Area Global Sales Director (Italy, Greece, Lybia)

Location: Cinisello Balsamo

Responsibilities / Tasks

We are looking for an experienced commercial leader to join GEA as Area Global Sales Director for Italy, Greece and Libya.

Reporting to the VP Cluster France, Italy & North Africa, you will lead the sales organization across the area and drive profitable Order Intake growth in line with the overall Cluster strategy.

This is a senior commercial leadership role combining sales strategy, team leadership, business development, customer engagement and complex commercial negotiations across GEA’s Processing Engineering portfolio.

Your responsibilities

• Lead the front-sales and sales support teams and develop and implement the sales plan.
• Take accountability for the delivery and implementation of the Order Intake budget.
• Lead Sales Front-End, Technical Offering, Sales Engineering, Sales Administration and CRM activities.
• Play an active role in customer negotiations and commercial offering activities.
• Negotiate contractual terms and conditions in collaboration with Legal and Finance.
• Work directly with customers and through GEA’s global sales network, depending on market applications.
• Collaborate with Division Marketing to define and implement global marketing plans.
• Manage agents and distributors, including engagement, support, commissions and compliance activities.
• Define pricing and discount policies and project-specific commercial conditions, ensuring project profitability and the implementation and maintenance of price lists.
• Shape and implement the business development strategy and go-to-market approach in collaboration with the NPE Division Regional Business Units and the Global Dairy Business Line.
• Contribute to the product development pipeline and to defining R&D investment priorities and related business cases.
• Manage the cost center and personnel budget.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with customers, key accounts and key stakeholders across GEA.

Your Profile / Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Engineering, Economics, Food Technology & Science or an equivalent field.
• At least 15 years of professional experience in similar commercial leadership positions, including a minimum of 5 years in a sales management role.
• Strong application knowledge and experience in the dairy/cheese, beverage and food processing industry.
• Experience working in international business environments.
• Strong commercial acumen and negotiation capabilities.
• Proven ability to navigate complex commercial situations and challenges.
• Good understanding of legal and financial aspects of commercial contracts.
• Strong customer orientation and relationship-building skills.
• An open and collaborative leadership approach, with a solution-oriented mindset.
• Ability to perform effectively in demanding and high-pressure situations.
• Openness to new ideas and continuous improvement.
• Fluent Italian and English. Additional languages, particularly French, are considered an advantage.
• Additional education or training in finance, commercial contracts, sales, negotiation or value selling will be considered an advantage.

What we offer

• Competitive compensation package.
• Company car.
• Health and wellbeing programmes.
• The opportunity to work in an international environment with global responsibility and exposure.
• Base salary range €90,000–€110,000, plus a variable component based on the company's annual bonus plan.
• Contract classification will be evaluated based on the candidate’s experience and seniority.
• GEA is proudly certified as a Top Employer, reflecting our commitment to employee wellbeing, development and empowerment.
• Ready to bring your commercial leadership to GEA and help shape the future of Processing Engineering? We look forward to hearing from you.
• Did we spark your interest?
• Then please click apply above to access our guided application process.