Sales Manager

United Phosphorus Limited (UPL); Hürth; On-site; EUR 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

UPL Limited is seeking a Sales Manager for Germany to lead the development and execution of the German sales strategy. You will oversee the sales team, manage key relationships, and drive performance across distribution channels and customer segments.

The role requires extensive travel within Germany, fluency in German and English, and a university degree in agriculture, business, marketing, life sciences, or related field.

Qualifications

• Minimum 15 years of experience in sales leadership within agriculture or related sectors.
• Proven ability to manage strategic customers and negotiate commercial agreements.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and presentation skills in German and English.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement the annual Germany sales strategy aligned with company objectives.
• Lead, coach, and develop the German sales team with clear targets and performance reviews.
• Build and maintain relationships with distributors, retailers, advisory groups, and strategic accounts.
• Oversee sales budgeting, forecasting, pricing discipline, rebates, and promotional investments.
• Collaborate with Marketing, Supply Chain, Finance, and Product teams to ensure market success.

Skills

Sales leadership

German market knowledge

Strategic thinking

Data-driven decisions

Negotiation skills

Team management

Education

University degree in agriculture, business, marketing, life sciences, or related field

Job description

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Job Id: 13950

City: Huerth, Other/Not Applicable, Germany

Employee Type: Permanent Full Time

Seniority Level: Mid-Senior level

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Description:

UPL Limited (NSE: UPL & BSE: 512070, LSE: UPLL) is a global provider of sustainable agriculture products and solutions, with annual revenue exceeding $6bn. We are a purpose-led company. Through OpenAg®, UPL is focused on accelerating progress for the food system. We are building a network that is reimagining sustainability, redefining the way an entire industry thinks and works – open to fresh ideas, innovation, and new answers as we strive towards our mission to make every single food product more sustainable. As one of the largest agriculture solutions companies worldwide, our robust portfolio consists of biologicals and traditional crop protection solutions with more than 14,000 registrations. We are present in more than 130 countries, represented by more than 10,000 colleagues globally. For more information about our integrated portfolio of solutions across the food value chain including seeds, post-harvest, as well as physical and digital services, please visit upl-ltd.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

POSITION DESCRIPTION

Job Title: Sales Manager - Germany

Reports To: General Manager - DACH

about upl:

UPL is focused on emerging as a premier global provider of total crop solutions designed to secure the world’s long-term food supply. Winning farmers hearts across the globe, while leading the way with innovative products and services that make agriculture sustainable, UPL is the fastest growing company in the industry. Our successes in the field add up to powerful financials. UPL delivers results from protecting crops that translate into attractive investor value. Based on the recognition that humankind is one community, UPL’s overarching commitment is to improve areas of its presence, workplace and customer engagement.

Our purpose is 'OpenAg'. An agriculture network that feeds sustainable growth for all. No limits, no borders.

We are one team, for maximum impact. One team with shared goals. We have a laser-like focus on what our customers need and want, and we believe in having fun.

Job Summary: The role holder will have overall responsibility for the development and execution of the German sales strategy and will lead the sales team, manage key commercial relationships, and ensure the successful implementation of sales plans across relevant distribution channels and customer segments.

Job Responsibilities:

Sales strategy and business development

• Develop and implement the annual sales strategy for Germany in line with company objectives.
• Translate commercial strategy into clear sales plans, targets, priorities, and customer actions.
• Identify opportunities for profitable growth across crop segments, regions, products, and channels.
• Monitor market developments, competitor activities, pricing trends, and customer needs.
• Support the launch and commercial development of new products and solutions.
• Build long-term growth plans for conventional crop protection, bio-solutions, and integrated crop-management solutions.

Sales leadership

• Lead, coach, and develop the German sales team.
• Set clear objectives, sales targets, and performance expectations.
• Establish a culture of accountability, customer focus, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Conduct regular sales reviews, pipeline assessments, territory evaluations, and performance discussions.
• Ensure effective regional coverage and appropriate allocation of sales resources.
• Support recruitment, onboarding, talent development, and succession planning within the sales organization.

Customer and channel management

• Develop strong relationships with distributors, co-operatives, retailers, agricultural groups, advisors, and strategic accounts.
• Lead negotiations with key customers and commercial partners.
• Manage customer segmentation, account planning, commercial conditions, and channel strategy.
• Ensure a high-quality customer experience and effective resolution of commercial issues.
• Strengthen UPL’s market position through close cooperation with influential stakeholders in the agricultural sector
• Represent UPL at customer meetings, industry events, trade fair, field demonstration and professional conferences

Commercial performance

• Deliver sales, gross-margin, contribution, and market-share objectives.
• Manage the sales budget and ensure disciplined commercial execution.
• Oversee forecasting, demand planning, order management, and inventory-related coordination.
• Monitor sales performance against targets and implement corrective actions where required.
• Ensure pricing discipline and effective management of rebates, discounts, and promotional investments.
• Provide reliable market intelligence and commercial forecasts to the leadership team.

Cross-functional collaboration

• Work closely with marketing to develop effective product positioning, campaigns, customer communication, and sales tools.
• Coordinate with Supply Chain and Operations to improve product availability and service levels.
• Collaborate with Regulatory and Technical teams on product information, authorizations, stewardship, and customer requirements.
• Partner with Finance on budgeting, reporting, credit management, profitability, and commercial controls.
• Share customer insights and market feedback with Product Management and regional teams.
• Ensure that sales activities are aligned with company policies and applicable regulatory requirements.

Required Education and Experience:

• Minimum 15 year experience, managing sales in Agriculture, crop protection, bio-solutions, seeds, fertilizer or related industry.
• Proven experience in sales leadership, team management, or national/regional commercial responsibility.
• Strong understanding of the German agricultural market and relevant distribution channels.
• Demonstrated success in achieving sales, profitability, and market-development objectives.
• Experience managing strategic customers and negotiating commercial agreements.
• Strong knowledge of sales planning, forecasting, budgeting, and performance management.
• Excellent German and English language skills, both written and spoken.
• Willingness to travel extensively within Germany and occasionally internationally.
• A university degree or comparable qualification in agriculture, business, marketing, life sciences, or related field.
• Excellent leadership skills and ability to connect and engage with diverse cultures.
• Strong analytical mindset, data-driven decision-making, and strategic thinking.
• Outstanding communication and presentation skills for both internal and external audiences.

Key Competencies:

• Adaptability & Resilience: Recognizes and is open to changing circumstances and alters behavior and scales up as necessary; increases personal awareness and appreciation of individual and cultural differences to create an open, inclusive, and accepting workplace.
• Entrepreneurial Mindset: Has a creative mindset and ability to think holistically, takes calculated risks and maximizes opportunities.
• Results Orientations: Takes action, pursues goals with persistence and achieves results; communicates goals and vision to the team to drive enthusiasm and ambition.
• Execution Excellence: Enhances the speed of execution and builds efficiency in processes, systems and people; has sharp focus on quality-orientation.
• Strategic Orientation: Demonstrates knowledge of the social, economic, and environmental factors and how they impact business. Identifies key issues that could impact the business and develops strategy through an analytical lens / design thinking.
• Building Teams and Talent: Empowers colleagues through knowledge sharing and delegation, quickly establishing rapport; provides recognition for achievements and accomplishments.
• Customer Centricity: Understands the customer’s needs and pain points, fulfills the needs and expectations by focusing on creating value for customers.

We are one team, for maximum impact. One team with shared goals. We all play for the team and no one plays against the team. We have a laser-like focus on what our customers need and want, on anticipating their future needs and on how we can create innovative solutions and experiences for them.

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