Business Development Manager - Laundry and Hygiene

SUMMARY:

A well-established chemical manufacturing business is seeking a Business Development Manager to be responsible for driving new business growth, managing key accounts, securing tenders, converting competitor accounts, and developing strategic customer and distributor relationships within the Laundry and Professional Hygiene sectors.

POSITION INFO:
Minimum requirements for the role: Must have a National Senior Certificate with a Diploma or Degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Food Technology, Microbiology, or a Commercial Degree with clear technical aptitude Minimum 6-10 years' experience in hygiene or laundry chemical sales, a proven record of winning group accounts from competitors, and active relationships with Gauteng decision-makers Must have 6+ years' experience in B2B sales in institutional hygiene, laundry chemicals, or related cleaning and hygiene solutions Experience within a multinational or leading local hygiene supplier, with previous responsibility for managing a territory or team Proven track record of securing new business, including at least three documented competitor conversions or group accounts, and success in securing healthcare or public-sector tenders Established network within hotel groups, hospital groups, laundries or contract cleaning companies in Gauteng, with relationships with group-level procurement and facilities management decision-makers Must have an understanding of dosing systems, wash processes, cost-in-use, infection-control and HACCP principles, with knowledge of laundry processes, including wash chemistry, temperature control and disinfection programmes The successful candidate will be responsible for: Finding, qualifying and securing new Laundry and Professional Hygiene accounts in Gauteng, including hotel and leisure groups, private and public hospitals, on-premise laundries (OPL), commercial and industrial laundries, contract cleaners, and facilities management companies. Targeting head-office and procurement decision-makers for group and multi-site deals, rather than individual sites, and managing structured multi-stakeholder sales cycles. Developing cost-in-use and total-cost-of-operation proposals, including cost per kg washed, water, energy, linen life and labour, in collaboration with the laundry technical specialist, and focusing on value rather than price per litre. Planning and managing trials and conversions from competitor systems, including dosing equipment changeovers, in collaboration with the service technician. Preparing and submitting private and public-sector tenders and RFQs, particularly for healthcare and government laundries. Conducting regular business reviews with key Gauteng accounts, identifying customer retention risks early and growing share of wallet. Supporting distributor partners in selected neighbouring African markets through joint customer visits, distributor training and opportunity development. Maintaining accurate and up-to-date activity records, opportunities and forecasts in the Skynamo CRM system, and reporting monthly against targets. Monitoring competitor activity, pricing and regional developments, including hotel openings, hospital construction projects and laundry investments. Please note that subsequent to the screening and shortlisting process, all further communication will be entered into only with the shortlisted candidates. If you do not receive any feedback from us within 2 weeks of applying, please consider your application unsuccessful.