ABOUT THE ROLE
We are seeking a Sales Director, Asia Pacific to lead commercial growth across the region, with China as the primary focus. As the senior commercial leader for APAC, this role serves as a critical connection between the China market and the company’s U.S. based global leadership team. This individual will translate global business priorities into effective local commercial strategies, while ensuring that customer, competitive and market insights from China and APAC regions are incorporated into broader business decisions.
This is a director-level leadership role for a commercially driven, ethical, and hands-on sales leader who can build strong customer relationships, develop a cohesive and high performing regional team, and work cross-functionally to deliver sustainable growth. The successful candidate will be responsible for setting regional priorities, expanding key customer relationships, identifying new opportunities, communicating the value of the Microban brand, and helping customers understand how ingredient branding can strengthen product differentiation, consumer confidence, and long-term brand value.
The preferred location for this role is Shanghai, China; Shenzhen, China may also be considered. The ideal candidate will be fluent in Mandarin and English, bring strong cultural fluency in the China market, and have experience working effectively across regional and global business environments. Experience with American or Western-based companies is a plus.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Lead Regional Sales Strategy: Develop and execute Asia Pacific commercial priorities in alignment with the company’s global growth objectives, with China as the primary focus. Execute global strategy, annual plans, revenue goals, profitability expectations, and long-term growth.
- Lead and Develop the Team: Coach, support, and develop a highly functioning and effective group of account managers and business development managers across the region, building trust, accountability, inclusion, and high-performing team behaviors. Lead with respect, positivity, collaboration and accountability. Conduct 1:1’s, team meetings, and Townhall meetings with APAC employee owners. Improve sales effectiveness through coaching, capability development and consistent commercial processes.
- Drive New Business and Ingredient Branding Growth: Identify priority market segments, target accounts, and customer opportunities where the company’s solutions and ingredient branding model can deliver meaningful technical, commercial, and brand-building value. Partner and align with the global business on all new business early and often. Ensure commercial commitments are aligned with the company’s operational, technical, financial, regulatory and legal capabilities
- Build Strategic Customer Relationships: Develop and maintain trusted relationships with key decision makers, domestic Chinese brands, Western-based brands, manufacturers, and partner companies to build pipeline, close new business, retain key accounts, and expand existing relationships. Personally engage with senior decision-makers at strategic accounts. Develop a deep understanding of customer business, needs, challenges and growth strategies. Identify opportunities to expand relationships beyond existing products, applications or business units. Ensure customer commitments are understood internally and executed effectively.
- Lead Cross-Functionally: Influence and coordinate effectively across sales, technical, marketing, supply chain, customer service, regulatory, legal, and other functions to align priorities and deliver excellent customer outcomes. Partner with legal, finance, HR and global leadership regarding commercial, contractual, compliance or organizational matters. Promptly escalate significant business, customer, compliance, employee or reputational risks.
- Negotiate and Manage Commercial Agreements: Lead pricing strategy, contract renewals, deal negotiation, licensing arrangements, royalty agreements, development fees, testing fees, account support, and other commercial elements to improve territory performance and profitability.
- Monitor Market and Competitive Dynamics: Analyze customer needs, market trends, competitor activity, and sales performance to refine territory strategy, improve positioning, identify new application spaces, and recommend practical business actions.
- Communicate Brand Value Externally: Represent the Microban brand with customers, prospects, and industry audiences by clearly articulating the value of ingredient branding, product protection, performance claims, consumer relevance, and partnership benefits.
- Share Best Practices Globally: Document key wins, customer insights, and repeatable commercial approaches to help colleagues replicate successes across territories and regions.
- Model Ethical and Principled Leadership: Demonstrate sound judgment, integrity, transparency, and professionalism in all internal and external interactions.
- Act as a Cultural Ambassador: Demonstrate the company’s values and leadership expectations in all internal and external interactions. Promote a culture of integrity, accountability, transparency, collaboration and respect. Create an environment where employees are comfortable raising issues, sharing ideas and challenging assumptions constructively. Work collectively with HR and leadership on organizational capability, vulnerability and talent needs. Encourage inclusive behaviors, celebrate team success, reinforce company values, and help connect regional business practices with global expectations.
- Operate as a Leader and a Doer: Stay hands-on and closely connected to customer needs, team execution, opportunity development, internal problem solving, and the practical requirements of delivering results. Conduct regular pipeline, account and opportunity reviews. Ensure disciplined use of the company’s CRM and other commercial systems/processes.
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR
- Education and Experience: Bachelor’s degree required; degree in business, chemistry, engineering, materials science, or a related field preferred. Successful senior sales leadership experience across Asia, with China market leadership experience strongly preferred.
- People and Cross-Functional Leadership: A people-focused leader who builds trust quickly, develops others, creates accountability, and leads positively and effectively through collaboration and influence, including with colleagues and employee owners globally.
- China Market and Customer Fluency: Ability to work effectively with domestic Chinese brands and Western-based brands, with strong understanding of regional customer expectations, decision-making dynamics, and business practices. Build and maintain
- Technical, Solution, and Ingredient Branding Sales: Experience selling technical or solution-based products or services, with the ability to communicate brand value, sell an ingredient branding concept, and translate technical benefits into customer, consumer, and commercial outcomes.
- Commercial Acumen: Skilled in account planning, pipeline development, pricing, negotiations, financial analysis, contract development, senior-level customer engagement, and managing complex B2B sales cycles.
- Communication and Analytical Skills: Fluency in written and spoken Mandarin and English required, with the ability to communicate clearly across technical, commercial, senior leadership, and cross-cultural settings while using market, financial, and customer data to inform practical business decisions.
- Systems and Travel: Proficient in Microsoft Office; experience with Salesforce.com or another customer relationship management system preferred. Ability to travel as needed across China and the broader Asia Pacific region, potentially up to 50% of the time.
PREFERRED EXPERIENCE AND ATTRIBUTES
- Chinese national preferred, with strong cultural fluency and the ability to bridge expectations between China-based customers, regional teams, and global stakeholders
- Shanghai-based preferred; Shenzhen-based candidates may also be considered
- Experience working for or closely with American or Western-based companies is a plus
- Experience managing complex B2B sales cycles, technical solution sales, licensing agreements, royalty structures, or high-value commercial contracts
- Comfort working in a hands-on company environment where leaders remain closely involved in customer engagement, execution, and internal collaboration
- Demonstrated ethical judgment, principled decision-making, humility, resilience, curiosity, and tenacity
- Strong interpersonal presence, with the ability to build trust, motivate others, celebrate team success, and reinforce inclusive behaviors and company values
