National Field Sales Director (H/F)

JOB PURPOSE:

The National Field Sales Director leads and develops the nationwide field-sales organisation supporting the Home Care and Beauty businesses in France.

This is a significant commercial leadership and transformation role. The successful candidate will ensure continuity and strong business performance while shaping the future of the field-sales organisation. The role is responsible for translating commercial strategy into excellent in-store execution, strengthening organisational capability and accelerating the adoption of data, digital tools and new ways of working.

The National Field Sales Director will lead a large, geographically dispersed organisation and balance commercial ambition with responsible people leadership, sustainable workload and employee safety.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Leadership and organisational development

• Lead, coach and develop a nationwide field-sales organisation of approximately 180 employees, including Regional Sales Managers and Account Managers.
• Create an inclusive, collaborative and performance-focused environment in which people can develop and contribute at their best.
• Strengthen leadership capability through coaching, training, succession planning and talent development.
• Lead organisational change responsibly, balancing performance expectations with employee engagement, sustainable workload and safety.
• Navigate complex stakeholder and employee-relations environments with sound judgement and sensitivity.

Commercial strategy and execution

• Define and execute the national field-sales strategy for the Home Care and Beauty businesses, aligned with commercial priorities and business objectives.
• Ensure effective in-store execution across retail channels, improving the availability, visibility, distribution, shelving and promotional performance of Unilever brands.
• Translate national commercial priorities into clear and actionable plans for the field-sales organisation.
• Monitor commercial performance and use relevant indicators, data and insights to identify opportunities and implement corrective actions.
• Optimise the deployment of field-sales resources and trade investments to improve effectiveness and return on investment.

Transformation and operational excellence

• Lead operational excellence and transformation across the field-sales organisation.
• Shape and implement new ways of working that strengthen organisational effectiveness and commercial performance.
• Lead the adoption of digital sales tools and technologies across the field-sales organisation.
• Promote data-informed decision-making and build the organisation’s ability to translate insights into practical commercial actions.
• Ensure that transformation initiatives are implemented effectively across a large and geographically dispersed workforce.

Collaboration and stakeholder management

• Build effective partnerships with Marketing, Category Management, Key Account Management and other relevant functions.
• Align stakeholders across functions and organisational levels around common commercial priorities.
• Act as a senior sponsor and key stakeholder for strategic initiatives affecting the Home Care and Beauty businesses.
• Represent the field-sales perspective in business decisions and ensure that commercial strategies can be executed effectively in the French market.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Significant leadership experience in FMCG sales, customer development or field-sales environments.
• Experience leading large, geographically dispersed field organisations through multiple management layers.
• Demonstrated experience driving commercial performance, operational excellence and organisational transformation.
• Deep understanding of the French retail and trade landscape.
• Fluent French and English.
• Ability and willingness to travel extensively throughout France.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Experience in National Account Management or other customer-facing commercial leadership roles.
• Experience working in international or matrix organisations.
• Experience leading digitalisation initiatives.
• Strong analytical and data-driven decision-making capabilities.
• Entrepreneurial mindset with the ability to challenge established ways of working constructively.

Unilever is an organisation committed to equity, inclusion and diversity to drive our business results and create a better future, every day, for our diverse employees, global consumers, partners, and communities. We believe a diverse workforce allows us to match our growth ambitions and drive inclusion across the business. At Unilever we are interested in every individual bringing their ‘Whole Self’ to work and this includes you! Thus if you require any support or access requirements, we encourage you to advise us at the time of your application so that we can support you through your recruitment journey.

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