Italy Country Manager/Technical Sales Manager Food Ingredients

Please apply in English and use bullet points in your CV.

Country Manager / Technical Sales Manager Food Ingredients m/f/m for Italy

• For a well-known European Food Ingredients Distributor
• Office-based in Northern Italy
• Must have a Degree in Food Technology
• Must have knowledge of the Italian Food and Beverage industry
• Fluent in written and spoken English and Italian

Tasks

We are looking for a Country Manager for Italy. You will work 25% as Country Manager and 75% as a Sales Manager with a passion for food technology and sales.

• You will be responsible for establishing our business in Italy, overall market performance, and sales growth in the food industry sector.
• This includes understanding food technology, sales management, and logistics, as well as team leadership across functions (including government relations, partnerships, operations, and local marketing).
• As a Country Manager, you will ensure operational excellence and identify new opportunities for sales growth while building and maintaining important partnerships with food producers.

Requirements

• Bachelor or Master Degree in Food Technology (must have)
• Minimum 3 years of experience in the food industry (production/sales)
• Ability to solve technological problems and a passion for developing food products
• Exceptional communication and analytical skills, highly organized, reliable, and able to motivate and guide employees
• Good negotiation skills and positive thinking
• Fluent in written and spoken English and Italian
• Prepared to travel
• Business acumen
• Skilled computer user

Responsibilities as a Technical Sales Manager:

• Analyze market and product range of suppliers to find new potentials
• Create strong relationships with food producers
• Develop sales strategies for specified ingredients (business development)
• Visit customers in Italy, analyze their needs, and create a value proposition
• Advise on ingredient applications and develop tailor-made recipes for customers when required
• Attend production trials at customers and conduct small-scale trials in the application kitchen
• Make price offers and follow up on projects & payments from customers
• Align sales strategy for suppliers’ product groups under the supervision of Springboard managers
• Check legal requirements (certification, registration, labeling, import)

Responsibilities as a Country Manager (Director):

• Maintain good relationships with our suppliers
• Control business processes within the company (logistics, contracts, administration, warehouse, usage of internal computer program)
• Financial control (payments, exchange rate, costs of the company)
• Coach and motivate employees
• Generate profit

Benefits

• Working in an international team with lean structures
• Close cooperation with market-leading, innovative suppliers with excellent products
• Regular product and application training
• We offer an attractive compensation package reflective of your experience and qualifications, consisting of salary, vehicle allowance, and business tools
• You will decide the location of the new company to create