Sales & Marketing Manager - China

Job Title: Sales & Marketing Manager - China                           

Department: Sales

Classification:  Exempt / Salary

Reports to: Vice President of Sales - Asia          

Job Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Supply Chain, or related field; advanced degree preferred.
• Minimum of 5–7 years of experience in sales, business development, or general management in China, preferably in the beverage or FMCG industry.
• Proven track record of managing key accounts and channel partners, with P&L responsibility.
• Strong leadership capabilities and experience managing teams.
• Excellent negotiation, communication, and presentation skills.
• Fluent in Mandarin and English; additional languages a plus.
• Experience in the hops or brewing industry is a significant advantage.
• Willingness to travel extensively within China and occasionally internationally.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Familiarity with ERP and CRM systems
• Entrepreneurial mindset with the ability to work autonomously in a fast-paced environment.
• Commitment to sustainability, safety, and company values.

Job Summary:

The Sales & Marketing Manager - China is responsible for leading commercial strategy, sales growth, and market development across China, including direct customer management, channel development, and marketing alignment. This role also serves, in collaboration with the Vice President of Sales – Asia, as Legal Director for Yakima Chief Hops' Chinese entity. Together, they oversee corporate governance, compliance, and statutory responsibilities for the entity. The Sales & Marketing Manager reports directly to the VP Sales – Asia and works closely with both global and regional teams to ensure alignment with YCH’s mission, vision, and values. A deep understanding of the brewing industry, hop supply chain, and customer engagement across craft and macro breweries is essential.

Job Duties:

Sales Leadership & Growth

• Own and drive the annual revenue and volume targets for China across all customer segments.
• Develop and execute regional sales strategies to grow market share and brand presence.
• Oversee forecasting and sales planning for the China market.
• Utilise CRM and analytics tools (e.g., Power BI, Sage X3) to manage performance and track progress against KPIs.

Channel Partner Management

• Develop and manage YCH’s China-based distributor and channel partner network.
• Ensure channel partners are aligned with corporate strategy and have appropriate legal agreements in place.
• Provide training, tools, and support to enhance partner performance and loyalty.
• Coordinate with eCommerce and digital teams to integrate channel partners into digital growth initiatives.

Key Account Management

• Maintain and grow relationships with strategic brewery and distributor accounts.
• Visit all major accounts at least twice per year; be present at customer sites regularly to strengthen partnerships.
• Lead the development and negotiation of multi-year hop contracts and spot orders.
• Address contract discrepancies and support revisions and inventory management in collaboration with Finance and Operations.

Team Management & Development

• Lead, coach, and support any local or regional sales staff, establishing clear performance expectations.
• Conduct regular 1:1s, annual reviews, and support development plans for direct reports.
• Drive team alignment with global strategies while ensuring regional adaptability.

Legal & Entity Governance

• Serve, under the direction of the Vice President of Sales – Asia, as Legal Director for Yakima Chief Hops' China entity, jointly overseeing corporate governance, legal compliance, and regulatory obligations.
• Support and manage compliance with all relevant business laws and statutory requirements in China, including registration, corporate filings, tax compliance, and employment regulations.
• Collaborate with external legal counsel and global leadership to ensure accurate, timely execution of legal documentation and board governance requirements.
• Facilitate alignment between local operations and global policies on legal, financial, and operational matters.
• Ensure proper coordination with Finance, Operations, and Legal teams to support the ongoing governance and development of the legal entities.

Marketing & Brand Development

• Collaborate with Marketing to develop localized campaigns and content that resonate in the Chinese market.
• Identify and communicate emerging trends, consumer behavior, and competitor activity to shape product and marketing strategies.
• Contribute to market segmentation, product portfolio optimisation, and customer education efforts.

• Partner with global departments (Supply Chain, Operations, R&D, Marketing, and Finance) to ensure alignment.
• Organize local events, such as Hop & Brew School

General Duties:

• Assure that company safety policies as well as federal, state and local safety and environmental regulations are observed.
• Maintain a sanitary and safe work environment and follow safety requirements.
• May actively participate on company’s Safety Committee.
• Must have a complete understanding of company’s policies, SOPs, QPs, EPs, HACCP and cGMP that pertain to their department to ensure quality, safety, efficiency and sustainability.
• Must adhere to all company policies.
• Examine documents, materials, and products and monitor work processes to assess completeness, accuracy and conformance to standards and specifications.
• Follow all SOPs in a given area.
• Perform all other duties as assigned by Manager and/or designee.