Market Development Manager - Sustainability

With a strategy centered on people and sustainability, Braskem is engaged in contributing to the value chain to strengthen the Circular Economy. Braskem’s 9,000 team members dedicate themselves every day to improving people's lives through sustainable solutions in chemicals and plastics. With its corporate DNA rooted in innovation, Braskem offers a comprehensive portfolio of plastic resins and chemical products for diverse industries, such as food packaging, construction, manufacturing, automotive, agribusiness, health and hygiene, and more. With 40 industrial units in Brazil, the United States, Mexico, and Germany, Braskem exports its products to clients in over 70 countries.
Braskem America is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Braskem S.A. headquartered in Philadelphia. The company is the leading producer of polypropylene in the United States, with six production plants located in Texas, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, as well as an Innovation and Technology Center in Pittsburgh and a New Renewable Innovation Center in Lexington, which focuses on leveraging groundbreaking developments in biotechnology and chemical catalysis. For more information, visit www.braskem.com/usa.
Department: NAMEA Commercial
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Travel Involved: 20-30%
Job Type: Hybrid
Description:
The Market Development Manager will work to identify market trends, needs, and opportunities for circular and bio Polypropylene, as well as other sustainable alternatives. In this role, you interact with brand owners as the decision makers in the final choice of materials, converters who have a broad overview of market requests and demands, and other external stakeholders. This serves to set the right direction for Braskem’s PP product portfolio, reflecting market demands and needs to ensure Braskem can create a competitive offering of sustainable PP solutions that meet future demands and support Braskem’s long term sustainability strategy.
Key Responsibilities Include:
Communication of Braskem's sustainable portfolio to external stakeholders in the market
Communication of market trends and needs gathered from external meetings to the organization, to make sure Braskem offerings meet the current and future demands to the best extent possible
Build and drive long term sustainable relationships and networks with various stakeholders at brand owners
Contribute to defining the Braskem sustainable PP & PE offering
Constant Pipeline creation to support Braskem’s growth in the sustainable segment and circular transition
Drive commercial adoption through off-take agreements with brand owners for bio-based and circular polymers
Definition of Braskem’s prospects for brand owner interaction
Presentations of Braskem’s sustainable portfolio in the market at converters, brand owners, and other external stakeholders
Keeping up with the latest industry developments, including the market positioning of corporate competitors, helping with market pricing, and identifying promising market segments.
Define the market potential for Braskem’s sustainable solution short-, mid- and long-term and report the volumes accordingly and expected price levels and mechanisms via active opportunity pipeline management
Define specific offers for brand owners and negotiate contracts with them for the sustainable product portfolio and, if needed, do the same for the fossil portfolio and selected converters
PP product portfolio analyses and, in case of lack of products, create, analyze, and present new business cases for new product developments
Commercial and strategic analysis of existing and future feedstock opportunities and align those with market needs and business potential of Braskem
Analysis of new feedstock types and contribute to pilot projects to test these in the market
Support the sales team in presenting and selling our sustainable portfolio by acting as a focal point in the case of questions and by joining meetings with the key account managers
Defining the market requirements for sustainability documents like PCF and LCA and prioritizing the needs from the customer perspective
Solid knowledge and presentation of Braskem’s mid- and long-term technological initiatives and capabilities in alignment and with support from I&T
Regular checks of regulatory updates and evaluation of their impact on our business, identifying potentially new opportunities as well as threats, and regularly updating presentations to external stakeholders
Business and market updates towards internal stakeholders like (but not limited to): Program Management, Business development peers, Sales team, etc.
Regular updates with market intelligence to contribute to data generation for Braskem, as well as a source of information on what is happening in the market on the feedstock and the downstream side
Development of marketing and sales material for the commercial organization, like a “Go-to-Market” strategy including Braskem’s value proposition
Webinars and sustainability sessions to internally spread and extend the knowledge for sustainability
Acquire and apply the basic knowledge of ISCC+
Conference and fair attendance for relevant topics
Preferred Skills, Education, and Experience:
Bachelor's or Master degree in Business or another industry, commercial-oriented education
At least 10 years of working experience with several years in commercial, in international sales, ideally in the chemical/plastics industry
Strong interest and ideally knowledge in sustainability related topics
Experience in polymers or specialty sales
Experience in value selling
Excel in strategic sales and marketing and proven sales track record with exceptional sales and negotiation skills
Business development, analytical thinking, and networking skills
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with a customer-centric mindset.
Good presentation skills
Willingness to travel frequently
A technical background is a pro but not a must
What we offer
At Braskem, we offer more than just a competitive pay package. Our total rewards package includes a wide range of benefits you need for every stage of your life. Our benefits include:
Medical, Dental, and Vision Benefits
Retirement Benefits
Maternity and Paternity Leave
Life Insurance
Short- and Long-Term Disability Insurance
Teladoc
A wide range of voluntary benefits like Pet Insurance, Legal and ID Theft Insurance
Flexible work schedules like 9/80 schedules for eligible team members
Depending on qualifications, the successful candidate may be offered a position at a more appropriate level and/or ladder.
Candidates must be currently eligible to work in the United States without the need for any type of sponsorship now or in the future. Braskem is committed to equal employment opportunity and providing reasonable accommodations to qualified candidates and employees according to applicable law. We value and encourage diversity and solicit applications from all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, gender, sex, age, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, marital status, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, medical condition, military and veteran status, gender identity or expression, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.