Purpose & Overall Relevance for the Organization:

Lead and empower the Benelux Wholesale Sales team to deliver profitable and sustainable net sales and market share growth, aligned to the agreed brand and commercial strategy.

Identify future growth opportunities through the development of Benelux marketplace plans in alignment with all key channel stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities:

Commercial Responsibilities

• Deliver Wholesale Net Sales and broader commercial targets for Benelux.
• Develop, drive and implement a Benelux marketplace strategy and plan to deliver accelerated sales growth and share gains, in line with category targets.
• Build strong external relationships with key Wholesale Customers to optimize partnership, collaboration and commercial results.
• Build strong internal relationships with European Omnichannel Strategy team (Wholesale and Digital Partner Commerce) to ensure that the Benelux market and commercial standards comply with the European blueprint.
• Implement and maintain high operational Wholesale Sales Management standards.
• Ensure all customers are allocated to the correct Wholesale Sales channels and segmentation principles.
• Set objectives, strategies, tactics and allocate resources to ensure translation into action plans, respecting the framework set by the customer portfolio strategies.
• Ensure a coordinated and efficient Wholesale sell-in process, optimizing the usage of sell-in tools, including the approved negotiation and implementation of trade terms.
• Monitor and report on customer and competitor sell-through activities, and initiate action plans to drive results in accordance with the agreed plan.
• Fully implement the global trade terms classification, ensuring full compliance and optimised profitability. 
• Deliver accurate plans and forecasts on Wholesale customer and channel performance in line with planning assumptions.
• Support VP North Sales with broader Commercial Strategy and input to ensure Benelux integration into broader North Commercial plans.

Leadership Responsibilities

• Lead the Benelux Sales team, optimizing functional and leadership skills across the team.
• Manage all direct reports as an integrated team by setting aligned objectives, 90 day targets, providing clarity of expectations on performance management.
• Build an effective channel structure to ensure FTE ratio and overhead costs are assigned accordingly to channel objectives in alignment with HR.
• Ensure strong cross-functional relationships across all internal teams and stakeholders to operate as one end to end channel to deliver Benelux objectives and commercial results.
• Develop and lead high performance expectations to motivate and develop the Benelux Sales team in accordance with company performance and talent management protocols.
• Attract and develop high performing talent to realize positive succession planning outcomes within the Sales team and broader organization.
• Ensure all team members have Individual Development Plans which are appropriate for their own development and performance in role.
• Use personal development plan to develop and demonstrate continuous improvement in leadership and functional skills.
• Use ELS and other feedback opportunities to build an inclusive, winning, high performance culture.

KPI measures

• Total net sales development according to budget
• Total net margin aligned to budget
• Market share targets aligned with category growth targets
• Team engagement, motivation and talent development

Key Relationships

• Internal:
  • Benelux Brand Team
  • Benelux Business Development
  • Wholesale Sales channel leads within Cluster
  • Key marketplace relevant Sales/Channel leads
  • Europe Commercial Omnichannel Strategy Team (Wholesale and Digital Partner Commerce)
  • Go To Market Cluster Team
  • Benelux Account Operations
  • Cluster Sales Development
  • Cluster Supply Chain
  • Cluster Finance
  • Cluster/AMS HR
• External:
  • Wholesale Customers – key decision makers

Knowledge and Experience

• Proven leadership and people management skills to operate with impact across a matrix organisation.
• High degree of commercial and business acumen, with proven track record of success in senior roles within a large Wholesale Sales channel. (Sporting goods/fashion industry)
• Experience of managing, coaching and mentoring large teams within a commercial wholesale environment.
• Ability to build and develop mid-term business plans to incorporate a strategic and commercial perspective.
• Strong interpersonal skills, including communication, presentation, negotiation, influencing and leading across internal and external environments.
• Excellent stakeholder management.
• Strong organizational and planning skills, including the ability to proactively plan and manage reactive intervention simultaneously.
• Fluency in written and spoken English is essential.

Skills

• Drive for results
• Collaboration and Influencing
• Relationship management
• Strategic Thinking
• Excellent communication
• Analytical / Insights to action
• Leadership – high performance teams