Identify and evaluate co-manufacturing and co-development partners aligned with enterprise quality, capacity, innovation, and compliance standards
Lead partner onboarding, due diligence, and governance model design
Establish long-term, scalable partnership frameworks that support portfolio growth and innovation pipelines
Lead commercial structuring and execution of product co-development initiatives from concept through commercialization
Drive alignment between partner capabilities and internal product, brand, and consumer strategies
Maintain working expertise in intellectual property principles, including background IP, foreground IP, joint IP, trade secrets, and licensing
Partner closely with Legal to negotiate and operationalize NDAs, development agreements, supply agreements, and IP ownership provisions
Translate legal, technical, and operational constraints into commercially viable partnership structures
Establish performance metrics, governance cadences, and escalation mechanisms for external partners

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Engineering, Supply Chain, or related discipline
7–10+ years of experience in business development, strategic partnerships, or commercial leadership within manufacturing-intensive industries (CPG, food & beverage, personal care, pharmaceuticals, or adjacent sectors)
Demonstrated experience managing co-manufacturing or contract manufacturing relationships at enterprise scale
Proven track record of accelerating product commercialization through external partners

Business Development Manager

Key skills