Director Channels

The organization

Our client is a world leader in developing, manufacturing and marketing value-added, top-quality products, services and software for professional customers in the construction industry and building maintenance. The Group’s sales reached CHF 4,5 billion in 2014 and the company is known for its long term vision and aspiration to grow. 

The Group’s product range covers drilling and demolition, direct fastening, diamond and anchoring systems, firestop and foam systems, installation, measuring and screw fastening systems as well as cutting and sanding systems. The Hilti brand is usually associated with the masonry or concrete-drilling process, or concrete anchoring systems. The company is committed to excellence in innovation, total quality, direct customer relationships, and effective marketing.

The organization is present in more than 120 countries around the world and employs some 22,000 people. In 50 of these countries, our client has set up its own sales organizations, generating 90% of the Group’s sales. It conducts direct sales through its extensive network of territory sales representatives, key account managers and shops, and in about 70 countries our client is represented by sales partners.

The Group has production plants and Research & Development centers in Europe, the Americas and Asia. It has refined supply chain management and modern logistics, which guarantee that its customers receive the right amount and quality of the right product at the right time and place around the globe. 

Our client has a very strong company culture and its philosophy is the following: “First employee satisfaction, leading to customer satisfaction, which will lead to results.” The company clearly aspires to these objectives and measures its progress on each of the three dimensions. The purpose of the Group is to passionately create enthusiastic customers and build a better future. The values underpinning the culture are integrity, courage, teamwork and commitment. The company sees its culture as a journey. The culture and value system build the frame for the competency model “the Red Thread” focusing on: functional expertise, understanding the business, understanding and defining what needs to be done, getting things done, working with others, developing yourself and others, and living the values. The Group’s motto is “deliver results and develop people”.

The position

Our client wishes to attract a Director Channels.

This role is a high profile position in the leadership team. The incumbent will have specific responsibility for all channels (except the Territory Sales) such as the Centers (8 shops, 19 people), e-commerce (2 people), Customer Service & CRM (6 people) en Customer Care (6 people), around 70% of the order intake in The Netherlands.

The Director Channels leads some 33 professionals and does so in an enabling manner. The preferred candidate is a leader/manager who can convincingly commercialize the wide product range of products and services via the different channels. The Director Channels will have overall business responsibility for his/her (this will not be repeated) channels. 

The incumbent will directly lead three team leaders. He will have full budgetary responsibility and keep his team pro-actively accountable. Client focus and an ‘outside in’ perspective is expected. It is expected that the incumbent holds a strong vision on multi-channel strategy, CRM, digital and the interaction of the different channels aligned with the sales activities of the territory sales teams reporting under the Sales Directors.

The e-commerce platform holds local content (YouTube channel, local SEO/SEA) and propositions and is aligned with platform of the Group. The Netherlands team holds strong impact on the design and usability of the platform and cooperates/shares best practices with in the online community in Germany, Poland, Austria and Switzerland. This community meets four times per year. The Business Development responsibility is included in the position. The Director Channels is expected, as part of his responsibilities, to attend and actively participate in some 5-6 international meetings a year. English is the company language.

Our client is not a traditional company and the envisaged role is not a standard sales management role. Our client is a high performance organization with a very strong people focus. The envisaged role is considered as a stepping stone to attract talent into the international organization. Preferred candidates will be able to successfully run this sales organization whilst being part of and leveraging the international organization.

Overall, our client is looking for rising stars, who wants to join a great company with a unique culture.

Candidate profile

The ideal candidate for this position will be a talented sales and marketing leader with a couple of years management experience and a background in (strategy) consulting. The position holds a strong focus on multi-channel strategy, CRM and client focused support. Some experience in this field is definitely an advantage. Experience in the Building and Construction sector could be a plus but is not a must.

As the key drivers to get to the top are leadership, people management and development, strategic thinking and collaboration. The successful candidate can also come from leading players and “talent producers” of other industries with tangible products in the consumer or technology space.

He will have lived and worked abroad and is comfortable assimilating to different countries and cultures. The ideal candidate will combine a hands-on approach with an aptitude for technology and organizational awareness, strong strategic skills and a result-orientation. He will possess proven commercial skills (customers, channels, competitors) and will have experience of managing and motivating a (sales) team. The candidate will be experienced at managing in a global environment and comfortable within a matrix organization structure.

In short:

• Excellent numerical, analytical and conceptual skills
• Some years of international project management and consultancy experience
• Broad experience with CRM, Online and Customer Contact Centers
• Down to earth style and can do mentality
• Strong communicator on all levels of the industry, easily accessible

The candidate will have strong people leadership experience and will be adept at holding team members accountable for results. He will routinely provide specific behavioral feedback and develop plans to encourage professional development of those on the team. The candidate will be a motivational leader who is able to build a cohesive team, develop and communicate a vision and energize the team behind this vision.

The cultural fit of the candidate with our client will be decisive in terms of the ideal profile and also decisive in terms underpinning their future success after joining the company. High integrity and honesty are absolute requirements. He will be motivated to succeed but not to the detriment of others (peers & direct reports). He will be self-confident but with humbleness appropriate with the culture. He will not be interested or motivated by the ‘trappings of office’.

The candidate will be a good listener and thoughtful in interactions at all levels of the company and externally. He will be skilled at managing in a complex organizational environment and will deliver impact through superior influencing skills. He will possess appropriate education credentials including an undergraduate degree in a technical or business related subject and ideally an advanced degree in business.

Interested?

You are invited to apply for this position by using the form below.