Director of Global Sales - Cheese Processing Cluster

• Join GEA and lead the global growth of our Cheese Processing business
• We are looking for an experienced commercial leader to take responsibility for the global sales development of GEA's Cheese Processing portfolio.
• In this role, you will lead the sales and sales support organization for new machinery and processing lines, including offer preparation and pre-contract sales engineering activities. The organization includes three teams covering Sales Front-End, Technical Offering, and Sales Administration & CRM.
• With responsibility for a yearly business volume of approximately €15-20 million, you will play a key role in driving growth, supporting strategic initiatives, and strengthening GEA's position in the global dairy and cheese processing market.

Responsibilities / Tasks

• •Lead the front-sales and sales support teams across the Cheese Processing portfolio. Develop and implement the sales plan.
• •Manage and develop the Sales Front-End, Technical Offering, Sales Engineering, Sales Administration and CRM activities.
• •Actively participate in customer negotiations and commercial offering activities.
• •Negotiate contractual terms and conditions in cooperation with Legal and Finance functions.
• •Work directly with customers or through the GEA worldwide sales network, depending on the region and market.
• •Collaborate with Division Marketing to define and implement global marketing plans for Cheese Processing technologies.
• •Manage agents and distributors, including engagement, support, commissions and compliance activities.
• •Define pricing and discount policies as well as project-specific commercial conditions, ensuring project profitability. Ensure price list implementation and maintenance.
• •Build and implement the business development strategy and go-to-market approach for the Cheese Processing Cluster in collaboration with the NPE Division Regional Business Units and the Global Dairy Business Line.
• •Support and influence the product development pipeline and contribute to defining R&D investment priorities and business cases.
• •Manage the cost center and personnel budget.
• •Maintain strong relationships with customers, key stakeholders and GEA sales leaders globally.

Your Profile / Qualifications

• •Master's degree in Engineering, Economics, Food Technology & Science or an equivalent field.
• •Additional education or training in finance, commercial contracts, sales, negotiation or value selling is considered an advantage.
• •Minimum 15 years of professional experience in similar commercial leadership positions, including at least 5 years in a sales management role.
• •Strong application knowledge and experience in the dairy and cheese processing industry.
• •Experience in international business environments.
• •Strong commercial acumen and negotiation capabilities.
• •Proven ability to manage complex commercial situations and challenges.
• •Good understanding of legal and financial contractual aspects.
• •Strong customer orientation and relationship-building skills.
• •Leadership approach based on openness, collaboration and solution-oriented thinking.
• •Ability to perform effectively in demanding and high-pressure situations.
• •Openness to new ideas and continuous improvement.
• •Fluent Italian and English. Additional languages such as Spanish or French are considered an advantage.

What We Offer

• •Competitive compensation package.
• •Company car.
• •Annual bonus linked to company performance.
• •Health and wellbeing programmes.
• •Opportunity to work in an international environment with global responsibility and exposure.

Salary range: 90.000 – 110.00 Euro base salary + variable part based on the company yearly bonus plan.

Contract classification will be evaluated based on the experience and seniority of the candidate.

GEA is proudly certified as a Top Employer, reflecting our commitment to employee wellbeing, development and empowerment.

Ready to shape the future of Cheese Processing with GEA? Apply today.

• Did we spark your interest?
• Then please click apply above to access our guided application process.