Account Manager (Taste)

Looking for a commercial role that challenges you while making an impact on products people use every day? We are looking for a talented Account Manager to be based in Lagos, Nigeria! 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 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