---
title: 'Business Development Manager at Avantium'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/business-development-manager-avantium-amsterdam-4x7txe86x8cb'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-06'
---

# Business Development Manager at Avantium

- **Company:** Avantium
- **Location:** Amsterdam, Netherlands
- **Posted:** 2026-04-14
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-06
- **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/avantium/jobs/8501447002

## Job description

Who are we?

Avantium is an innovation-driven pioneer in the emerging industry of renewable and sustainable chemistry. We offer unique technological solutions to reduce plastic waste, new chemical processes for the bio-based economy and R&D equipment and services to accelerate the development of new catalytic processes.

Most of the materials and chemicals used in modern daily life – such as plastics, packaging, furniture and clothing – are based on fossil resources like oil, gas and coal. Changing this paradigm is an ambitious goal but also a promise for a better future. This is why we at Avantium work on developing practical solutions to accelerate the transition to a fossil-free world. We do this by focusing on innovative plant-based chemicals and materials as well as aiming to convert carbon dioxide (CO2) to a valuable resource for sustainable products. Avantium’s Volta Technology is a platform technology that uses electrochemistry to convert CO2 to high value chemical building blocks and polymers.

Avantium intends to spin out Volta Technology into a new business entity, in which Avantium will remain a shareholder. This position will form part of the new Volta Technology company and not of Avantium N.V.

We are looking for a Business Development Manager who will commercialize our Glycolic Acid products which will be produced in our demonstration and flagship plants. The Business Development Manager will be responsible for the acquisition of new customers in the Personal Care market, and for developing partnerships with brand owners and distributors in that market segment. The Business Development Manager will report to the Chief Product Officer.

## Responsibilities

The key objective of the Business Development Manager is to identify and develop business opportunities in the Personal Care segment that support the development, scale-up and commercialization of the Volta Technology.

To achieve this, you will be responsible for:

- Acquisition of new opportunities with key customers in the Personal Care segment and converting these into offtake agreements for the Demonstration and Flagship Plant
- Set up Distributor Agreements with distributors in the Personal Care segment
- Develop and execute a commercialization strategy for our Glycolic Acid in the Personal Care market
- Monitor market insights and market reports, collect and analyze relevant data, and provide perspective regarding interest areas and relevance to translate market insight into strategic focus
- Collect and convert customer requirements into technical product specification
- Represent Volta at conferences with the goal of increasing general awareness on the product, lead generation and building relationships with external contacts into meaningful partnerships.

What do you bring?

You have:

- Master or Bachelor degree in Chemistry, Business, or Commercial area
- At least 5 years of work experience in a B2B environment, of which at least 2 years in a commercial role in Business Development or Sales and Marketing
- Experience in working in the Personal Care ingredients industry, experience in working with (large) brand owners is a pre
- The ability to independently identify, assess, and execute business opportunities
- Excellent interpersonal skills and communication skills (both oral as written)
- Experience in sustainable concepts and product positioning is advantageous
- Personal skills: enthusiastic, critical but can-do mentality, result-oriented, ability to work at tight deadlines.
- Languages: Fluent in English, being able to speak more languages is desirable
- Willingness to travel internationally for 30-50% of working time

What do we offer?

At Avantium, you can make a difference, proving together that the sky is the limit. Being a small organisation, we encourage people to look beyond the obvious to reach our targets. Career opportunities come from personal drive and ambition and are rewarded through a competitive compensation package, flexibility and personal development in a multicultural company operating worldwide.

Interested?

If this description matches your skills or interest, we welcome your application via the link provided. The selection process includes interviews starting from May 1st. Shortlisted candidates will be approached accordingly. To ensure a fair and efficient process, we kindly ask candidates not to contact us directly.

## About Avantium

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Avantium is a pioneering commercial-stage renewable chemistry company that develops and commercializes technologies to convert renewable feedstocks into sustainable chemicals and circular plastics, including its flagship plant-based polymer Releaf® (PEF).
- **Entity Type**: Public (Euronext Amsterdam & Brussels, ticker: AVTX)
- **Headquarters**: Amsterdam, Netherlands
- **Founded**: 2000 (spun out from Shell)
- **Founders**: Not publicly disclosed as individual founders; the company was established as a spin-off from Shell focusing on catalysis research.

