An international industrial group, part of a large publicly listed multinational corporation, is a global leader in the design and manufacturing of technological solutions for professional applications. With a solid commercial and manufacturing presence across Europe, Asia, and North America, the company operates through globally recognized brands, providing integrated solutions to its clients in key international markets.

ROLE DESCRIPTION

The Vice President Sales and Marketing will report directly to VP Commercial and Engineering, with the objective of leading the commercial strategy and detailed planning to drive profitable revenue growth, increase market share, and enhance the brand visibility across the EMEA region. The role requires ensuring sustainable and profitable growth with a strong international focus. The position holds direct responsibility for approximately 35 headcounts across 5 commercial regions and central functions. Developing and implementing commercial strategies aligned with a company transforming towards an increasingly multinational and customer-centric culture will be essential.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Sales and Business Development

• Develop plans and strategies to achieve the company’s sales targets. Take ownership of the Annual Sales Plan and three-year strategy to stimulate growth in the core business, adjacent identified areas, and new initiatives.
• Define and execute the sales strategy for all EMEA markets, balancing the needs of direct channels, indirect channels, and global customers.
• Implement sales management process to ensure the Sales Directors across the 5 regions are executing to forecast.
• Manage key international customers (Key Accounts) directly and oversee market penetration strategies in target markets.
• Ensure consistency among various local business models by optimizing structure, resources, and processes.
• Bring new expertise in pricing, forecasting, and commercial structuring of capital equipment, focusing on durable goods and complex, including financed, sales.
• Define sales processes, systems, and infrastructures that generate desired outcomes, identify improvement areas, and provide detailed and accurate sales forecasts.
• Foster a culture of success and consistent achievement of business objectives. Become an employer of choice and build a customer-facing team that top sales and customer service professionals aspire to join.
• Manage customer expectations and act as the main advocate for customers within the company.
• Travel for face-to-face meetings with customers and channel partners to nurture strategic relationships.
• Identify product gaps and improvement opportunities to offer superior, customer-centric solutions. Collaborate with Product Management and cross-functional teams to deliver products cost-effectively and on time.
• Explore alternative sales channels and new customer segments to expand and enhance product offering penetration.
• Develop sales management tools and approaches to maximize the effectiveness of direct and indirect sales forces (channels). Promote sales force automation (using CRM solutions) across all field personnel to streamline processes, reduce costs, and improve communication.

Team and Organization

• Lead An international organization comprising Sales, Trade Marketing.
• Work closely with Finance, HR, and Operations functions within a global team mindset.
• Introduce new commercial methodologies and tools, strengthening analytical approaches and customer-specific planning.
• Manage a diverse team in terms of age and experience, bridging the generational gap between junior and senior resources.

Internationalization

• Act as a key driver of the company’s cultural transition towards a multinational entity, bringing insights from structured international environments.
• Ensure significant presence at customer and foreign offices (especially Germany and France), spending approximately 10% of time in Italy.
• Manage sales in mature and complex markets, adopting a flexible, multi-channel approach (Key Account Management, large and small distributors, aftermarket parts dealers).

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES

• Review and optimize the current commercial organization, bringing vision, methodology, and new skills to effectively tackle the market.
• Implement a new sales planning and management system, integrated with the SIOP cycle and clear KPIs across all regions.
• Strengthen commercial leadership in key markets and build an international-level management team capable of leading the company into a new growth phase.

REQUIREMENTS

• Master’s degree in Economics, Engineering, or related fields.
• At least 10 years of experience in commercial leadership roles within B2B industrial environments.
• Experience in capital equipment sales (5y).
• Background in international or rapidly evolving companies (experience in multinational companies or organized distribution preferred).
• Proven expertise in sales management, complex sales, developing sales networks, managing major accounts, pricing, and budget planning.
• Strong results orientation, strategic vision, and hands-on approach.
• Excellent command of English and preferably German.
• Willingness to travel frequently.

KEY COMPETENCIES

• Builds and manages collaborative relationships: Establishes and nurtures numerous relationships within brands. Commits to engaging with the communities where we operate and acts as a responsible corporate citizen.
• Transformational Leadership: Aligns the organization and people to drive improvement and adopt challenging new directions. Inspires the entire organization to move in the same direction. Influences others maturely and respectfully.
• Motivates and Inspires: Creates an environment that encourages others to follow. Builds teams that fully leverage individual capabilities, generating results greater than the sum of the parts.
• Self-awareness and Personal Development: Serves as a personal leadership role model demonstrating self-awareness; accepts feedback, understands, and values strengths while actively working to overcome weaknesses.

Residence in Europe is required