Are you looking for a new opportunity in the field of sustainable packaging in an organisation that strongly supports professional growth? Would you like to use your expertise to drive a sustainable future while working in an inspiring community at the cutting edge of science and technology? Do you enjoy creating value to customers together with your team? VTT might be just the place for you.

VTT is one of the leading applied research organisations in Europe. What unites us are curiosity, a passion for learning, and a purpose: to solve the biggest challenges of our time and turn them into sustainable growth and well-being. Our cross-disciplinary community of over 2300 brilliant minds focuses on creating impact through science-based innovation. Get to know us further by exploring VTT's tech & infra.

We are now looking for a team player to execute sales activities between VTT’s research areas and customer accounts in the packaging value chain! 

At VTT, we have strong expertise in development of sustainable processes and technologies and have excellent capabilities from early development to piloting. We are complementing and accelerating our customers’ research, development, and innovation capabilities. With our bright-minded experts and state-of-the-art facilities, we help our clients to develop novel and innovative solutions to solve the global challenges we face today. Our customers are working in various industry areas including paper, packaging, chemicals and biobased materials and polymers.

As Customer Account Lead, you will play a key role in driving business growth by managing customer relationships, identifying new opportunities, and leading sales efforts across both international and domestic markets. Your primary focus will be on building and maintaining strong, strategic partnerships with named customers, understanding their goals and challenges, and delivering tailored solutions that create long-term value. You will collaborate closely with research teams to translate scientific expertise into market-driven solutions, ensuring our customers succeed with the support of VTT’s experts.

As Customer Account Lead, you will be responsible for:

• Building and managing international and domestic customers’ sales and partnership activities in the fields of sustainable packaging, chemicals and processes.
• Seeking new business opportunities among named customers, acquiring new customers, and driving sales growth.
• Ensuring continued business relationships with the existing customers.
• Actively analysing the market and customer needs, creating opportunities for VTT to better support customers’ business success, driving for a strategic position in the eyes of the named customers, matching customers’ challenges and opportunities with VTT excellence.
• Keeping track of the sales funnel in the CRM (Salesforce), effectively using digital sales tools.
• Creating NDAs, offers and contracts according to VTT’s sales guidelines, ensuring all different aspects are taken into account (pricing, deliverables, IPR rights).
• Contributing to offering creation and service models together with other stakeholders.
• Participating to marketing action planning and execution, representing VTT in the industry events.

We are looking for you with:

• Experience of managing customer relationships, understanding customer needs, and enabling our customers’ business growth. You have at least five years of experience in technical B2B sales.
• Working experience with and understanding of the global packaging value chains. QSR (quick service restaurant) and FMCG (fast moving consumer goods) packaging business environments are in your comfort zone. Experience of working with chemical industry is regarded as an advantage. 
• Experience in a hands-on sales role in value-based and consultative solution sales, including a demonstrated ability of selling project entities and solutions that are tailored and fitted to specific customer needs.
• Fluent in written and spoken English. Fluency in other major European languages, such as French or German, is an advantage.
• A higher level degree in a relevant field, e.g. paper or polymer chemistry, process engineering, chemical engineering. 
• A passion for commercial activities including excellent negotiating and networking skills.
• Willingness to travel as the customers and industry events typically need presence abroad.

As a person, we hope that you are:

• An energetic and dynamic professional who is thriving on actively grasping leads, developing customer relationships and seeking new business opportunities.
• Passionate about finding solutions for customers, equipped with business acumen.
• Besides having a humble attitude, you have the ambition to drive results and close deals.
• Result-oriented and proactive, have a broad perspective and a can-do attitude.
• Analytical and utilize a systematic approach in sales.
• Able to successfully motivate and influence colleagues and customers reaching your goals in collaboration with others.
• Comfortable working with the scientists and building business opportunities in a multidisciplinary research organisation.
• A team player with ability to collaborate with internal stakeholders and engaging relevant people in building winning cases.

With VTT, you’ll enjoy:

• Work with a strong purpose. At VTT, you’ll get to use your professional expertise to help solve the greatest challenges of our time through science and innovation. Our research agenda is dedicated to creating solutions for systemic and technological challenges, such as reaching carbon neutrality and creating superior digital systems. At VTT, you’ll get to do your part in driving this meaningful change through your professional skills. Read more about our strategy, the path of exponential hope, and our organisational culture as the builder of the world's most meaningful place to work.
• An inspiring community. VTT houses all the cutting-edge fields of innovation, from quantum technology to synthetic biology, under one roof. As a professional at VTT, you’ll witness and influence the future of science and technology as it happens. 
• Career and learning opportunities. As a scientific expert organisation, we emphasise learning and development and support our people in reaching their full potential. People stay at VTT for more than ten years, as we offer opportunities to develop and grow into new responsibilities. If you’re curious, ambitious, and willing to learn, VTT is the place to take your career to the next level.
• Support for your well-being. Our people are our main asset, so we take good care of them. We aim to nurture excellent team spirit and leadership and offer versatile well-being services to enable a good work-life balance. On top of 6 weeks of paid holidays annually (after one year of work), we offer exercise and culture benefits, hobby clubs, and voluntary well-being services such as meditation and cognitive ergonomics training.

Apply now and join our community of brilliant minds!

Please send your CV and application with your salary request via our recruitment system as soon as possible but at the latest by 13 April 2025. We will process applications as they come in and fill the position as soon as we find the right candidate. A security clearance procedure may be conducted during the recruitment process.

Interested and want to know more?

For further information, please contact Sales Director, Jari Rautio, jari.rautio@vtt.fi, +358 40 631 1933, on Wednesday 2.4. at 11-12 and Monday 7.4 at 11-12 (Finnish time). 

We look forward to hearing from you!