## Core Business
- **Primary industry**: Renewable Chemistry & Polymers / Sustainable Materials
- **Target customers**: B2B, focusing on brand owners, packaging manufacturers, textile producers, and chemical companies seeking sustainable alternatives to fossil-based plastics.
- **Mission**: To lead the transition from fossil-based to sustainable plastics and materials by using renewable feedstocks.

## Products & Services
- **Releaf® (PEF)**: A plant-based, recyclable polymer made from FDCA (furandicarboxylic acid). Offers superior barrier properties and performance compared to traditional PET, targeting packaging, textiles, and film markets collectively valued at over $200 billion.
- **YXY® Technology**: A catalytic technology that converts plant-based sugars into FDCA, the key building block for PEF. Commercialized through licensing.
- **Volta Technology**: An electrochemical conversion process that turns carbon dioxide (CO2) into valuable chemicals, enabling new polymer feedstocks.
- **R&D Solutions**: Provides advanced catalyst testing technology and services to accelerate R&D in sustainable chemistry for external partners.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Part of the Euronext Amsterdam SmallCap Index (AScX). Exact market cap fluctuates; refer to latest trading data.
- **Key Metric**: Annual Revenue (public) – Exact figures available in annual reports; company is in a commercial-scale ramp-up phase following the opening of its FDCA Flagship Plant in October 2024.
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Henkel, Kvadrat, PANGAIA (offtake agreements); Origin Materials (first technology license for YXY Technology); BASF (former joint venture partner in Synvina).
- **Growth Signals**: Official opening of the world's first FDCA Flagship Plant in Delfzijl (October 2024); 15 secured offtake agreements for PEF/FDCA; strong IP portfolio with over 179 granted and pending patent families; transitioning from R&D to commercial licensing model.

## Competitive Advantages
- **First-mover in commercial PEF**: Operates the world’s first dedicated FDCA commercial plant, creating a significant lead in scaling this technology.
- **Strong IP moat**: A robust patent portfolio (179+ families) protects its core YXY and Volta technologies, safeguarding its licensing model.
- **Asset-light licensing model**: After proving the technology at its Flagship Plant, Avantium plans to scale globally through licensing, which is capital-efficient and allows for rapid, low-cost expansion.
- **Superior product performance**: Releaf® (PEF) offers performance advantages over traditional plastics (e.g., better barrier properties) while being fully recyclable and plant-based.

## Strategic Focus
- **Commercializing Releaf® (PEF)**: The immediate priority is to successfully ramp up the FDCA Flagship Plant to full production and begin generating revenue from PEF sales and technology licenses.
- **Global licensing rollout**: Actively seeking strategic partners and licensees to deploy YXY Technology worldwide, targeting the packaging, textiles, and film sectors.
- **Developing next-gen technologies**: Advancing Volta Technology (CO2 utilization) and other innovations to expand its pipeline of renewable chemistry solutions.
- **Building a circular economy**: Positioning itself as a key enabler for brand owners and industries looking to de-fossilize their supply chains and meet sustainability goals.

## Why Work Here
- **Mission-driven impact**: Employees directly contribute to creating a fossil-free world and reducing the environmental footprint of the chemical industry.
- **Innovative, entrepreneurial environment**: Described as a place where you can "bridge science and business," with freedom to take initiative and experiment on groundbreaking research.
- **Diverse and international team**: Over 300 employees representing 36 nationalities, fostering a collaborative and globally-minded culture.
- **Learning and growth**: Offers continuous development through on-the-job training, educational programs, and opportunities to work on cutting-edge technologies.
- **Work-life balance**: Provides flexible working hours to support personal needs.
- **Safety culture**: Strong emphasis on a "no-blame" safety culture with Golden Safety Rules, prioritizing employee well-being.
- **Location & perks**: Based in Amsterdam with state-of-the-art R&D labs and pilot plants in Geleen and Delfzijl; culture of recognition and celebrating achievements.

## Sources
1. [avantium.com](https://avantium.com/)
2. [avantium.com](https://avantium.com/our-company/)
3. [avantium.com](https://avantium.com/working-at/)
4. [avantium.com](https://avantium.com/investor-relations-overview/)
5. [job-boards.greenhouse.io](http://job-boards.greenhouse.io/avantium)

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