Senior Commercial Partnerships Role

Senior Commercial Partnerships Role (exact title TBD) Full-Time ; San Francisco Bay Area  ;  Commercial Team  ABOUT SAVOR Savor is a company transforming how the world produces a core macronutrient. Using a proprietary process that converts carbon feedstocks into high-purity lipids, we create ingredients that are chemically identical to the finest animal and plant fats — without the land, water, or emissions cost. Our products have been recognized by TIME Magazine as one of the Best Inventions of 2025 and featured by Fast Company, ABC News, and Gastropod.  THE OPPORTUNITY If you have spent your career in the oils and fats industry — selling into or alongside the major commodity traders and ingredient manufacturers — you know how slow and relationship-dependent these markets can be. You also know that the moment a genuinely new ingredient class emerges, the person who owns those early partnerships defines the commercial landscape for a decade. This is that moment for Savor. We are looking for a Senior Commercial Parnership Lead (exact title TBD) to join our commercial team: this is an individual contributor role to start, with a clear path toward managing a small commercial team as the function scales. You will report to the VP of Commercialization and work as a close partner to our existing Head of Commercial Partnerships.  WHAT YOU’LL OWN The primary weight of this role (~33%) is active account management and deal support; sales engagement (~33%) and new business development within the partner ecosystem (~33%).  Account Management & Deal Momentum Own day-to-day relationships with Savor’s major upstream B2B prospect partners — including major commodity traders and ingredient manufacturers — progressing commercial agreements from negotiation to close. Support the VP of Commercialization in high-level relationship stewardship (quarterly steering committees, executive meetings) while independently managing all downstream touchpoints and follow-through. Maintain precise, fast communication response times; track deal status and surface risks or blockers to the VP of Commercialization proactively. Develop and eventually own 1–2 flagship B2B accounts independently, with a focus on food ingredient and flavoring/confectionery channels. Possibility of working with non-food accounts.  Technical Sales & Customer Engagement  Translate Savor’s technical capabilities — oil functionality, fatty acid profiles, flavoring systems, performance specifications — into compelling commercial propositions for partner audiences. Serve as a credible technical interface between Savor’s R&D and product teams and partner procurement and formulation stakeholders. Prepare and deliver tailored presentations, proposals, and application data for partner conversations. Represent Savor at technical industry conferences and events to build market presence and source new relationships.  Business Development & Pipeline Building  Identify new business opportunities within and adjacent to the current partner portfolio; build and qualify a pipeline of downstream customer leads. Execute Joint Development Agreements (JDAs) and early-stage commercial frameworks that lay the groundwork for future revenue. Manage external commercial consultants where relevant to account strategy. As the business matures, support expansion into personal care and beauty ingredient channels in collaboration with specialist consultants.  HOW SUCCESS IS MEASURED Pipeline value: active commercial agreements under negotiation and revenue under contract. Deals closed: signed JDAs, supply agreements, and partnership frameworks within target accounts. Relationship health: response time, partner satisfaction, and continuity of active engagement across accounts. Lead generation: qualified downstream customer introductions and new account conversations initiated per quarter.  WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR Non-negotiable experience Background in technical sales within the food ingredients, specialty oils, fats, or flavoring industries.  Demonstrated track record managing complex B2B sales cycles with large ingredient manufacturers, commodity traders, or CPG companies. Sufficient technical fluency in oil and fat chemistry, functionality, or flavoring systems to hold credible conversations with R&D and procurement counterparts.  Experience negotiating long-term commercial agreements with large ingredient manufacturers, commodity traders, or CPG partners. Evidence of structure in commercial work: a disciplined approach to identifying opportunities, managing pipelines, and following through on commitments.  Highly responsive communicator — fast, precise, and reliable across email and partner interactions.  Preferred experience Direct prior experience working with or selling into major oils and fats traders or distributors. MBA or equivalent formal business development or commercial strategy background. Familiarity with flavoring systems, confectionery fats, and CBE/CBS ingredient categories. Experience working at or alongside a startup or early-stage company — particularly one navigating the transition from R&D to commercial scale. Experience selling into non-food fat-based ingredient markets (relevant for a future vertical expansion; not required for the core role). Prior experience managing consultants or building out a small commercial team.  LOGISTICSHybrid role: Work is remote most days, with one required weekly in-office collaboration day at our San Jose office. Must be local or able to relocate to the San Francisco Bay Area.Savor offers compensation commensurate with experience, including a base salary of $170,000–$200,000. Additional benefits include:  Equity participation at a meaningful stage in Savor’s growth. Travel support for partner visits and industry conferences (up to 30% of the time). This role is eligible to participate in Savor's performance bonus program, currently under development. The program is anticipated to offer a target bonus of 10–15% of base salary, tied to individual and company performance.  Health, dental, and vision coverage. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer - we do not discriminate in hiring, promotions, or any other way on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factor.    Contact  with your resume/CV if you are interested in learning more about this opportunity.