Business Development Manager - Switzerland

Sazerac

Company Overview

Build your career at Sazerac! With almost 400 years of rich history, Sazerac Company has thrived as an independent, American family-owned company with operations in the United States and around the world. Since the 2000s, Sazerac has averaged double digit growth every year!

Sazerac Company produces and markets the most award-winning bourbons and whiskeys in the world, including Buffalo Trace, Pappy Van Winkle, Eagle Rare, Blanton’s, Traveller, and Sazerac Rye. Additionally, Sazerac owns many popular brands across a range of spirits, including Fireball, Svedka, Wheatley, BuzzBallz, Southern Comfort, Seagram’s V.O., Myers’s, Goldschläger, Parrot Bay, 99 Brand, and Platinum Vodka.

Company/Location Overview Lucerne, SwitzerlandJob Description/

Responsibilities

Sazerac is strengthening its presence in Switzerland and is looking for a commercially driven Business Development Manager to help build the next stage of growth in the Swiss market.

This is a unique opportunity for an ambitious commercial talent to take ownership in the field, work close to customers and trade partners, and directly contribute to the growth of Sazerac brands in one of Europe’s most premium and sophisticated drinks markets.

The role combines customer development, multi-channel route-to-market execution and entrepreneurial business building. The successful candidate will work across the on-premise, HORECA, wholesale, C&C and CVS / convenience channels, opening new opportunities, strengthening relationships with key trade partners and helping create a scalable growth model for Sazerac in Switzerland.

The role will work across a broad spirits portfolio, including American whiskey, liqueurs, RTD / convenience-relevant formats and selected prestige allocations.

Prestige ranges will support engagement with influential hospitality customers, whiskey-focused venues and premium on-premise accounts, while the wider role remains focused on full-portfolio growth, distribution building, outlet-level execution, CVS / convenience development and scalable route-to-market expansion.

We are looking for a commercially driven profile with strong drinks and hospitality culture, solid Swiss market knowledge and a clear Drive for Results mindset. The successful candidate will be expected to take ownership in the field, develop customers, coordinate the importer and trade partners, activate priority outlets and convert market opportunities into measurable and sustainable growth.

Additional

Responsibilities

• Include
• Multi-Channel Brand Execution in Switzerland Bring Sazerac brands to life across Switzerland by building distribution, improving visibility and delivering strong execution across cocktail bars, premium hotels, restaurants, nightlife venues, selected HORECA accounts, wholesalers, C&C operators and CVS / convenience channels.
• The role will ensure that brand plans are translated into practical actions across priority venues and high-traffic retail environments, with the right assortment, visibility, pricing, activation and reorder discipline.
• New Business Development / NBD Build and convert a pipeline of priority customers across German-speaking Switzerland, with selected expansion into French and Italian Switzerland where relevant.
• The BDM will personally open doors, activate customers and implement execution standards that can be replicated and scaled across the importer, wholesaler, C&C and CVS / convenience network.
• This includes both consumption-led outlets and high-footfall impulse channels where brands such as Fireball, RTDs or selected convenience-relevant SKUs can generate incremental volume, visibility and consumer recruitment.
• Importer, Wholesaler, C&C and CVS / Convenience Management Work closely with Sazerac’s Swiss importer as a key route-to-market partner, aligning on priority accounts, customer plans, stock availability, pricing, field follow-up, sales team engagement and activation.
• Develop regional wholesalers, C&C operators and CVS / convenience partners as commercial growth platforms, ensuring direct customer demand is connected to the right supply route and converted into repeat purchase.
• The role will support execution with customers such as k kiosk, Coop Pronto, avec, petrol-station convenience, C&C operators and other high-footfall retail formats where Sazerac brands can build relevance, distribution and rate of sale.
• Strategic Brand and Channel Planning Support the development and execution of the Switzerland commercial plan, ensuring the right brand, SKU, pricing, activation and route-to-market approach by region, channel and customer type.
• The role will help define where each brand can win across on-premise, HORECA, wholesale, C&C and CVS / convenience channels, ensuring resources are focused on the highest-potential opportunities.
• Route-to-Market Coordination Coordinate the local route-to-market ecosystem to ensure Sazerac priorities are translated into consistent market execution across direct customers, the importer, wholesalers, C&C partners, CVS / convenience accounts, logistics, distributor field sales and customer activation.
• The role will act as the commercial connector between strategy and execution, ensuring that market opportunities are followed through from customer discussion to listing, activation, availability, reorder and performance tracking.
• Qualifications/

Requirements

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience5–8 years of sales or business development experience in spirits, beverage, beer, RTD, premium hospitality or related FMCG sectors
• Commercial experience in the Swiss market, preferably in German-speaking Switzerland
• Channel experience in on-premise, HORECA, wholesalers, C&C, convenience retail or premium hospitality
• Experience managing or coordinating an importer, distributor, wholesaler, C&C or convenience retail partner
• Proven track record of opening new accounts and following through to activation and reorder
• Field sales experience with a strong customer-facing mindset
• Good knowledge of local trade channels across restaurants, cocktail bars, hotels, nightlife, wholesalers, C&C and convenience retail
• Fluent German and English
• Valid driving license and willingness to travel frequently across Switzerland

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience managing field sales agencies, brand ambassadors or freelance trainers
• Existing relationships with Swiss restaurants, cocktail bars, premium hotels, F&B directors, wholesalers, C&C operators or convenience retail customers
• Experience launching new brands, new SKUs or new route-to-market models in premium spirits, American whiskey, RTD or cocktail-led brands
• Experience developing impulse, RTD or convenience-relevant formats in high-footfall retail environments
• Established local commercial network and direct customer access across German-speaking Switzerland
• French language skills are considered a plus