Sales Director - Industrial Manufacturing rif. 100437

W Executive Italy; Piemonte; On-site; EUR 130,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus

Benefits package

Job summary

W Executive Italy is seeking a Sales Director for a leading European industrial manufacturing group based in the Alessandria area, Piedmont. You will head the Sales function to drive business development, growth, and transformation of sales processes across Europe.

You will lead a team, define a clear strategy, and partner with Finance, Legal, and Operations to optimize margins and forecasting. English fluency is required; German is a plus.

Qualifications

• Degree in Engineering or Economics/Business Administration.
• Proven senior commercial leadership in industrial manufacturing serving B2B customers with make-to-order or engineered-to-order models.
• Experience transforming and optimizing sales processes.
• Experience managing strategic customers across Europe.
• Strong strategic and analytical capabilities to translate data into actions.
• Excellent leadership and people management skills.
• Experience in multicultural, international teams.
• Fluency in English; German knowledge is a plus.
• Willingness to travel across Europe.

Responsibilities

• Define and implement the sales strategy for Europe, consolidating markets and opportunities.
• Develop key accounts, increase penetration, and optimize share of business.
• Allocate volumes across customers based on margins and capacity.
• Oversee opportunities from quotation to order, with risk assessments.
• Lead and coach the Sales team to drive performance and improvement.
• Streamline sales processes, pricing, and quotation management to meet margin targets.
• Collaborate with Finance, Controlling and Operations on pricing and forecasting.
• Enhance data-driven culture via CRM and ERP systems.
• Define KPIs and dashboards for pipeline, hit rate, lead time, and margins.
• Collaborate with Finance on credit policies and terms.
• Work with Operations, Planning, Engineering, Quality, and Procurement to ensure feasible commitments.

Skills

Strategic thinking

Leadership

Commercial acumen

Negotiation

Customer relations

Data analytics

English fluency

Multicultural collaboration

Travel willingness

Sales management

Education

Degree in Engineering or Economics/Business Administration

Tools

CRM

ERP

Forecasting tools

Job description

For a leading European industrial manufacturing company based in the province of Alessandria, Piedmont, operating in a B2B and make-to-order environment, we are looking for a Sales Director.

The successful candidate will report to the Executive Vice President and will be responsible for leading the Sales function, with the objective of combining business development, profitable growth, and the transformation and improvement of Sales processes.

The company serves major OEMs and equipment manufacturers across Europe, providing engineered solutions characterized by high precision and make-to-order production, and enjoys a strong reputation for quality, reliability, and technical expertise.

Key Responsibilities:

• Define and implement the sales strategy, consolidating and developing the European market and identifying new business opportunities;
• Develop key accounts and strategic prospects, increasing penetration, retention, and share of business with customers;
• Define the optimal allocation of volumes across customers, based on margins, strategic priorities, and production capacity;
• Oversee key commercial opportunities and negotiations, from quotation through to order closing, ensuring appropriate risk assessment in collaboration with Finance and Legal;
• Lead and develop the Sales team through coaching, feedback, and training, fostering a culture focused on performance and continuous improvement;
• Drive the simplification and standardization of sales processes, including estimating, pricing, and quotation management, ensuring that proposals are prepared accurately and promptly and are aligned with margin targets and production capacity constraints;
• Strengthen pricing, margin analysis, and forecasting processes in collaboration with Finance, Controlling, and Operations;
• Develop an increasingly data-driven culture, improving data quality and utilization through CRM and ERP systems;
• Define and monitor KPIs and dashboards related to pipeline, hit rate, lead time, margins, and sales performance;
• In collaboration with Finance, define and implement customer credit policies, including credit limits, payment terms, and risk categories;
• Work closely with Operations, Planning, Engineering, Quality, and Procurement to ensure that commitments made to customers are realistic, achievable, and consistent with the make-to-order production model.

Requirements:

• Degree in Engineering or Economics/Business Administration;
• Proven experience in senior commercial leadership roles within industrial manufacturing companies serving B2B customers and operating under make-to-order or engineered-to-order production models, where production capacity, lead times, and technical feasibility are key elements of the commercial offering;
• Experience in transforming and optimizing sales processes;
• Experience in business development and managing strategic customers across the European market;
• Strong strategic and analytical capabilities, with the ability to translate market and financial data into clear commercial actions and priorities;
• Good understanding of industrial cost structures and the main drivers of profitability in a manufacturing environment, including materials, production yield, labor costs, logistics, and overheads;
• Excellent leadership and people management skills, with particular focus on coaching, feedback, and building a culture based on accountability and continuous improvement;
• Strong professional communication skills and the ability to interact effectively both with C-level executives at strategic customers and with internal top management;
• Hands‑on and pragmatic approach, strong analytical skills, customer orientation, and a strong aptitude for change management;
• Experience working in a multicultural environment, within international teams and with customers across different countries;
• Both non‑Italian candidates based in Italy and Italian candidates with international careers are equally of interest;
• Fluency in English; knowledge of German will be considered a plus;
• Willingness to travel, primarily across Europe.

Compensation package: €130,000–€150,000 + bonus and benefits.