Junior Technical Support & Development Manager Cocoa - EMENA

The Technical Support & Development Cocoa - EMENA is responsible for driving the growth of the cocoa business through delivering best in class technical customer support, relationship management, product approvals, fostering innovation & co-development.
You will be responsible for the EMENA region and be based in Amsterdam.

Reporting to the Customer Technical Manager Cocoa – EMENA, the main duties of this role will include:

• Regional Technical Leadership: Serve as the primary technical contact for cocoa customers across the EMENA region, building strong, trust-based relationships.
• Opportunity Pipeline Ownership: Proactively identify, manage, and drive technical opportunities within your assigned region or sub-region, in close collaboration with commercial teams.
• Technical Account Management: Act as the Technical Account Manager for a portfolio of key customers, ensuring their technical needs are met and exceeded.
• Customer Co-Development: Lead and support co-creation projects with customers, from ideation through to product implementation.
• Product Support & Approvals: Guide customers through product trials, approvals, and application optimization, ensuring successful integration of cocoa products.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with Sales, R&D, and Marketing to align technical support with business goals and customer strategies.
• Market & Trend Monitoring: Stay informed on industry trends, customer feedback, and competitor activity to drive both internal and customer innovation and technical strategy.

The successful candidate will possess the following:

• Educational Background: MSc in Food Technology, Food Chemistry, or a related technical field. An MBA or equivalent commercial education is a strong advantage.
• Industry Experience: 1-5 years of experience in technical sales or account management within the B2B food industry.
• Technical Expertise: Deep understanding of ingredient functionality, particularly in cocoa and food systems. Demonstrated ability to translate technical concepts into solution-driven innovations.
• Customer Engagement: Skilled in developing and maintaining professional relationships with customers, including delivering impactful presentations at all organizational levels.
• Project Leadership: Strong project management and leadership skills, with the ability to translate strategic growth goals into actionable plans and measurable KPIs.
• Product Development Insight: Comprehensive knowledge of the product development lifecycle—from customer inspiration to commercialization—including analytical methods, sensory science, and quality assurance.
• Entrepreneurial Mindset: A proactive, agile, and creative thinker with a “can-do” attitude and the ability to inspire and energize cross-functional teams.
• Passion: Genuine enthusiasm for food, food ingredients and specifically cocoa ingredients and the ability to share and convey that passion.
• Language Skills: Fluent in English (spoken and written); proficiency in at least one additional regionally (EMENA) relevant language is preferred.
• Mobility: Willingness to travel up to 40% across the EMENA region to support customer engagements and project execution