Job Description

Business Development Manager, International (FMCG, Ice Cream)

Location:

Sharjah, UAE/Remote

Department:

International Business

Job Type:

Full-time

Travel:

Extensive within MEA

About the role

You will build and scale the international ice cream business across the MEA region, from market entry and distributor onboarding to export operations, cold-chain logistics, and compliance. You will own sales targets, expand into new countries and channels, and keep our products fresh, visible, and compliant from factory to shelf.

Key responsibilities

Market expansion:

Scan and size new MEA markets, analyze demand and competitors, visit on-ground, and produce market intelligence to guide entry decisions.

Distributor management:

Identify, evaluate, and onboard capable distributors, align joint plans, drive price and promo discipline, and ensure in-store visibility that meets brand guidelines.

Sales ownership:

Run the full export sales cycle, issue quotations, negotiate and close, forecast revenue, manage the export budget, and represent the brand at trade shows.

Cold-chain and logistics:

Coordinate with forwarders, shipping lines, and cold storage, safeguard temperature integrity, optimize cost and delivery times, and monitor stock age and freshness.

Operations and reporting:

Track primary and secondary sales by market and customer, monitor customer financial health, and deliver periodic performance reports and sales dashboards.

Documentation and compliance:

Ensure correct and complete export documentation and adherence to customs, food safety, labeling, halal, and health certification standards.

Team leadership:

Coach distributor sales and operations teams, enforce SOPs and policy discipline, and uplift execution quality across markets.

Systems:

Use sales tools, DMS, and Microsoft Office to plan, track, and report performance.

What you'll need

Education and experience:

Bachelor's degree and

10 to 15 years

in a managerial role within FMCG or Dairy in GCC markets. Direct

cold-chain

logistics exposure is essential.

Functional skills:

Export regulations, documentation, channel management, and MEA market dynamics. Strong analytical, problem solving, communication, negotiation, and presentation skills.

Languages:

English

required.

Tamil and Malayalam

desired. Additional local languages are a plus.

Work style:

Collaborative, disciplined, data-driven, and willing to travel extensively.

Nice to have

Proven launch or relaunch of an FMCG category in multiple MEA countries Familiarity with trade marketing calendars, promo ROI, and price-pack architecture Experience with distributor scorecards and route-to-market redesigns

What we offer

Competitive salary with performance incentives Regional exposure, ownership of new market entries, and clear growth pathways A mission-driven team building a loved consumer brand across MEA.
Job Type: Full-time