, forecasting, and business planning skills.
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, cross-functional environment.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and influencing skills.
• Comfortable with frequent travel across the region (40-60%).

How Would You Stand Out?

• Experience selling complex technical or ingredient-based solutions to FMCG manufacturers.
• Knowledge of categories such as Beverage, Dairy, Bakery, Culinary, Snacks, Confectionery, and Health & Wellness.
• Strong understanding of innovation commercialization and new product development processes.
• Experience facilitating customer workshops, innovation days, and executive-level business reviews.
• Advanced Salesforce (SFDC) and pipeline management experience.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to translate market insights into commercial opportunities.
• An entrepreneurial mindset with a passion for identifying growth opportunities.
• Proven ability to build relationships with senior decision-makers and executive stakeholders.
• Experience working in multinational or highly matrixed organizations.
• Resilience, adaptability, and a strong results-oriented approach.

Why Choose Us?

• Fantastic opportunity to become part of our fast-moving, creative and innovative team!
• Professional onboarding process.
• Ability to work with multiple disciplines in a dynamic, global environment.
• Training and development opportunities.
• Exposure to diverse customers and markets across West Africa.
• Opportunity to collaborate with global experts in innovation, science, and commercial excellence.
• Chance to make a meaningful impact by driving business growth and customer success across a strategically important region.

We are a global leader in taste, scent, and nutrition, offering our customers a broader range of natural solutions and accelerating our growth strategy. At IFF, we believe that your uniqueness unleashes our potential. We value the diverse mosaic of the ethnicity, national origin, race, age, sex, or veteran status. We strive for an inclusive workplace that allows each of our colleagues to bring their authentic self to work regardless of their religion, gender identity & expression, sexual orientation, or disability.

Visit IFF.com/careers/workplace-diversity-and-inclusion to learn more