Head of Sales - European Union - ÄIO

Deskripsi

Who We Are

Founded in 2022 in Tallinn, Estonia, ÄIO develops next-generation bio-based oils and fats, initially for the personal care industry and later for food and homecare applications.

Through our advanced, proprietary fermentation technology, we manufacture ingredients that are truly next generation – offering better performance than conventional lipid ingredients whilst having only a fraction of the ecological footprint associated with their production.

ÄIO's ingredients are designed to demonstrate that, through science, we can end the destructive relationship between human consumption and ecological degradation and create a future where innovation and nature thrive together.

We are now seeking an experienced sales leader to take full ownership of our commercial growth in cosmetics products, from initial partnerships through to long-term customer relationships.

Head of Sales & Strategic Partnerships

You will be responsible for building and executing the commercial strategy for ÄIO's personal care ingredient portfolio, securing multi-year off-take agreements, managing distributor networks, and developing a robust customer pipeline among global and European cosmetics brands, CMOs, and formulation houses. In subsequent phases, you will also develop the commercial strategy for ÄIO's food ingredient portfolio. This is a high-impact leadership role, working closely with R&D, marketing, regulatory, and operations teams.

You will be responsible for transforming our breakthrough biotechnology into sustained commercial revenue.

Key Responsibilities

1. Commercial Strategy & Pipeline Development

• Define and take ownership of the go-to-market strategy for ÄIO's novel lipid ingredients.
• Identify and prioritise high-potential segments within personal care (skin care, hair care, colour cosmetics, specialty butters/oils).
• Build and manage a high-quality pipeline comprising brands, CMOs, ingredient houses, and distributors.

2. Off-Take Agreement Development

• Lead negotiations for multi-year off-take agreements covering microbial oils and future product lines.
• Align customer requirements with ÄIO's production timelines, capacity planning, regulatory readiness, and pricing strategies.
• Develop structured frameworks for MOUs, LOIs, sample programmes, and long-term supply agreements.

3. Distributor & Partner Management

• Identify and onboard regional distributors with robust personal care portfolios.
• Manage and incentivise distributor networks to drive adoption and market penetration.

4. Customer Engagement & Technical Collaboration

• Collaborate closely with R&D and formulation experts to communicate ingredient benefits, performance data, formulation guidance, and sustainability value propositions.
• Represent ÄIO at trade fairs, innovation days, and B2B events.

5. Pricing, Contracting & Market Intelligence

• Develop pricing models based on production economics, customer value drivers, and competitive activity in natural oils, biotech alternatives, and specialty lipid ingredients.
• Provide ongoing market feedback to inform ÄIO's product roadmap and strain engineering priorities.

6. Leadership & Cross-Functional Influence

• Lead a small but high-performing commercial team (business development, account management, sales).
• Work closely with leadership on revenue planning and supporting fundraising milestones.
• Contribute to brand positioning, messaging, and strategic partnership development.

Requirements

• 5+ years of experience in Sales, Business Development, Partnerships, or Commercial roles within cosmetics, personal care, ingredients, or speciality chemicals.
• Demonstrate a clear understanding of how ingredient decisions are made, including considerations of performance, cost, sustainability, regulatory compliance, and supply security.
• Feel comfortable engaging with R&D, formulation, procurement, and product teams.
• Excel in early-stage environments where structure is developed progressively.

Location & Setup

• This is a remote-flexible role (relocation is not required but encouraged and supported if feasible).
• Travel will be required for customer meetings and industry events.

If you have the relevant background and ambition to genuinely influence how sustainable ingredients are developed and supplied worldwide, please apply right away as we are meeting candidates on a rolling basis we would be delighted to hear from you.