Sales Director - Material Science, North

Brenntag; Leeds; On-site; GBP 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Brenntag seeks a Sales Director to lead the sales strategy and execution across the Material Science sub-industry in EMEA. You will translate product baskets into regional plans, define key accounts, and drive revenue growth while collaborating with IMM, Product Management, Supply Chain, and Operations to enhance customer value.

The role requires strong leadership, market insight, and the ability to manage a healthy pipeline, forecast accuracy, and pricing execution.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in specialty chemical distribution or manufacturing with leadership in sales and commercial management.
• Strong technical and commercial knowledge in Material Science applications.
• Experience collaborating with Product Management, Procurement, or Application Development; familiarity with VAS solution-selling.

Responsibilities

• Translate product baskets and portfolio guidance into regional sales plans with revenue and margin targets.
• Define priority customer segments and lead account planning and territory design.
• Build and manage a healthy opportunity pipeline and drive qualification and progression.
• Lead sales teams to grow revenue and profits across product baskets.
• Collaborate with operations and supply chain to drive efficiency.
• Ensure CRM discipline, forecast accuracy, and quarterly business reviews.
• Cultivate senior-level relationships with key customers as a trusted advisor.
• Identify risks and implement mitigation plans for sales execution.

Skills

Sales leadership

Strategic planning

Key account management

CRM forecasting

Stakeholder management

Education

Bachelor’s or Master's in Chemistry/Materials Science or related field

MBA preferred

Tools

CRM (Salesforce)

MS Excel

PowerPoint

Job description

Job role

The Sales Director leads the sales strategy, execution, and performance across the assigned Material Science sub-industry/application in EMEA. This role translates product basket and portfolio strategies into account-specific sales plans, pricing execution, and pipeline growth. The Sales Director partners closely with IMM, Product Management, Supply Chain, Operations, and Technical teams to drive revenue, GP margin, and customer value through solution-selling and market activation. The position is central to developing market insights, identifying growth opportunities, and supporting Material Science’s long-term strategic direction.

Essential Responsibilities And Tasks

• Translate product baskets and portfolio guidance into regional sales plans with clear revenue, GP margin, and share-of-wallet targets.
• Define priority customer segments and target accounts; lead account planning, territory design, and coverage models.
• Build and manage a healthy opportunity pipeline; drive opportunity qualification, stage progression, and conversion rates.
• Lead sales teams to push revenue and profit growth across targeted product baskets and identify customer demands beyond existing product portfolio
• Collaborate with operations and supply chain teams to drive efficiency and productivity.
• Ensure CRM discipline, forecast accuracy, and sales performance governance; run monthly/quarterly business reviews.
• Coordinate with Account Managers and Sales Managers to execute strategic campaigns, new product introductions, and customer value propositions.
• Cultivate senior-level relationships at key customers; act as a trusted advisor representing Brenntag’s technical and commercial capabilities.
• Identify risks (resource constraints, market shifts, competitive moves) and implement mitigation plans for sales execution.

Job role

The Sales Director leads the sales strategy, execution, and performance across the assigned Material Science sub-industry/application in EMEA. This role translates product basket and portfolio strategies into account-specific sales plans, pricing execution, and pipeline growth. The Sales Director partners closely with IMM, Product Management, Supply Chain, Operations, and Technical teams to drive revenue, GP margin, and customer value through solution-selling and market activation. The position is central to developing market insights, identifying growth opportunities, and supporting Material Science’s long-term strategic direction.

