Senior Director Country Manager Division Farm Technologies Italy

Gea Group; Modena; On-site; EUR 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

GEA Group is seeking a seasoned leader to drive Farm Technologies in Italy, overseeing the management team and building a world-class sales and service organization.

You will translate divisional strategy into the Italian market, lead P&L responsibilities, and guide the go-to-market initiatives while ensuring compliance and stakeholder alignment across the region.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Business Management and/or a technical discipline.
• Additional education in Business Administration and an agricultural background are strongly preferred.
• Minimum of 10 years of relevant work experience.
• International experience in sales, service and general management, with a focus on country sales.
• Strong track record in steering international and country sales and service organizations, with a focus on sales growth.
• Advanced understanding of business development and experience in managing complex change processes.
• Experience working in a manufacturing and engineering environment, including the sale of complex products and associated value-added services.
• Strong sales acumen and demonstrated application of best practices in regional business development.
• Preferably, experience with legal procedures and knowledge of labor law, Health & Safety legislation and commercial regulations.
• Fluency in Italian and English.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities, combined with strategic thinking.
• Excellent communication and public-speaking skills.
• Entrepreneurial mindset with strong organizational and leadership capabilities, a clear customer orientation and general manager perspective.
• Ability to lead and develop internationally and/or culturally diverse teams, combining strong top-line and target orientation with a strong people orientation.
• Strong intercultural and interpersonal skills, including persuasion, well-argued reasoning and the ability to build and maintain relationships and networks with relevant decision-makers and stakeholders at all organizational levels.

Responsibilities

• Lead, manage and develop the Farm Technologies business in Italy, driving employee engagement and retention.
• Head the Italy Farm Technologies management team and build a top-tier sales and service organization.
• Act as the key contact for Farm Technologies Division Management and provide local market insights.
• Translate divisional strategy into country and sales strategy for Italy and implement to drive results.
• Take responsibility for P&L of all Farm Technologies sales and service activities in Italy, including budgeting and forecasting.
• Conduct national market analyses and monitor trends to identify growth opportunities.
• Develop the country setup and dealer network, contributing to go-to-market strategy.
• Build strong customer relationships and engage stakeholders to maximize market access.
• Lead change projects and continuously improve processes within daily business.
• Ensure compliance with policies, laws, risk management and guidelines.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic thinking

Negotiation

Public speaking

People management

Cross-cultural collaboration

Analytical thinking

Process improvement

Sales leadership

Customer orientation

Education

Engineering degree

Business Administration

Agricultural background

Job description

Responsibilities / Tasks

• Lead, manage and develop the Farm Technologies business in Italy, fostering GEA’s corporate culture to drive employee engagement, attraction and retention.
• Lead the GEA Farm Technologies Italy management team and build a state-of-the-art sales and service organization within the scope of responsibility.
• Act as the key point of contact for Farm Technologies Division Management and support the development of divisional strategies by providing local insights on customers, markets and country-specific dynamics.
• Translate the GEA Farm Technologies divisional strategy into the country and sales strategy for Italy, ensuring effective implementation to drive business results.
• Take responsibility for the P&L of all Farm Technologies sales and service activities in Italy, including budgeting and forecasting.
• Conduct national market analyses, monitor market trends and competitor developments, consolidate product requirements and identify new growth opportunities, including application expansion as well as organic and inorganic growth.
• Develop the Farm Technologies country set-up according to the defined archetype model, contribute to the go-to-market strategy and further develop the GEA Farm Technologies Italy dealer network.
• Build and sustain strong customer relationships across the Farm Technologies spectrum and engage with relevant stakeholders to maximize market access.
• Lead Farm Technologies change projects, challenge the status quo and continuously improve methods and sub-processes as part of daily business.
• Ensure compliance with corporate policies and local laws and effective risk management together with the management team.
• Negotiate relevant contracts and terms and conditions within the area of responsibility in line with regional and GEA Farm Technologies divisional standards and guidelines.
• Represent and defend the interests of GEA Farm Technologies in Italy with key external stakeholders, including local authorities, auditors, customers, suppliers, joint ventures and trade unions.
• Collaborate closely with internal stakeholders including Farm Technologies Division Management, Product Management & Sales, Finance, HSE, Human Resources, Marketing, works councils, Shared Service Center and direct and indirect reports.
• Act independently, in alignment with the Country MD and GEA Farm Technologies divisional objectives, to determine key objectives and make a significant impact on the results of the country market.
• Manage a high level of complexity by influencing stakeholders with different interests and making decisions in an environment with a high degree of ambiguity.

Your Profile / Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Business Management and/or a technical discipline.
• Additional education in Business Administration and an agricultural background are strongly preferred.
• Minimum of 10 years of relevant work experience.
• International experience in sales, service and general management, with a particular focus on country sales.
• Strong track record in steering international and country sales and service organizations, with a focus on sales growth.
• Advanced understanding of business development and experience in managing complex change processes.
• Experience working in a manufacturing and engineering environment, including the sale of complex products and associated value-added services.
• Strong sales acumen and demonstrated application of best practices in regional business development.
• Preferably, experience with legal procedures and knowledge of requirements relating to labor law, Health & Safety legislation and commercial regulations.
• Fluency in Italian and English.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities, combined with strategic thinking.
• Excellent communication and public-speaking skills.
• Entrepreneurial mindset with strong organizational and leadership capabilities, a clear customer orientation and general manager perspective.
• Ability to lead and develop internationally and/or culturally diverse teams, combining strong top-line and target orientation with a strong people orientation.
• Strong intercultural and interpersonal skills, including persuasion, well-argued reasoning and the ability to build and maintain relationships and networks with relevant decision-makers and stakeholders at all organizational levels.