Description
Your Role
We are looking for a Sales Director for Italy who will report directly to the General Manager of Italy. This role will be responsible for defining and executing the national sales strategy to deliver sustainable, profitable growth across all channels in the Italian market.The role has full accountability for net sales performance, customer management, commercial execution and team leadership, ensuring strong alignment with Marketing, Finance, HR and Operations.The Sales Director works in close partnership with the Commercial Excellence Director, who acts as a strategic enabler and governance function for Point-of-Sale execution, Revenue Growth Management (RGM) and Category Management.The position represents the senior commercial leader in the country and a key contributor to the overall business strategy.
What you will do
The Sales Director Italy is responsible for defining and executing the national sales strategy to deliver sustainable, profitable growth across all channels in the Italian market.
The role has full accountability for net sales performance, customer management, commercial execution and team leadership, ensuring strong alignment with Marketing, Finance, HR and Operations.
The Sales Director works in close partnership with the Commercial Excellence Director, who acts as a strategic enabler and governance function for Point-of-Sale execution, Revenue Growth Management (RGM) and Category Management.
The position represents the senior commercial leader in the country and a key contributor to the overall business strategy.
Key Responsibilities
1. Sales Strategy & Business Planning
1. Define and implement the national sales strategy for the company’s portfolio in line with local and global business priorities.
2. Translate corporate, brand and category strategies into actionable commercial plans by channel and customer.
3. Lead the annual commercial planning cycle, including:Budget definitionSales forecast (volume, value and mix)Target setting and phasing
4. Ensure balanced growth across top line, margin and profitability, in collaboration with Finance and Commercial Excellence.
5. Actively contribute to the country leadership team, providing a strong commercial perspective to strategic decisions.
2. Customer & Channel Management
6. Own and lead relationships with Key Accounts, buying groups, distributors and concessionari.
7. Lead senior-level negotiations, Joint Business Plans and long-term partnership agreements.
8. Define and approve pricing architecture, promotional strategy and trade terms in close collaboration with Finance and under RGM guidelines.
9. Drive channelstrategiesacross:Modern TradeTraditionalTradeSpecializedchannelDistributorsE-commerceOther emergingchannels
10. Ensure consistency and discipline in commercial policies, customer conditions and contractual compliance.
3. Commercial Execution & Commercial Excellence Interface
11. Partner with the Commercial Excellence Director to:Implement Revenue Growth Management principles (price-pack architecture, promo effectiveness, mix optimization).Leverage Category Management insights to support customer selling stories and shelving strategies.
12. Ensure strong adoption of tools, processes and KPIs defined by Commercial Excellence within the Sales organization.
13. Act as business owner of execution outcomes, ensuring sales teams deliver against agreed standards.
4. Team Leadership & Talent Development
14. Lead, coach and develop the national Sales organization, including:Chains and Buyinggroups managersVetAffairsmanagerKey NationalAccount ManagersArea / Regional Sales ManagersField Sales Teams
15. Define clear objectives, priorities and performance expectations aligned with company strategy.
16. Partner with HR to manage:Performance evaluation and incentive schemesTalent development and capabilitybuildingSuccessionplanning and organizationaldesign
17. Foster a high-performance culture based on accountability, collaboration and continuous improvement.
18. Foster and leverage Vet Science as a key growth driver through the whole sales organization
5. Cross-FunctionalCollaboration
19. Work closely with Marketing on:Productlaunches and innovationrolloutsBrand activationplansMedia & Activation alignment at Point of Sale
20. CollaboratewithOperationsto:EnsureaccuratedemandforecastingOptimize service levels and customer satisfactionAlign supply chain priorities with commercial needs
21. Partner withFinanceto:Monitor margins, profitability and trade spendReview commercial performance and corrective actions
22. Ensure seamless collaboration across all country functions to deliver business objectives.
6. Performance Monitoring & Market Intelligence
23. Track and analyse sales performance, market share, numeric and weighted distribution, and customer profitability.
24. Monitor market trends, consumer behaviours and competitive dynamics.
25. Lead regular business reviews with customers and internal stakeholders.
26. Prepare and present performance updates, risks and action plans to the General Manager and senior leadership.
What we are looking for
•Education: Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Economics or similar. MBA or postgraduate degree is a strong plus.
•Languages: Native-level Italian and professional fluency in English (for corporate reporting).
27. Experience: Minimum 10 years of commercial experience in FMCG – OTC and proven track record in leading national sales organizations. Experienceworking in matrix and cross-functionalenvironments.
28. Market Expertise: Strong knowledge of the Italian retail landscape and distribution channels.
29. Key Competencies
30. Strategic leadership with strong execution focus.
31. Excellent negotiation and influencing skills at senior level.
32. Strong analytical mindset with data-driven decision making.
33. Ability to lead complex organizations and drive change.
34. Results-oriented, resilient and hands-on leadership style.
35. Entrepreneur spirit, high call to action
What Success Looks Like
●Sustainable growth in sales, market share and profitability.
●Strong customer partnerships and improved channel economics.
●High engagement, capability and performance of the Sales organization.
●Effective collaboration with Commercial Excellence and other functions.
Whatweoffer
●Hybrid workingmodel
●Flexible workinghours
●Ticket Restaurants
●Amazon productdiscount
●Free Parking
●Affinity University platform: Professional development opportunities for employees at different stages of their careers, acknowledging diverse career paths.
●Celebrations & Fun
If you don’t meet all the requirements, don’t worry. We value diverse backgrounds and encourage you to apply anyway. Your application will be thoughtfully reviewed!
We cultivate an inclusive culture that celebrates diversity. We firmly believe that embracing a variety of perspectives is integral to both our company’s success and the strength of our team. That’s why we are committed to providing equal opportunities for all.
Our Company
Affinity Petcare is more than an international petfood company. For more than 60 years, we have been dedicated to nourishing healthy bonds between dogs, cats, and people to make the world a better place.
We are very proud of our innovative brands which include: Ultima, Advance, Brekkies, Nature’s Variety, Nature’s Menu, Natural Trainer, Libra, and more. Currently, we have over 1,200 professionals working for this purpose from Barcelona, Paris, Milan, and London, as well as 4 production sites through which we supply the 70+ countries where our brands have a presence.
So, what are you waiting for? Join our team to leave your footprint!
Want to know more about us?
Follow us on LinkedIn for the latest updates and job opportunities. You can also follow us on Instagram to find out more about life at Affinity and hear stories from our team.