Essential Responsibilities And Tasks

• Translate product baskets and portfolio guidance into regional sales plans with clear revenue, GP margin, and share-of-wallet targets.
• Define priority customer segments and target accounts; lead account planning, territory design, and coverage models.
• Build and manage a healthy opportunity pipeline; drive opportunity qualification, stage progression, and conversion rates.
• Lead sales teams to push revenue and profit growth across targeted product baskets and identify customer demands beyond existing product portfolio
• Collaborate with operations and supply chain teams to drive efficiency and productivity.
• Ensure CRM discipline, forecast accuracy, and sales performance governance; run monthly/quarterly business reviews.
• Coordinate with Account Managers and Sales Managers to execute strategic campaigns, new product introductions, and customer value propositions.
• Cultivate senior-level relationships at key customers; act as a trusted advisor representing Brenntag’s technical and commercial capabilities.
• Identify risks (resource constraints, market shifts, competitive moves) and implement mitigation plans for sales execution.

Sales Strategy, Account Leadership, and Pipeline Management (50%)

• Translate product baskets and portfolio guidance into regional sales plans with clear revenue, GP margin, and share-of-wallet targets.
• Define priority customer segments and target accounts; lead account planning, territory design, and coverage models.
• Build and manage a healthy opportunity pipeline; drive opportunity qualification, stage progression, and conversion rates.
• Lead sales teams to push revenue and profit growth across targeted product baskets and identify customer demands beyond existing product portfolio
• Collaborate with operations and supply chain teams to drive efficiency and productivity.
• Ensure CRM discipline, forecast accuracy, and sales performance governance; run monthly/quarterly business reviews.
• Coordinate with Account Managers and Sales Managers to execute strategic campaigns, new product introductions, and customer value propositions.
• Cultivate senior-level relationships at key customers; act as a trusted advisor representing Brenntag’s technical and commercial capabilities.
• Identify risks (resource constraints, market shifts, competitive moves) and implement mitigation plans for sales execution.

Industry/Application Know-How and Market Activation (30%)

• Develop deep market and application expertise to co-create strategies with IMM aligned to the Material Science Industry Market Management framework.
• Identify trends and technologies with commercial potential, define priority segments and growth areas, and convert insights into actionable sales plays and strategic narratives
• Spot portfolio gaps and align with Industry Market Management to ensure strategic coverage and market relevance.
• Define themes and priorities for trade fairs, webinars, and customer events; represent Material Science at regional exhibitions and customer meetings and events.
• Activate campaigns and technical storytelling to support the sales organization and accelerate adoption of new solutions.
• Monitor portfolio balance and alignment with internal stakeholders to avoid conflicts and ensure compliance with regulatory and quality requirements.

Pricing Execution and Margin Management (20%)

• Implement pricing guidance derived from IMM’s market intelligence and supplier input
• Maintain accurate pricing information in relevant systems; monitor price/mix development and drive margin optimization initiatives.
• Provide feedback loops to IMM and Product Management on competitive dynamics, customer willingness-to-pay, and price realization.
• Coordinate with Product Management on supply agreements and execution; ensure sales commitments align with sourcing strategies.

Education And Experience

• University degree in a relevant field (Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Business, or similar).
• Extensive experience in specialty chemical distribution or manufacturing, with significant leadership in sales and commercial management.
• Strong technical and commercial knowledge in Material Science applications (e.g., polymers, coatings, adhesives, sealants, elastomers, construction chemicals, composites, additives).
• Experience collaborating with Product Management, Procurement, or Application Development; familiarity with VAS solution-selling is preferred.

Key Performance Indicators

• Revenue growth and GP margin improvement versus plan.
• Pipeline health (coverage, stage distribution) and conversion rates.
• Forecast accuracy and CRM data quality.
• Share-of-wallet expansion within priority accounts.
• VAS attach rate and cross-selling across the portfolio.

Travel

Up to 50% travel required, depending on customer visits, supplier meetings, internal sessions, and project needs.

Brenntag provides equal employment opportunities to qualified applicants and employees of all backgrounds and identities to create a workplace where difference is valued because it forms a resilient and more innovative organization. We do not discriminate on the basis of age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnicity, race, religion or belief, parental and family status, or any other protected characteristic. We welcome applications from women, men and non-binary candidates of all ethnicities and socio-economic backgrounds.

Brenntag TA Team