Sales Manager Retail Eastern Europe

FrieslandCampina is a Dutch farmer-owned dairy cooperative with a history of more than 150 years. Every day we serve millions of consumers in more than 100 countries globally. At FrieslandCampina we believe in “Nourishing by Nature”: providing a better nutrition for the world, a good living for our farmers for now and generations to come.

Job Purpose:

Every day, our retail customers want to deliver the highest quality at the best price to their consumers in Eastern Europe. Finding the balance betweenefficient processes and trusting collaboration with their partners guarantee an exceptional price-quality ratio and a well‑thought‑out assortment. You will be responsible for developing our business in Eastern Europe, winning tenders, introducing new products, actively finding opportunities for profitable growth and many more exciting activities that the retail world has to offer.

Our Purpose:

FrieslandCampina Germany is our dedicated Opco for Hard Discount and Traditional Retail, focusing on all German retailers like Lidl, Aldi, Edeka and Rewe. We are known for our brands Frico, Frau Antje, Chocomel and Valess, but we also offer several Private Label products to our German retail customers. Products like Milk, Drinking Yoghurt, Chocolate Milk, Cream, Cheese and many others are sold to Lidl to help them to deliver the highest quality to their consumer.

You will be working in a friendly environment with a flat hierarchy, where we like to work hard and deliver, but fun is an important element in our job too. Our office has an open and pleasant atmosphere, which makes you feel part of a big family. Personal and professional development is embedded in our DNA.

This is how your job looks like in a nutshell:

• Focus on proactive prospecting, opening doors and converting opportunities into sustainable business
• Building a strong pipeline from scratch
• Continuously translate our product values into customer solutions;
• Develop and execute a tailored sales plan for Eastern Europe;
• With a high level of autonomy, you navigate through complex customer decision-making units;
• Manage, submit, negotiate and execute tender offers;
• Point of contact for the local buyers regarding product developments, stock data, complaints, sales forecasting, etc.;
• Visit markets to gather insights & further improve our customer focus;
• Continuously stay updated on industry trends, market conditions, and competitors.
• Represent the customer needs during internal meetings with Supply Chain, Marketing and Finance.

What you can offer us:

• At least 3-5 years recent Private Label Retail sales experience, preferably in dairy;
• Strong self-starter who thrives with autonomy and minimal structure;
• Resilient, persistent and not discouraged by rejection mindset;
• Hands-on, action-oriented, not a strategist but someone who gets (and is not afraid to get) in front of customers fast;
• Getting energized by opening doors and winning new customers;
• Comfortable with cold sales, prospecting and building a pipeline from scratch;
• Demonstrated success in new business acquisition rather than account management;
• Highly proficient in spoken and written English, preferably also Polish;
• Dare to challenge and eager to learn;
• Bachelor’s degree in (International) Business or Marketing;
• Excellent social, negotiation and influencing skills;
• Proficient knowledge of Power BI, MS Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Word and Outlook).