Business Development Lead - FMCG/Pet Food

Addiction Pet Foods New Zealand

Business Development Lead (Veterinary Channel & Speciality Stores)– Pet Food

Field-Based | Nationwide Travel Across New Zealand

About The Role

Addiction Pet Foods New Zealand is looking for a commercially driven and highly independent

Veterinary Business Development Lead to develop and grow our presence within the New Zealand veterinary channel.

This is not a traditional sales role. It is a strategic market development opportunity focused on building long-term veterinary partnerships, driving market penetration, and supporting the national launch of our exclusive

Health Benefits pet food range, developed specifically for veterinary clinics.

The successful candidate will play a key role in opening doors, building trust, educating customers, and converting long-lead opportunities into sustainable commercial growth. In addition to developing the veterinary channel, this role will also support and call on existing Specialist Channel customers.

What You’ll Be Doing

You will be responsible for developing and growing Addiction Pet Foods’ presence within veterinary clinics across New Zealand.

This Will Include

• Identifying, prospecting, and developing new veterinary clinic customers nationwide.
• Building long-term relationships with veterinary professionals, clinic decision-makers, and specialist channel customers.
• Presenting Addiction Pet Foods’ Health Benefits range and communicating its value proposition clearly and professionally.
• Managing a long sales cycle that requires regular follow-up, multiple customer touchpoints, and consistent relationship building.
• Creating and executing territory plans to support market penetration and sales growth.
• Maintaining regular contact with existing Specialist Channel customers and supporting ongoing account development.
• Gathering customer, competitor, and market insights to support channel strategy.
• Collaborating with internal teams including sales, marketing, product, supply chain, and management.
• Representing the company professionally during customer visits, trade activities, events, and veterinary-related engagements.
• Providing clear reporting on territory activity, opportunities, risks, and sales progress.
• Working independently while managing travel schedules, customer appointments, and follow-up actions.

About You

We are looking for someone who is resilient, organised, commercially focused, and comfortable working independently in a field-based role.

The Ideal Candidate Will Have

• Proven experience in business development, territory management, field sales, or key account development.
• Strong customer development experience, especially in long-lead conversion environments.
• Experience selling into veterinary clinics, specialist pet channels, FMCG, pet food, animal health, or related industries.
• The ability to build trust and credibility with professional customers.
• Strong communication, presentation, negotiation, and follow-up skills.
• A self-driven work style with the ability to manage your own territory and schedule.
• Strong resilience and persistence in prospecting and customer conversion.
• Good commercial judgement and the ability to identify growth opportunities.
• Strong planning and organisational skills.
• Willingness and ability to travel frequently across New Zealand, including overnight trips.
• A valid driver’s licence.

Highly Regarded

• Verifiable success in FMCG, veterinary sales, pet food, animal health, or specialist channel sales.
• Existing relationships within the New Zealand veterinary, pet specialty, or animal health sector.
• Experience launching a new product range or developing a new sales channel.
• Ability to present market development plans and commercial growth strategies.
• Understanding of pet nutrition, veterinary clinic operations, or premium pet food positioning.

Working Conditions

• This is a field-based and travel-intensive role. The successful candidate will spend a significant amount of time on the road, visiting customers, managing their territory, and building relationships across both the North and South Islands.
• The role requires regular regional travel, overnight trips, and independent work. Because of this, strong time management, journey planning, road safety awareness, and personal resilience are essential.
• This role will suit someone who enjoys being out in the market, is comfortable working autonomously, and can stay motivated through a long and relationship-based sales cycle.

Why Join Us

This is a rare opportunity to help shape and grow a developing channel for a premium pet food business in New Zealand. You will have the autonomy to manage your own territory, the opportunity to influence channel strategy, and the chance to build meaningful partnerships within the veterinary market.

If you are commercially driven, resilient, and excited by the challenge of building a channel from the ground up, we would like to hear from you.

Apply now with your CV and a brief cover letter outlining your relevant experience in veterinary, FMCG, pet food, animal health, or specialist channel sales send it to ***email_hidden***.