Senior Account Executive

Job Function:

As a vital member of the Bradford Commercial Team, the Senior Account Executive is a strategic, customer-facing sales leadership role responsible for driving profitable revenue growth across Bradford's combined personal care contract manufacturing platform-Bradford Soap (solid formats, including specialty bar soap, syndet bars, and OTC formulations) and Solo Laboratories (liquid, hot pour and aerosol formats). This is a remote role with significant travel to customer sites as well as manufacturing sites in Rhode Island and Illinois as needed by the business. This role is primarily focused on the development, retention, and expansion of strategic accounts and target prospects, leveraging Bradford's full capability set. Reporting to the Chief Sales Officer, the Senior Account Executive is accountable for new business development, customer relationship management, commercial deal structuring, margin discipline, and the commercialization of Bradford's technical innovations. The role contributes directly to strategic business direction and opportunity assessment in close partnership with R&D / Innovation, Project Management, Customer Success Specialists, Regulatory, Operations, Quality, and Business Development.

Key Responsibilities; Account Growth & New Business Development:

• Drive sales and profit within assigned strategic accounts and target prospects.
• Develop and execute account strategy through prospecting, scouting, and progression of opportunities in priority focus areas defined with senior leadership.
• Independently identify and pursue customers using lead generation tools, industry events, supplier and customer referrals, and disciplined follow-up.
• Lead quotation, financial justification, contract negotiation, and deal closure, engaging functional support as needed.
• Sell to and effectively communicate with senior executives at mass/masstige, prestige, and emerging/indie brand customers; build durable, trust-based relationships across all assigned accounts.
• Identify and actively pursue cross-portfolio opportunities that leverage Bradford's full capabilities set-including bar soap, syndet bars, OTC formulations, liquids, hot pour, aerosols, and bath and body accessories-coordinating closely with cross-functional teams to deliver one-stop-shop solutions.

Key Responsibilities; Customer & Product Stewardship:

• Serve as the primary commercial point of contact across the customer lifecycle, from new product development through ongoing program management.
• Partner with R&D / Innovation to translate customer briefs into developable product concepts; coordinate timelines, requirements, and obstacle resolution.
• Advocate the company's full chemistry, science, and technology capabilities.
• Lead the customer-side coordination of new technology transfers, scale-up programs, and first-production runs, ensuring alignment between customer expectations, R&D and Operations readiness, and Operations capacity.
• Engage Customer Success Specialists, Operations, and Quality as needed to resolve service issues, complaint investigations, and supply continuity matters; ensure customer expectations are met.
• Manage non-disclosure agreements (NDAs), customer-supplied material handling, and intellectual property boundaries across all customer engagements.

Key Responsibilities; Innovation & Voice of Customer:

• Capture and feed structured voice-of-customer insights back into Bradford's R&D and innovation pipeline to inform new format, ingredient, packaging, and capability investments.
• Champion sustainability-driven solutions to position Bradford as a sustainability-forward partner.
• Maintain awareness of relevant third-party certifications and customer-facing claim programs (e.g., Target Clean, Clean at Sephora, Conscious Beauty at Ulta, Whole Foods Premium Body Care, Credo Clean Standard, Amazon Climate Pledge Friendly, ECOCERT/COSMOS, Leaping Bunny, EWG Verified, Certified Vegan, etc.).
• Represent Bradford at industry trade shows, technical conferences, and customer innovation summits to generate leads, maintain market visibility, and gather competitive intelligence.

Key Responsibilities; Commercial Discipline, Pricing & Margin:

• Build and defend pricing that achieves minimum gross margin targets; lead price-increase conversations with customers in response to raw material, labor, packaging, and freight inflation.
• Partner with CSO and Finance on customer credit limits, payment terms, and accounts receivable resolution; drive adherence to commercial terms and contract obligations.
• Support master service agreement (MSA), supply agreement, and pricing agreement renewals and amendments in coordination with Legal and senior leadership.

Key Responsibilities; Market, Regulatory & Compliance Awareness:

• Maintain working knowledge of regulatory frameworks affecting personal care customers, including the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act (MoCRA), FDA OTC drug monographs (where applicable to categories such as antiperspirants, sunscreens, anti-dandruff, and acne), DOT hazardous materials shipping requirements for aerosols, ISO 22716 cosmetic GMP, California Proposition 65, CARB regulations for aerosols, and state-level cosmetics regulations such as the California Toxic-Free Cosmetics Act and analogous laws in other states.
• Maintain awareness of basic international regulatory considerations relevant to customers exporting Bradford-manufactured product (e.g., Health Canada, EU CPNP) and engage Regulatory subject-matter experts as needed.

Key Responsibilities; Cross-Functional Partnership & Reporting:

• Work cross-functionally with R&D, Regulatory, Project Management, Customer Success Specialists, Operations, Quality, Supply Chain, and Finance to scope, price, and schedule complete customer solutions.
• Maintain CRM (HubSpot) system; track account progress, pipeline activity, win/loss data, and forecast inputs.
• Provide accurate sales forecast information to leadership in support of S&OP, capacity planning, raw material procurement, and company-level financial planning and re-forecasting.
• Complete call reports within 72 hours of customer visits and provide customer/business analytical updates as requested.

Key Responsibilities; General:

• Perform additional duties, projects, and tasks assigned by the Chief Sales Officer.

Minimum Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Minimum 5 years of B2B sales experience in personal care, specialty chemicals, pharmaceuticals, or related contract manufacturing or ingredient categories.
• Demonstrated success closing large, complex deals with limited management support.
• Experience managing strategic accounts and executive-level customer relationships.
• Strong financial acumen with the ability to construct pricing, cost-to-serve, and ROI/payback analyses.
• Excellent verbal, written, and presentation skills; strong proficiency in Excel, PowerPoint, and CRM tools (HubSpot); ERP familiarity a plus.
• Sound judgment in complex situations requiring creativity, diplomacy, and discretion.
• Ability to work independently under broad guidelines and to thrive in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment.

Preferred:

• Bachelor's degree in Chemistry or a related science field; equivalent industry experience will be considered.
• Working knowledge of solid, aerosol and liquid manufacturing processes, components, and applicable regulatory considerations; direct experience selling solid, aerosol and/or liquid product formats strongly preferred.
• Familiarity with mass/masstige and prestige personal care brand decision-making frameworks and procurement processes; familiarity with emerging/indie brand dynamics a plus.

Working Conditions and Physical Demands:

• This is a salaried position based out of our Corporate Headquarters in West Warwick, RI. The position is remote with regular visits to production facilities expected as business needs require.
• Frequent domestic travel by air and ground required (approximately 40-50%) to customers, Bradford manufacturing facilities, vendors, brokers, and trade shows.
• Regular exposure to manufacturing environments, including noise, fragrances, varied temperatures, and personal protective equipment requirements.
• Ability to remain stationary for extended periods, occasionally lift and carry sample materials up to 25 lbs, and conduct in-person customer meetings.
• Ability to walk manufacturing floors, warehouses, and trade show floors for extended periods.