Sales Manager (Chemicals/Raw Materials)

This is an outstanding opportunity to join a market leading chemical business, a value-add distributor supplying a wide range of raw materials into a variety of industrial sectors. Well established, they have partnered with a variety of leading global producers, whilst also developing their own portfolio of world-renowned brand names. Today, they offer in excess of 100 functional additives, chemicals & minerals, and operates out of 4 European warehouses underpinned by a comprehensive technical centre, and a contract blending and repackaging plant. They have an enviable reputation across the market, with a client list to match, but are primed to climb to even greater heights.

The businesses is a highly technical, value-add distributor, representing globally positioned producers of specialty, technical products. They boast a market-leading technical function, supplemented by a motivated and competent sales and marketing team primed to service Customers’ needs around the globe. They have constantly kept ahead of competition, primarily through that technical capability providing a true value-added service, but also from the commercial re-invigoration their strategic plans have brought. Quality of product and service is at the core of the business; their consistency of service delivery is of key focus.

They are performing well, and achieving above industry average commercial returns, but with the desire to do even better. Recent organic growth, plus transformative M&A activity, has seen their turnover more than double over the last 3 years and has cemented their market position and increased their market share through multi-channel approaches and strategic efficiencies, whilst re-investing heavily into the business to continue and accelerate its growth and financial position.

Planned M&A activity will further accelerate that growth and satisfy their appetite to more than double their growth over the next five years, increasing their market share and internationalising the business, all the time re-investing heavily into the business to continue and accelerate its growth and financial position in addition to improving both their process technology AND level of personnel to ensure the highest of standard of both product and service are maintained.

A key part of that strategy is the recruitment of a Market Manager, possibly two, to sit take a defined leadership role across select markets covering specialty chemical raw materials/polymer/elastomer/automotive, reporting directly into the Sales Director.

The appointee will take high degrees of autonomy in the management, development and leadership of their market(s), but with the full support of the Sales Director and the Board. The successful candidate will develop and implement clear strategies to profitably expand the sales & volumes in their market, both through the increased volumes within existing customers and exploring new client opportunities. 

Additionally, they will be tasked with assisting in the management of suppliers (and assisting with the revision where appropriate) to achieve the agreed profitability and sales targets as well as the on-going performance.

But this is not a stand-still role. The appointee will be on a set succession planning strategy to broaden their role from overall control of regions to one of leading ever larger territories.

Duties and responsibilities:

• Essential role within the Commercial & Business Development activities of the company, a leader for business growth
• Delivery of budgeted targets and KPI’s as set
• Increase revenue, gross margin and number of trading customers
• Record all customer and principal interaction within electronic CRM platform
• Determine and action criteria for prioritising accounts
• Determine with the SD a business plan and actions required for growth in gross profit, year on year and in line with budgeted targets
• Representation of the company at relevant trade exhibitions and specific events
• Proactively provide business development proposals, properly qualified and quantified. 
• Key relationship builder with customers, principals and colleagues
• Work closely with Market Assistants, the BMS & QMS to ensure we meet customer and principal requirements and enhance service levels to both
• Travel both within the UK and International will be required as part of this role

Person Specification:

• Scientific/Chemistry Degree
• Excellent technical knowledge within the specified market(s)
• Good communication and relationship building skills
• Ability to utilise data and take relevant action
• Focused on creating new business by networking and prospecting, whilst ensuring retention of business levels via repeat business
• Fully understands and implements the sales cycle involved with technical sales, concentrating on areas of highest return for the business
• Active working knowledge of the technologies relevant to the specified market sectors
• Competent within MS Office – Word, Excel and Powerpoint
• Experience using CRM platforms 
• Provide reforecast and financial data as part of the budgeting process
• Ability to be a self-starter and work upon own initiative 

This is a career defining, fantastic opportunities for an experienced, technically aware, commercial professional, with exposure to specialty chemicals/raw material markets and add significant value to an already high-performing market leading business.