Regional Sales Manager & Sales Lead

Regional Sales Manager & Sales Leader – Special Nutrition

Our story goes back more than 150 years, to the chilly southern coast of Scandinavia. From our early success in Sweden and Denmark, we’ve grown into the world’s leading specialist producer of plant-based oils, employing more than 4,000 people across the globe.

We work with our customers to make the products you love even better. The oils we produce go into making your chocolate extra-creamy or putting the crunch into your croissant. And it’s not just food — we work across industries to make products that are higher quality, healthier and better for the planet.

Everything we do is about Making Better Happen™.

AAK Locations

This role can be based in Karlshamn, Zaandijk or Aarhus.

About The Role

As Regional Sales Manager & Sales Leader within AAK’s Special Nutrition business, you will play a critical role in driving commercial growth, strengthening strategic customer relationships, and shaping the long-term success of our business across your region.

You will be responsible for developing, managing, and growing key customer accounts within the Special Nutrition segment, including infant formula, medical nutrition and lifestyle nutrition applications. Acting as both a senior commercial leader and a hands-on account manager, you will combine strategic thinking with direct customer engagement to deliver sustainable and profitable growth.

In this role, you will lead by example in building trusted, long-term partnerships with customers, identifying new opportunities, and ensuring AAK remains a key innovation partner in the market. You will also guide and support a small team of sales managers, helping them execute account strategies, strengthen customer relationships, and achieve commercial targets.

Working closely with internal stakeholders across technical, supply chain, innovation and marketing teams, you will ensure that customer needs are translated into effective solutions and delivered with excellence. You will also play a key role in shaping sales strategy, developing account plans, and ensuring strong pipeline discipline and commercial execution across your region.

Responsibilities

• Drive commercial growth by developing and managing strategic customer relationships across the Special Nutrition segment
• Identify, develop and convert new business opportunities across infant formula, medical nutrition and lifestyle nutrition markets
• Lead the development and execution of account plans aligned with regional and global business strategies
• Act as a senior point of contact for key customers, building strong relationships across multiple organisational levels
• Negotiate and close commercial agreements, ensuring strong commercial outcomes and long-term partnerships
• Manage pipeline development, forecasting accuracy, and sales performance across your region
• Monitor market trends, customer developments and competitor activity, translating insights into actionable growth opportunities
• Lead, coach and support a small team of sales managers to deliver customer strategies and commercial targets
• Collaborate closely with technical, supply chain and innovation teams to deliver tailored customer solutions
• Ensure effective pricing, margin management and commercial governance across your accounts
• Maintain strong CRM discipline and ensure accurate reporting, forecasting and sales data integrity
• Support the development and implementation of regional sales strategies and commercial initiatives
• Provide regular reporting, insights and performance updates to senior leadership

About You

• You have 8+ years of experience in sales, business development or key account management within the food ingredients industry
• You bring strong experience from the Special Nutrition sector (ideally including infant formula), medical nutrition, pharmaceutical or related industry
• You have a proven track record in strategic account management and delivering commercial growth in complex B2B environments
• You are a confident negotiator with experience closing long-term commercial agreements
• You understand value-based and consultative selling approaches and can translate customer needs into commercial solutions
• You have strong commercial acumen, including pricing, margin management and forecasting experience
• You are comfortable working in international environments and engaging with stakeholders across cultures and functions
• You have experience coaching, mentoring or leading sales professionals (direct or indirect leadership)
• You are analytical, structured and comfortable working with CRM systems and sales data
• You are highly relationship-driven, with strong communication and influencing skills
• You are proactive, commercially driven and comfortable operating in a fast-paced, performance-oriented environment

In return AAK offers

Join a pioneering company in specialty oils and fats, driving innovation and sustainability.

• In AAK you can work across 25+ countries, gaining international exposure and collaborating with a diverse team.
• AAK invests in your development with training, mentorship, and clear career paths.
• You will contribute to a greener world with AAK's sustainability-focused approach.
• Join a diverse and inclusive workplace that values every individual's perspective and talents.

Contact and information

For further information about the position, please contact Valerija Usova, SrTalent Acquisition Specialist: [email protected]

About AAK

Everything AAK does is about Making Better Happen™. We specialise in plant-based oils that are the value-adding ingredients in many of the products people love to consume. We make these products better tasting, healthier, and more sustainable.

At the heart of AAK’s offer is Customer Co-Development, combining our desire to understand what better means for each customer with the flexibility of our production assets and deep knowledge across multiple industries, including Chocolate and Confectionery, Bakery, Dairy, Plant-based Foods, Special Nutrition, Foodservice and Personal Care.

Our 4,000 employees support close collaboration with customers through 25 regional sales offices, 15 dedicated Customer Innovation Centers, and more than 20 production facilities worldwide. Headquartered in Malmö, Sweden and listed on Nasdaq Stockholm, AAK has been Making Better Happen™ for more than 150 years.

AAK is an equal opportunities employer and is committed to creating an inclusive workplace where diversity is valued and everyone has the opportunity to contribute and grow.