Sales Manager

UPL; Nordrhein-Westfalen; On-site; EUR 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

UPL in Germany seeks a Sales Manager responsible for developing and executing the German sales strategy, leading the sales team, and managing key commercial relationships across distribution channels and customer segments. You will translate strategy into actionable plans, coach the team, negotiate with strategic accounts, and collaborate with marketing, supply chain and finance to drive growth.

This role requires deep knowledge of the German agricultural market and willingness to travel within

Qualifications

• Minimum 15 year experience in sales leadership within agriculture, crop protection, bio-solutions, seeds, fertilizer or related industry.
• Proven experience in national/regional commercial responsibility and team management.
• Excellent German and English language skills, both written and spoken.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement the annual sales strategy for Germany aligned with company objectives.
• Lead, coach and develop the German sales team; set objectives and performance expectations.
• Build relationships with distributors, retailers, and strategic accounts; negotiate with key customers.
• Oversee forecasting, budgeting, and commercial controls; monitor performance against targets.
• Collaborate with Marketing, Supply Chain, Regulatory, and Finance to drive growth.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic thinking

German market knowledge

Communication skills

Analytical mindset

Education

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

Job description

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

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, on anticipating their future needs and how we can create innovative solutions and experiences for them.

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 maximises 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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