TECHNICAL SALES MANAGER – FOOD INGREDIENTS

About Maia Farms

Maia is the expert mushroom integrator for food manufacturing. We specialize in mushroom based ingredients that are scalable, reliable, and versatile. Our products improve nutrition while preserving the taste, texture, and clean-label integrity that modern consumers demand. Our ingredients are manufactured with an unwavering commitment to meeting the rigorous global quality, safety, and compliance standards required for modern food manufacturing.

Maia Farms began with a challenge to feed astronauts in deep space and has become one of Canada's leading food-tech companies. Headquartered in Vancouver, the company is rapidly expanding. We’re building toward a future where innovation never stops. Our mission is to Nourish Life. Our values: Food First, Planet Forward, and Agile Evolution.

Our core business is to seamlessly embed mushroom-based ingredients into everyday foods. We focus on delivering functional performance, measurable nutritional benefits, and dependable execution for our industry partners. The company is positioned at the intersection of food science, extrusion, and fermentation. This synergistic approach allows us to translate innovation into tangible, high-impact products that truly matter to the food industry and to consumers worldwide.

The Opportunity

We are seeking a high-performing, Technical Sales Manager-Food Ingredients to scale our commercial footprint and accelerate the adoption of our mushroom-based ingredient portfolio across North America. This front-line, quota-carrying role is built for a deal-maker who excels in the complex B2B food ingredients landscape and consistently secures high-value supply contracts.

This opportunity is ideal for a commercially driven professional who thrives on earning new business and establishing long-term enterprise partnerships. You will act as the key commercial engine guiding large-scale food manufacturers from initial product concept to high-volume commercial production, directly driving top-line revenue to fuel Maia Farms’ continued expansion.

Core Responsibilities

Drive Revenue Growth

• Identify, qualify, and develop new ingredient opportunities with food manufacturers across North America.
• Manage opportunities from initial discovery through commercialization and supply agreement.
• Build strong relationships with R&D, Innovation, Procurement, Operations, and Commercial teams.
• Develop proposals and business cases that demonstrate the technical and commercial value of Maia ingredients.

Support Customer Commercialization

• Guide customers through sample evaluations, bench trials, pilot trials, and commercialization.
• Work closely with Maia's Innovation team to address formulation, application, and technical questions.
• Help customers understand how Maia ingredients can improve nutrition, functionality, yield, clean-label claims, and cost-in-use.
• Act as the primary point of contact throughout the evaluation process.

Accelerate Pipeline Conversion

• Keep projects moving by maintaining regular customer communication and follow-up.
• Identify and remove barriers that slow customer adoption and decision-making.
• Prioritize high-value opportunities and ensure internal resources are focused on accounts with the greatest commercial potential.
• Reduce the time required to move customers from product development to commercial proposal and purchase order.

Pipeline Management & Market Development

• Maintain accurate opportunity tracking, forecasting, and customer records within Copper CRM.
• Monitor pipeline health and identify opportunities to improve qualification and conversion rates.
• Represent Maia Farms at trade shows, customer meetings, and industry events.
• Gather market intelligence and customer feedback to support future product and commercial development.

Skills & Experience

Required

• 5+ years in food ingredients, food manufacturing, food technology, or related industries.
• Experience working directly with R&D, Innovation, Product Development, or Procurement teams.
• An active, established network of relationships with food manufacturing companies, with a proven track record of successfully commercializing B2B ingredients.
• Strong understanding of food commercialization and product development processes.
• Ability to translate technical benefits into commercial value.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and relationship-building skills.
• Experience managing opportunities through a CRM system.

Preferred

• Food Science, Food Technology, Nutrition, Engineering, or related education.
• Experience selling functional ingredients, proteins, fibers, flavors, hydrocolloids, or specialty ingredients.
• Existing relationships within North American food manufacturing companies.
• Experience supporting pilot trials and commercialization projects.

Compensation & Rewards

• Competitive Base Salary: The compensation band for this role is $75K-$104K.
• Performance Incentives: Performance-based incentives directly tied to pipeline growth and closed-won business.
• Equity Participation Opportunity: Share in the long-term enterprise growth of one of Canada’s fastest-growing food-tech companies.
• Comprehensive Benefits: Extended health, dental, and wellness support structures.
• Flexible Hybrid Structure: Operating out of our Vancouver, BC office, with remote/hybrid flexibility considered for exceptional candidates.

Equal Opportunity

Maia Farms is committed to building a respectful, inclusive workplace where diverse backgrounds and experiences are welcomed and valued. We hire based on capability, integrity, and alignment with our values, and we encourage qualified candidates from all backgrounds to apply.