Business Development Manager for licensing-out innovative technologies

Company description

Tessenderlo Group (Euronext: TESB) is a global industrial group that focuses on agriculture, valorizing bio-residuals, machinery, mechanical engineering, electronics, energy, and industrial solutions for water management. With headquarters in Belgium, the group is active in over 100 countries and we have a global team of more than 7,000 employees. In 2022, Tessenderlo Group recorded a consolidated revenue of 2.6 billion EUR, or a pro forma revenue (including Picanol Group) of 3.3 billion EUR. 

 Our group’s conviction, “Every Molecule Counts,” conveys our shared optimism about the potential of our planet and its people. We believe in the power of smart industry to create a positive impact. In everything we do, we seek to further valorize the resources at our disposal. This counts just as much for the end products we make, which we constantly optimize, as it does for the by-products from our processes, which we consistently seek to repurpose as best we can, respecting the planet and its resources.  

We Make it Count - as an international company with Belgian roots, Tessenderlo Group promotes personal and local entrepreneurship, creating opportunities for all of our employees to take on challenging roles and real responsibilities. On top of this, our people are encouraged to further develop their competencies through regular training initiatives, and they are rewarded with competitive compensation and benefits packages.  

For more information about Tessenderlo Group, our people, our brands, and our results, please visit www.tessenderlo.com. 

The Tessenderlo Innovation Center is currently looking for a Business Development Manager to strengthen the current team and develop its licensing and related new business opportunities in the Bio-valorization segment, with an emphasis on developing business worldwide via licensing out its proprietary IDX®/VDX® technologies for the production of highly digestible animal-derived proteins for petfood and aquaculture, as well as setting up new business models generating product sales and partnerships. 

Job description

• You further develop our market entry strategy translating the patent protected technological value proposition into an attractive business model in the rendering industry worldwide; 
• You are responsible to meet the yearly profit target of the license team; 
• You take ownership of ongoing license negotiations and ensure that Tessenderlo Group remains proactive and responsive to prospective clients; 
• You sell our patent protected solution to potential customers globally, and negotiate win-win solutions from a commercial standpoint; 
• You identify and set-up long term commercial partnerships to take off certain volumes of licensees animal-derived proteins, like feather and/or blood meals; 
• You develop a network of contacts to attract new customers worldwide and build customer relationships; 
• You identify unmet needs of existing and potential customers and provide feedback to different stakeholders in our organization; 
• You seek for new market opportunities and take appropriate actions in collaboration with other functions to develop these into a profitable business; 
• You consolidate regional animal-derived protein volumes from the licensees and collaborate closely with the Business Unit’s sales team to sell them; 
• You source partnering opportunities with companies in the value chain and identify & act upon commercial opportunities from technology providers; 
• You work closely with Tessenderlo Group Innovation, IP, business unit and sales colleagues to develop mutually beneficial proposals, negotiate contract terms and communicate effectively with all stakeholders; 
• You stay on top of market trends and evolutions in related domains and know what the different stakeholders in the market ecosystem are focusing on; 
• You represent Tessenderlo Group at trade shows within your specific area of expertise and build a  reputation and recognition in the rendering industry. 

Profile

• You have 5-10 years of international sales experience or demonstrated business development with a track record in achieving results. 
• You have a Master’s degree in Science or Business, and preferably a degree in business management or an MBA. 
• You have good written and oral communication skills in English and are able to have a friendly conversation in French.
• You have an excellent business acumen including practice of value selling techniques.  
• You are a natural networker with excellent communication and influencing skills with multiple stakeholders, internally and externally.  
• You have a big interest in how things work from a technical perspective and in turning IP strategies into business opportunities.  
• You are an entrepreneur with a hands-on mentality; a “go-getter” who does not let yourself be disturbed by difficulties, push back and barriers. 
• You are a creative thinker, seeing new ways to translate business opportunities into sales. 
• You have acquired strong analytical skills, communication & negotiation skills. 
• Ability to apply critical thinking skills to take a proactive approach to problem solving and commercial negotiations; 
• You are open to travel worldwide (+- 30% of the time). 

Offer

You report into the Tessenderlo Innovation Center. Location can be in Tessenderlo, Brussels or you can work remotely from another country, based in Europe.