Technical Sales Support Manager - Spirits

About the role

Fermentis, a business unit of the Lesaffre group, is looking for a Technical Sales Support Manager for spirits. The role combines deep spirits production expertise with strong communication and relationship-building skills, acting as the technical authority for sales teams and customers. The expected location is Japan, India, Greater China or Taiwan.

Key responsibilities

• Maintain and develop the technical knowledge of regional sales teams through training, presentations and expert guidance on yeast, fermentation and spirits production.
• Deliver technical presentations, troubleshoot production challenges, support pilot trials and train beverage producers.
• Represent Fermentis at industry conferences, trade shows and technical forums, and contribute to industry publications and knowledge sharing.
• Build relationships with Key Opinion Leaders, industry associations and institutions in the spirits sector.
• Manage technical projects and trials between Fermentis and customers, working with R&D and the Fermentis Academy.
• Support investigation of customer complaints and quality issues, and help with process optimization.
• Maintain and share technical resources, FAQs and best practices with the sales team.

Required profile

• 5+ years of professional experience in spirits production (whisky, rum, gin, vodka, brandy or neutral spirits).
• Strong understanding of distillation processes, with hands-on experience preferred.
• Excellent communication skills, able to present technically and train sales teams.
• Problem-solving experience in troubleshooting, quality investigations and pilot trials.
• Self-motivated and comfortable managing projects independently in a travel-intensive role.
• Proven ability to network with industry professionals and KOLs.
• Based in or willing to relocate to India (preferred), Japan, Greater China or Taiwan, with valid working rights.

Required skills

• Preferred: formal qualification or certification in distilling/spirits production.
• Preferred: hands-on experience with multiple spirit types and knowledge of fermentation science and yeast applications.
• Preferred: previous technical support or customer-facing technical role, and familiarity with spirits industry regulations and quality standards.

Travel is significant, 40%+ across the region, mainly Southeast Asia and South Asia, with occasional international travel to industry events.