Business Development Representative

The Company and the Role

Abbott is a global healthcare company with 115,000 colleagues serving people in more than 160 countries. Their work spans diagnostics, medical devices, nutritionals, and branded generic medicines. They're consistently named one of the best big companies to work for and a best place to work for diversity, working mothers, female executives, and scientists.

Abbott Nutrition is looking for a Business Development Representative to join their Global Dairy Procurement Innovation & Supplier Development team in Columbus, OH. This person will help strengthen and future‑proof Abbott's dairy ingredient supply chain by partnering globally to deliver high‑quality, resilient ingredient solutions for their Infant, Adult, and Medical Nutrition portfolios.

What You'll Actually Do

• Support supplier development and ingredient innovation projects that improve supply resiliency and supplier readiness from the front end
• Represent the Dairy team on prioritized ingredient qualification and innovation projects, working closely with Category Managers and the Ingredient Center of Excellence
• Run upfront ingredient pre‑qualification screening ; that means issuing technical RFIs, reviewing specifications, characterizing ingredients, and assessing technical risk
• Facilitate and support the Technical Review Board (TRB) and Design for Manufacturing processes
• Lead ingredient manufacturing performance improvement programs, including root cause analysis and supply change assessments
• Accelerate supplier onboarding by leading agriculture and nutrition ingredient qualification projects, keeping qualification roadmaps and readiness checklists up to date
• Drive cost‑saving initiatives for manufacturing and procurement through cost/benefit analysis and data‑driven recommendations
• Build and maintain strong technical relationships with ingredient suppliers and external research partners
• Collaborate cross‑functionally with R&D, Medical, Regulatory, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, and external suppliers to keep ingredient supply compliant and high‑quality

What You Need to Bring

• A Bachelor's or Master's degree in Dairy Science & Technology, Food Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Food Business, or a related field
• 2–3 years of experience in technical, manufacturing, dairy, or ingredient‑focused roles
• The ability to manage multiple projects at once in a dynamic, cross‑functional environment
• Strong analytical skills and comfort making decisions backed by data
• Solid written and verbal communication ; you can translate technical details for people who aren't technical
• Proven problem‑solving skills, with careful attention to detail and strong organizational ability
• Willingness to travel up to 25% both domestically and internationally

What Would Set You Apart

• PMO qualification or project management experience
• Lean Six Sigma Certification, with experience in Root Cause Analysis and data analytics
• Experience working across functions like R&D, Manufacturing, Legal, Logistics, Purchasing, and Supply Planning
• Familiarity with ingredient qualification, supplier development, or manufacturing performance improvement programs
• A history of influencing others, building relationships, and representing your organization with external suppliers and industry partners

Compensation and Benefits

The base pay for this role is $78,000.00 to $156,000.00. In specific locations, the pay range may vary. Abbott also offers an excellent benefits package:

• Free medical coverage for employees through the Health Investment Plan (HIP) PPO
• An excellent retirement savings plan with high employer contribution
• Tuition reimbursement, the Freedom 2 Save student debt program, and the FreeU education benefit for getting a bachelor's degree
• Career development with an international company where you can grow the career you want
• A company recognized as a great place to work in dozens of countries and named one of the most admired companies in the world by Fortune

You can learn more about their health and wellness benefits at www.abbottbenefits.com.

How to Apply

Follow your career aspirations to Abbott. Connect with them at www.abbott.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Abbott, and on Twitter @AbbottNews and @AbbottGlobal. Abbott is committed to employee diversity.