Deputy Manager - Sales, PU Footwear, Performance… at BASF · Hanoi

About BASF in Vietnam

BASF has been active in Vietnam since the establishment of its representative office in 1994 and celebrates its 30-year presence in the country this year. BASF Vietnam Limited was set up in 2009. The company maintains two sales offices in Hồ Chí Minh City and Hà Nội, offering solutions for Vietnam’s key industries, including Agriculture, Construction, Automotive, Footwear, Paints & Coatings and Electrical & Electronics. BASF’s sales to customers in Vietnam were approximately €238 million in 2023. BASF employed 110 people in Vietnam as of the end of the year.

Further information on BASF in Vietnam is available at http://www.basf.com/vn.

OBJECTIVES OF THE POSITION

• This role serves as the sales or local key account manager responsible for implementing the Value Chain hunting strategy, engaging with the VN team to identify potential polyurethane (PU) Footwear projects and secure new approvals. It involves establishing relationships with key shoe factories including Taiwanese, Korean and Chinese transplants (TTT/KTT/CTT) and acting as the local contact in VN to drive the PU business growth alongside the global and regional PU key account team.

MAIN AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITIES AND KEY ACTIVITIES

Key T1/T2s

• Collaborate with the VN team to explore new PU projects, scout potential from TTT/KTT/CTT transplants, and develop an account engagement plan for business expansion in VN.
• Monitor market trends, engage with customers, and understand our customers' sustainability objectives concerning footwear.
• Promote sustainable materials, generate new projects in partnership with the VN team, and execute top-down initiatives from customer HQ (e.g., BMB PU or recycled PU projects). Take responsibility for assigned PU business KPIs and targets in VN.
• Oversee the PU footwear customers in VN, focusing on building relationships with key customers, devise engagement plans and explore new business opportunities in VN.
• Partner closely with the Asia key accounts core team (GKAM, RKAM, and local account managers in other key countries) to drive PU business growth within customer’s value chain in VN and contribute to the overall targets.

Innovation & Project Pipeline

• Provide market insights and help to steer the Sportwear innovation pipeline to ensure that the correct market solutions are developed.
• Initiate innovation projects to secure growth, create business cases and provide prioritization.
• Manage and ensure the execution of the PU footwear business pipeline

Other Tasks

• Perform other tasks or projects as required from time to time

JOB REQUIREMENTS

• Minimum Bachelor’s Degree, preferably in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Materials Engineering, Business Administration or other related subjects.
• Minimum 5 years Sales and / or Marketing and / or Product Development experience, preferably in the footwear industry.
• Profound knowledge & background working within footwear value chain focusing material development or manufacturing or product development at T1/T2.
• Experiences in cross-regional team environment working.
• Good knowledge and experience in Polyurethanes, ideally for the footwear industry.
• Key account management skills are preferred.
• Effective communication skills in English and Chinese OR Korean.
• High proficiency in Salesforce.com and Microsoft Office tools
• Required Competencies: Drive Sustainable Solutions, Demonstrate Customer Focus, Act with Entrepreneurial Drive, Communicate Effectively.