Sales Manager, Discounter & NFR NL
On-siteUtrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
Job Summary
Build and own the long-term strategic roadmap for Discounters & NFR, driving innovation, activation, and sustainable growth agendas with customers like Lidl, Aldi, and Action. Lead the sales team in delivering the annual channel plan and Joint Business Plan, securing key growth initiatives across pricing, promotions, and category collaboration. Manage senior external stakeholders in purchasing organizations while independently engaging internal Sector and Market Unit leaders to influence decision-making. Directly oversee performance management, talent development, and succession planning for Account Managers, fostering a high-performance culture focused on accountability and customer centricity. Coordinate activities across local markets and the Sector team to drive alignment for the Action Pan-Europe business, closing Customer Development Agreements to deliver targeted Net Sales Revenue objectives.
Required Qualifications
- Minimum 9 years in FMCG sales / key account management
- Direct experience managing Lidl, Aldi, and/or Action (or comparable discount/non-food retail) accounts in the Netherlands
- Proven success leading senior-level buyer negotiations
- Owning Joint Business Plans (JBP) end-to-end
- Strong commercial understanding of EDLP vs Hi-Lo pricing models
- Understanding of how discounter economics differ from mainstream grocery
- Track record optimizing category assortment and shelf/pallet strategy
- Experience within limited-SKU, high-velocity formats
- Skilled in demand forecasting
- Skilled in margin management
- Skilled in pricing discipline
- Confident using retail data and analytics (e.g. Nielsen/Circana)
- Ability to drive fact-based negotiations
- Solid grasp of private label dynamics
- Understanding of how branded portfolios compete and win within discount retail
- Experience partnering with Supply Chain, Category Management, Marketing, and Finance
- Fluency in Dutch
- Fluency in English
- Executive presence to represent the business in senior/top-to-top retailer engagements
- Entrepreneurial mindset
- Resilience
- Comfort operating in fast-paced, lean commercial environment
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