business development manager - food service.

Our client is the Malaysian office of an established, globally renowned Japanese food trading conglomerate with centuries of heritage and extensive operations across Asia. Operating from Subang Jaya, they import, reprocess, and supply premium frozen, chilled, and dry food solutions across Malaysia. Entering an aggressive new expansion phase, they are scaling their route-to-market by expanding distributor partnerships across every region, alongside direct supply to food factories, chain restaurants, HORECA, and retail channels. To build and lead the sales team behind this nationwide expansion, they are seeking a high-caliber Business Development Manager.

about the job

Reporting directly to the General Manager, you will take full ownership of designing and executing the annual sales strategy, building distributor networks across all regions of Malaysia, and leading a team of Senior Sales Executives. You will combine strategic team management with hands-on key account acquisition across foodservice, central kitchens, trading companies, and food manufacturers.

Key Responsibilities:

• Commercial Strategy & Budgeting: Formulate and deliver the annual sales plan, channel strategies, and revenue budgets across distributors, food factories, chain restaurants, HORECA, and retail networks.
• Distributor Development & Expansion: Appoint, manage, and scale distribution partners across all regions of Malaysia (Northern, Southern, East Coast, and East Malaysia), overseeing pricing corridors, regional coverage, and special customer accounts.
• Team Leadership & Coaching: Recruit, coach, and manage a team of Senior Sales Executives—setting territories, KPI targets, visit schedules, conducting joint calls, and holding weekly performance reviews.
• Key Account Acquisition: Personally open and manage major accounts, engaging directly with owners, purchasing heads, and senior executives at food manufacturing plants, chain restaurant headquarters, and trading companies.
• Cross-Functional & Product Management: Work closely with international head office teams to launch imported food lines (ready-to-cook raw materials, ready meals, sauces, halal products) and align with supply chain teams on inventory forecasts and arrival dates.
• Financial & Commercial Oversight: Set pricing structures, margin floors, and credit terms for management approval, ensuring accurate sales forecasting and timely order collections.

requirements

• Minimum 6 years of sales experience within imported food, frozen food, seafood, food service, or FMCG, with at least 3 years leading and managing a sales team.
• Proven track record in appointing, managing, and scaling third-party distributors across regional Malaysia (Northern, Southern, East Coast, East Malaysia). Exposure to broader ASEAN markets is a plus.
• Strong connections with food factories, central kitchens, chain restaurants, HORECA, or specialized food trading firms.
• Solid familiarity with cold chain logistics, frozen/chilled product handling, and Halal compliance requirements.
• Willingness to travel.