Business Development Manager - Air Freight

The Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company; Amsterdam; Hybrid; EUR 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

The Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company is seeking a Field Sales Account Manager to drive freight forwarding growth in the Netherlands, focusing on air freight with ocean/road as part of the portfolio. The role supports onboarding and customer solutions across Operations and Pricing, with travel within the Netherlands as needed.

Reporting to the Head of Sales Benelux, you will build a strong pipeline, engage new customers, and collaborate across internal teams to design competitive

Qualifications

• 5+ years in a commercial or customer-facing role in the Dutch market.
• Strong hunter mindset with proactive prospecting and new business development.
• Fluency in Dutch and good English; willing to travel within the Netherlands.
• Structured and disciplined working style, with CRM usage and pipeline management.

Responsibilities

• Proactively identify and approach new customer opportunities through outreach, networking and market research.
• Build and maintain a healthy sales pipeline with a focus on new business development.
• Support the full sales cycle from initial contact through closing with guidance where needed.
• Collaborate with Pricing and Operations to develop tailored and competitive logistics solutions.
• Ensure consistent follow-up on leads to maintain sales momentum.
• Support onboarding and handover of new customers to Operations.
• Maintain accurate CRM records of activities, opportunities and progress.
• Continuously develop commercial skills, product knowledge and market understanding.
• Contribute to a positive, collaborative commercial culture.

Skills

Hunter mindset

Commercial curiosity

Negotiation skills

CRM and pipeline management

Dutch language proficiency

Tools

CRM software

Market research tools

Job description

About the role

The Field Sales Account Manager contributes to the growth of the Freight Forwarding business by identifying and developing new customer opportunities across the Netherlands. The scope will mostly be air freight, but ocean and road freight are also part of it. This is a build-up sales role with a strong emphasis on prospecting, pipeline creation, and developing customers successfully.

Reporting to the Head of Sales Benelux, the role works closely with Operations, Pricing and other internal stakeholders to design competitive logistics solutions and onboard new customers, while continuously building commercial capability.

This role is flexible and can be based anywhere in the Netherlands. You can work remotely or in a hybrid setup, depending on your preference and business needs. As this is a field-based sales role, occasional travel within the Netherlands is required to meet customers, build relationships and support business growth.

How you will contribute

• Proactively identify and approach new customer opportunities through outreach, networking and market research.
• Build and maintain a healthy sales pipeline with a strong focus on new business development.
• Support the full sales cycle, from initial contact through to closing, with guidance where needed.
• Collaborate with Pricing and Operations to develop tailored and competitive logistics solutions.
• Ensure consistent follow-up on leads and opportunities to maintain sales momentum.
• Support the onboarding and handover of newly acquired customers to Operations.
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date CRM records of activities, opportunities and progress.
• Continuously develop commercial skills, product knowledge and market understanding.
• Contribute to a positive, collaborative and inclusive commercial culture.

What you will bring

• At least 5 years of experience in a commercial or customer-facing role in the Dutch market (e.g. sales, inside sales or customer service).
• A developing hunter mindset, with curiosity, proactivity and motivation to generate new business.
• Commercial curiosity and a strong interest in learning how to sell, negotiate and close opportunities.
• A solution-oriented approach and the ability to work with internal teams to meet customer needs.
• Resilience, drive and the ability to stay motivated when faced with challenges or rejection.
• A structured and disciplined way of working, including CRM usage and pipeline management.
• Fluency in Dutch and professional working proficiency in English; based in the Netherlands with willingness to travel as required.

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