Senior Relationship Manager

Location: United States (Remote with travel) Role Purpose Lead the development and expansion of strategic partnerships with leading US vape and tobacco companies. Drive business growth by positioning the company as a trusted, compliant, and high-quality manufacturing partner capable of meeting the stringent requirements of top-tier clients. Act as liaison for strategic customer programs by coordinating cross-functional execution, gathering market insights, and facilitating engagement on regulatory matters throughout the customer lifecycle. Key Responsibilities 1. Strategic Account Development Target and develop relationships with the largest legal US vape and tobacco players key employees. Build and execute account strategies for large, complex organizations. Navigate multi-level stakeholders across procurement, R&D, regulatory, legal, quality, operations and executive leadership. Convert opportunities into long-term, high-value strategic partnerships. Develop trusted advisor relationships with key decision makers and influencers. 2. Strategic Customer Project Leadership Act as the local project lead for key customer development programs from opportunity qualification through commercialization. Coordinate with cross-functional teams both internally and at customer including Product Management, R&D, Regulatory, Quality, Engineering, Supply Chain and Operations to ensure successful project execution. Input on project milestones, risks, dependencies and customer deliverables, escalating issues proactively where needed. Ensure customer commitments are translated into clear internal action plans with defined & detailed ownership and timelines. Support New Product Introduction (NPI) activities and product launches. 3. Trusted Partner to Multinationals Position the company as a credible, innovative alternative to incumbent suppliers. Translate customer requirements into actionable product, technical and operational plans. Ensure alignment with customer expectations regarding product quality and reliability, regulatory readiness (FDA, PMTA and applicable US requirements), supply chain resilience, and speed of execution and innovation. 4. Regulatory Engagement Develop productive working relationships with customers' regulatory, scientific and compliance teams. Support commercial discussions involving FDA, PMTA and product compliance considerations in close collaboration with internal Regulatory Affairs specialists. Help customers understand the company's regulatory capabilities, quality systems and product development approach. Gather customer feedback on regulatory expectations, emerging requirements and compliance challenges to help shape business priorities. Represent the organization during customer regulatory meetings and technical discussions as appropriate. 5. Cross-Functional Leadership Act as the voice of the customer internally and the voice of the company externally. Work closely with Product Management, Project Management, Regulatory Affairs, R&D, Quality, Global Sales and Operations teams. Drive alignment across functions to deliver customer commitments on time and with high quality. Continuously monitor the US nicotine and tobacco market, including competitors, customers, technologies and regulatory developments. Gather commercial, technical and regulatory insights through customer engagement, industry events and market interactions. Identify emerging customer needs, whitespace opportunities and market trends. Provide strategic recommendations to Product Management, Commercial Team and leadership on portfolio development, pricing, innovation priorities and go-to-market strategies. Share competitive intelligence to support business planning and strategic decision-making. 7. Negotiation & Deal Structuring Contribute to high-value commercial negotiations with sophisticated procurement and executive teams. Support structuring agreements considering pricing, supply terms, intellectual property, development costs, quality, regulatory responsibilities and long-term partnership objectives. Protect company interests while enabling sustainable business growth. Proven track record developing and growing strategic accounts within large US enterprises. Strong business development mindset with the ability to originate and close complex opportunities. Skilled in managing long-cycle, high-value negotiations and strategic partnerships. Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional customer programs without direct authority. Strong project planning, prioritization and execution skills. Ability to manage multiple strategic opportunities simultaneously while maintaining excellent customer communication. Industry & Regulatory Understanding Good understanding of or ability to learn quickly about the US vape and tobacco industry and FDA/PMTA landscape. Ability to engage credibly with customers on regulatory topics while partnering effectively with Regulatory Affairs experts. Strategic Thinking Balances immediate commercial objectives with long-term partnership development. Understands platform versus customized product strategies. Uses market insights to identify growth opportunities and influence business direction. Stakeholder Management Executive presence and credibility with multinational customers. Excellent influencing, communication and relationship-building skills across technical, commercial and executive audiences. Comfortable working across global, multicultural organizations. Experience & Background 8–15+ years of experience in strategic sales, business development or account management, preferably within vaping, tobacco or nicotine products, consumer electronics, medical devices or other highly regulated industries. Proven success managing large US accounts and multinational customers. Experience leading complex cross-functional commercial projects from opportunity through commercialization. Familiarity with FDA/PMTA processes and experience working alongside regulatory and technical teams is highly desirable. Willingness to travel regularly within the US as required #J-18808-Ljbffr Firstunion