Manager, Business Development

Thu Dau Mot City, Binh Duong, Vietnam .
full-time . November 20, 2024

Description

Forestry Innovation Consulting (Vietnam) LTD (FII Vietnam) is a subsidiary of Forestry Innovation Investment (FII). Market development activities in Vietnam are managed under the brand Canadian Wood Vietnam (www.canadianwood.com.vn) who operate from a local office in Binh Duong Province.

Canadian Wood Vietnam promotes BC and Canada as a global supplier of quality, environmentally responsible wood products from sustainably managed forests. Through market development programs, Canadian Wood works closely to support wood industry professionals including manufacturers, designers and wholesalers to educate, inform and grow the market for BC wood species across Vietnam.

Reporting to the Country Director, the Business Development Manager (The Manager) will support our efforts to generate business opportunities for BC based wood products manufacturers in the Vietnamese market. Working closely with the Country Director and Senior Technical Advisor, Wood Products, the Manager will:

identify and follow up on leads to prequalify and prospect furniture industry manufacturers and other potential users in Vietnam,
lead and organize product trials,
build relationships and provide business support to manufacturers, architects, developers, and builders
arrange product performance testing and demonstration trials, and
work on initiatives to build and grow a local stockists/wholesalers network to carry Canadian wood species.

With support from the marketing lead, the Business Development Manager also is responsible for organizing training workshops and networking events to identify new prospects and leads; help lead business development efforts at tradeshows through engagement with visitors; and help organize visiting trade delegations on customer/market visits.

Working in a small and mighty team environment, the Business Development Manager works with their counterpart Business Development Mangers as well as with Marketing, Finance and Head Office to successfully fulfill FII Vietnam’s activities through Marketing, Promotions and Wood Product Trial Coordination.

Key Job Responsibilities Include:

Market Intelligence

Conducting and assessing a needs analysis of Vietnamese wood-product manufacturers and prioritizing them based on the strategic plan
Staying current in understanding common lumber used by wood-product manufacturers within each sub-sector and identify appropriate uses/suitability for Canadian wood species to compete
Regularly keeping FII informed about sawn timber competitiveness (demand, supply, price, country of origin, species, quality etc.) by being active on the ground and compounded with insights from FII’s data and analytics platform
Regularly updating the CRM System throughout the various touchpoints with manufacturers to capture overall market knowledge data and assist planning
Recording and monitoring price information on a regular basis for a selection of available wood, both local and imports
Articulating the challenges that wood-product manufacturers in Vietnam face when using Canadian Wood species to BC sawmill suppliers and involving the appropriate internal and external technical experts to address and resolve the challenges
Developing and maintaining strong relationships with sawn timber importers (from varying scales) to stay current with market activities
Keeping strong relationships with potential customers who have trialed BC wood and existing customers who have regularly bought BC wood
Drafting case studies and summaries on the results of product trials and disseminate to Head Office and stakeholders

Business Development

Sourcing, developing and maintaining a comprehensive portfolio of prospective companies in different sectors such as furniture manufacturers, home improvement manufacturers, sourcing offices, wood importers, architects, developers or builders in Vietnam who have used or would like to use Canadian wood products
Developing short-term and long-term rolling plans to actively approach and pursue prospective companies from portfolio
Maintaining relationships with current manufacturers and ensuring that their expectations are being met
Collecting quantitative and qualitative information from relevant companies to determine if there are opportunities to introduce Canadian wood products and pursue product trials
Designing and consulting product trials for manufacturers interested in Canadian wood species
Monitoring product trial execution, evaluating and providing technical support to the manufacturers during the trial process
For completed product trials, introducing manufacturers to BC sawmill suppliers for quotation process, proactively supporting both parties in developing their business relationship between Vietnamese customers and BC suppliers
Building a network of wood importers to ensure lumber stock is readily available in the Vietnam market serving customers with urgent demands or buying less than a container
Providing technical advice/support in the development of marketing materials including advertorials, articles, social media posts and collateral for the promotion of Canadian wood species
Identifying alliances and indirect stakeholders to increase Canadian Wood’s presence and to expand customer base by initiating partnership programs and leading program execution
Identifying demonstration project opportunities through various stakeholders such as project consultants, architects, developers or builders and recommend the donation of wood product or support to try Canadian wood species in various end use applications
Assisting in special projects initiated by the Country Director or Head Office

Training and Outreach

Leading in organizing and delivering educational seminars on the attributes of Canadian wood products, potential uses, and their comparison to other species and types of manufacturing input
Identifying and proposing new/topical topics for seminars and training workshops based on the feedback and subjects of interest from various industry stakeholders
Developing and preparing training documents and presentation for seminars and workshops
Providing technical advice as well as proactively guiding and supporting Vietnamese manufacturing companies to ensure the correct use of Canadian wood species in products or projects
Maintaining relationships with customers who have regularly bought wood or have successfully trialed wood to organize and take B.C. industry or government Mission for factory visits
Assisting in inviting customers and leads to attend seminars organized by Canadian Wood

Inventory Management

Monitoring wood inventory levels and variety of species and specifications as well as advising when stock is low for replenishment order to ensure sufficient and relevant stock are available for product trials and demonstrations
Providing recommendations for inventory levels of each desired species and specifications and informing the Country Director of market changes to timely stock and change inventory based on market needs
Assisting with inventory counts as per scheduled intervals
Collaborating with the team in developing programs to utilize slow moving stock (i.e species and specifications that the market no longer needs) or wood products with deficiencies not suitable for product trials

General Business Support

Providing assistance and support to the Country Director in implementing various tasks to support the day-to-day operation of the company, as well as its long-term growth.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS

The successful candidate joins FII Vietnam with strong business development experience in the furniture manufacturing, sourcing or wood importer industry with excellent business communication proficiency in English and Vietnamese. Specific skills and experiences required include:

A post graduate degree preferably with a specialization in commerce, international trade, sales, marketing, business administration, wood processing or related education
7 to 10 years of experience in similar role
Previous business development experience in the furniture industry is required
Experience working for an international organization would be an asset
Familiarity and experience working with a CRM System would be an asset

Required Skills, Knowledge and Abilities:

Excellent written and oral communication skills in Vietnamese and English at business proficiency level
Excellent written and oral communication skills in Mandarin and English at business proficiency level is an asset
Excellent business communications and presentation skills required
Strong customer service orientation and client relations skills required
Strategic thinker with the ability to develop and execute effective business development strategies
Strong computer skills in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook
Knowledge of ZOHO CRM System is desirable
Superior organizational skills, problem solving skills and flexibility to plan, prioritize and manage multiple goals and projects
Excellent networking skills and ability to build collaborative partnerships and relationships
Effective negotiation and persuasion skills
Excellent interpersonal skills, displaying tact, diplomacy, humility, leadership and professionalism
Excellent time management and organizational skills demonstrating ability to meet deadlines without sacrificing accuracy or quality
Ability to work both cooperatively and effectively in a team environment and independently with minimum direction
Ability to analyze problems and negotiate solutions with customers, staff, members and suppliers

EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

We offer an engaging work environment, competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package. Before applying, please go to www.canadianwood.com.vn to learn more about us.

FII is committed to providing a healthy, safe and inclusive workplace where respect and diversity are recognized assets. FII encourages and welcomes applications from qualified people committed to meaningful work that makes a difference.

Know someone who would be a perfect fit? Let them know!