Sales Director

Van de Groep & Olsthoorn | Executive Search & Interim Management; Wageningen; On-site; EUR 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Unique opportunity within a pioneering biotech company

Substantial international scope and direct impact on strategy

Job summary

Phageguard, based in Wageningen, Netherlands, is seeking a Sales Director to lead the commercial strategy outside the Americas. This role involves accelerating growth in Europe and ROW, building a distributor network, and ensuring strong margin management. The ideal candidate should have extensive experience in food B2B environments and be comfortable with complex technical solutions. The position demands frequent international travel and fluency in English, with additional languages considered an advantage.

Qualifications

• Strong background in food B2B, food safety, sanitation, or equipment.
• Experience with complex technical solutions and long sales cycles.
• Sensitivity to cultural differences and ability to navigate technical content.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute the commercial strategy outside the Americas region.
• Lead the commercial team for Europe and ROW.
• Accelerate commercial growth in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.

Skills

Key account sales and value based pricing

Channel and distributor development across Europe and ROW

Solution driven selling in close collaboration with R&D

International deal-making and margin focused contract management

Education

Academic professional and intellectual level

Job description

Phageguard is a fast growing biotechnology company in the food safety domain, focusing on reducing food pathogens. Based in Wageningen, the Netherlands, and part of the Micreos Group, the organisation develops and produces bacteriophage based solutions for production processes in a.o. poultry, fish, cheese and environmental hygiene applications. With approximately 40 employees representing 12 nationalities, the company has built a solid and successful foundation for further international expansion.

In recent years, Phageguard has invested heavily in strengthening its applications expertise, scaling production capacity, and expanding its presence in the United States, which currently represents the majority of the total revenue. The following phase requires sharper commercial focus, accelerated business growth in Europe and the Rest of the World (ROW), and stronger commercial traction to support the strategic positioning.

The culture is entrepreneurial, diverse, and highly collaborative. This environment offers autonomy and speed but also calls for a commercial leader who brings structure, focus and consistency, while remaining hands on and connected to the daily reality of customers and operations.

The Sales Director holds end to end responsibility for developing and executing the commercial strategy outside the Americas region. Reporting directly to the CEO, the role leads the commercial team for Europe and ROW, working closely with R&D, Operations and Finance.

The core of the assignment is to accelerate commercial growth in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, build a scalable distributor network, and secure strategic accounts in key segments such as poultry, fish, cheese and environmental hygiene.

Operationally, the focus lies on building structure in commercial execution while remaining deeply engaged in the field. The role involves direct customer interaction, deal‑making and supporting trials. Moreover, you ensure alignment between commercial ambitions and operational capabilities, particularly in a context of regulatory complexity (e.g. EFSA approval).

Financially, the role requires strong margin management, value based pricing, and harmonisation of commercial terms across regions. The Sales Director ensures that commercial decisions support both short term performance and long term value creation.

Organisationally, the Sales Director strengthens collaboration between Sales, R&D and Operations, builds distributor capability, and contributes to a more structured way of working. The role requires sensitivity to cultural differences, the ability to navigate technical content and a pragmatic, ego free leadership style.

Your profile

For this position we seek a senior commercial leader with a strong background in food B2B, food safety, sanitation or equipment. The ideal candidate has experience with complex technical solutions, long sales cycles, and regulated environments, preferably within poultry, fish, meat or cheese supply chains. An academic professional and intellectual level is required.

Functionally, the right candidate brings expertise in:

• Key account sales and value based pricing
• Channel and distributor development across Europe and ROW
• Solution driven selling in close collaboration with R&D
• International deal-making and margin focused contract management

In terms of personal style, we look for someone with high energy, ambition, curiosity and a hands on mindset. Someone who is comfortable spending significant time with customers, who can translate complex technology into compelling value and who leads without hierarchy. A team oriented, pragmatic and culturally sensitive profile fits best.

The position is based in Wageningen (the Netherlands) but requires frequent international travel. Your communication in English is fluent and additional European languages (like German or French) are an advantage.

Finally, the role demands intrinsic motivation to help guide the company through its next phase of growth. You act as a stabilising force in a dynamic environment and play a central role in strengthening commercial performance, organisational maturity and long term value creation.

Our client offers

A unique opportunity within a pioneering biotech company at the forefront of natural food safety innovation. The role offers substantial international scope and direct impact on the company’s strategic trajectory. You will help shape the next phase of growth while working closely with a diverse, mission driven team committed to improving global food safety.