Business Development Lead QSR - Europe

Overview

Americold is a global provider of temperature-controlled infrastructure.  We partner with farmers and food producers to ensure their perishable and frozen product reaches food suppliers, restaurants, and your local grocery store without spoilage.  Our customers, which include some of the most respected brands in the food industry, rely on our expertise and commitment to safety in order to delivery on their commitments.

Qualifications

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Responsibilities

Goal

The Business Development Lead - QSR is responsible for driving strategic growth within the Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) sector across Europe. This role focuses on identifying and securing new business opportunities, leading successful operational launches, and building strong, sustainable relationships with QSR customers. The position plays a critical role in expanding Americold’s presence in the QSR market while ensuring operational excellence and superior customer satisfaction.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop a strategic road map to analyze QSR networks and identify growth opportunities across Europe.
• Build a strong pipeline of prospective QSR customers and align business development activities with market opportunities.
• Lead RFP and tender processes, negotiate contracts, and secure new business partnerships.
• Collaborate with internal teams, including operations, transport, and support functions, to design and implement scalable QSR solutions.
• Engage with transport teams to develop and execute the QSR transport strategy, identifying key partners and ensuring alignment on opportunities.
• Oversee operational go-lives, ensuring a seamless transition to ongoing operations.
• Partner with site Operations teams to manage post-implementation performance, maintaining service excellence and customer satisfaction.
• Conduct regular business reviews, track KPI’s, and present performance reports to QSR customers.
• Ensure compliance with Quality Assurance standards and support operational teams during audits.
• Lead pricing strategies and financial management activities, including managing inventory ownership specific to QSR models.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives to enhance operational efficiency and customer experience.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for QSR customers, addressing challenges proactively and providing effective solutions.
• Promote Americold’s core values and foster a collaborative, high-performance culture within cross-functional teams.

Required Experience

• Minimum of 8–10 years of experience in logistics, warehousing, or related industries, with significant business development and leadership exposure.
• Strongly preferred: proven success in managing operations or business development within the QSR and food logistics sectors.
• Demonstrated ability to secure and grow strategic accounts in QSR or food supply chains.
• Bachelor's degree in business, logistics, or a related field preferred.
• Expertise in customer relationship management and growing strategic accounts.
• Familiar with WMS, RF, and TMS systems, with proficiency in MS Office applications.
• Strong communication, negotiation, and leadership skills, with the ability to influence stakeholders at all levels.

Preferred qualifications

• Strong communication, interpersonal, and organizational skills with the ability to build trust and rapport with key stakeholders.
• Ability to synthesize and communicate financial and market performance data, using it to develop and adjust account strategies.
• Proven ability to coach, influence, and lead cross-functional teams to deliver on account goals.
• A problem-solving mindset with a responsive, action-oriented approach to resolving customer issues.
• Commercially focused, customer service-driven, and results-oriented.
• Comfortable operating at both strategic and operational levels within key accounts.
• Strong understanding of financial statements and the ability to interpret financial reports.
• Proficiency in reading, understanding, and interpreting legal contracts.