General Manager

XOCEAN; IJmuiden; On-site; EUR 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

XOCEAN is looking for a General Manager based in the Netherlands to drive commercial growth across Europe. This role involves establishing the Netherlands office, managing a local team, and developing customer relationships. The ideal candidate has strong business development experience, proven ability to build client partnerships, and has successfully set up new offices in international markets.

The successful candidate will also ensure operational readiness and have hands-on experience in logistics and compliance. Candidates must have the right to work in the Netherlands.

Qualifications

• Proven track record of establishing a new regional office.
• Experience managing and growing a team.
• Hands-on operational experience in logistics and compliance.

Responsibilities

• Lead commercial growth across Europe from the Netherlands.
• Develop relationships with key customers and stakeholders.
• Establish XOCEAN’s physical presence in the Netherlands.
• Recruit and manage the Netherlands team.
• Define the regional operating model.

Skills

Senior commercial or business development experience

Ability to develop client relationships

Experience in competitive tenders

Strong judgement on pricing and risk

Comfort with data-driven decision-making

Ability to manage priorities

Entrepreneurial mindset

Job description

XOCEAN is a global ocean data delivery partner that delivers full scope ocean data to support offshore developments and operations. We take responsibility for delivering geophysical, geotechnical and environmental data across the full lifecycle of offshore assets, from early stage development through to long term operations.

XOCEAN transforms ocean data delivery through a digitally integrated operating platform that connects data acquisition, remote operations and processing into a single, scalable system. This enables faster delivery, greater flexibility and more efficient execution across a wide range of offshore environments and requirements.

Role Overview

The General Manager will lead XOCEAN’s commercial growth and regional development across Europe, with a particular focus on building a strong and scalable presence from our base in the Netherlands.

This role is responsible for growing regional revenue, developing customer relationships, building local partnerships, and ensuring that opportunities are aligned with XOCEAN’s sector strategies and operational capability. The role also carries full accountability for establishing XOCEAN’s physical presence in the Netherlands: standing up the office, hiring and leading the local team, and building the operational infrastructure needed to deliver sustainably at scale.

The successful candidate will combine strong commercial leadership with operational credibility, ensuring that growth in Europe is both ambitious and deliverable.

Main Responsibilities

• Lead XOCEAN’s commercial growth across mainland Europe, developing priority markets, customers and partnerships from the Netherlands base.
• Build and manage a high‑quality regional pipeline, ensuring opportunities are well qualified, strategically aligned and operationally deliverable.
• Develop strong relationships with key customers, partners and industry stakeholders across priority European markets.
• Guide regional bids and tenders, ensuring proposals reflect local operating conditions and delivery logistics.
• Provide actionable market intelligence to inform fleet planning, service development, and investment decisions.
• Work closely with Operations to align growth plans with vessel availability, delivery capability, logistics and local market requirements.
• Own regional performance reporting, including revenue, pipeline, win rates, forecast accuracy and key risks.
• Lead the establishment of XOCEAN’s Netherlands office, including site selection, fit‑out, and operational readiness — creating a professional front‑of‑house presence that reflects the company’s brand and standards.
• Recruit, onboard and manage the Netherlands team, building local capability across commercial, operational and support functions as the region grows.
• Define and implement the regional operating model, including local processes, compliance requirements, vendor relationships, and governance frameworks appropriate for a new XOCEAN entity in the Netherlands.

What we’re looking for

• Senior commercial or business development experience in international markets.
• Strong ability to develop long‑term client relationships and local partnerships.
• Experience shaping and winning competitive tenders in technical or offshore sectors.
• Commercially sharp, with sound judgement on pricing, risk, and opportunity.
• Structured and execution‑focused, able to manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
• Comfortable with data‑driven decision‑making.
• Proven track record of establishing a new regional office, business unit, or market presence — ideally including physical office set‑up, hiring, and standing up operational processes from scratch.
• Experience managing and growing a team, with the ability to hire, develop and retain strong talent in a new market environment.
• Hands‑on operational experience, comfortable taking ownership of logistics, facilities, compliance, and day‑to‑day business operations alongside commercial leadership duties.
• Entrepreneurial and adaptable, thrives in ambiguous, “build‑as‑you‑go” environments where structure and process must be created, not inherited.
• German language skills are desirable.
• Right to work in the Netherlands.

Apply

• To be eligible for this position you must have a valid working visa / permit to work in the Netherlands.
• Please apply online and follow the instructions or submit your CV to [e-mail].