Senior Sales Manager, Flexible Packaging, Hygiene & Personal Care

Inspired to grow with your experience, learn and share with new colleagues?

Huhtamaki is a key global provider of sustainable packaging solutions for consumers around the world, enabling wellbeing and convenience. Our innovative products protect on-the-go and on-the-shelf food and beverages, ensuring hygiene and safety, and help prevent food waste.

We are committed to protecting food, people and the planet and are on the lookout for passionate and consummate professionals to join our growing team to help us deliver on our ambitious 2030 Strategy. We look for colleagues who Care, Dare and Deliver.

We have an exciting opportunity for an experienced Sales Manager to join our Flexible Packaging segment, developing and managing the sales of our Hygiene & Personal Care (HPC) products across European markets. The position holder will create, manage, and implement plans to deliver commercial and financial targets and growth from across the markets.

The Flexible Packaging segment is organized into five regions, each with profit and loss responsibility for their respective markets. In this role, you will work closely with the following teams in the flexible packaging organization:

• Regional Flexible Packaging Europe Sales Team
• Regional Key Account Management team on segment level
• Innovation, NPD, and Marketing teams on segment and regional level
• Commercial Excellence team on segment and regional level

You will be part of the Regional European sales team and will work closely with the three manufacturing sites in Europe (Ronsberg, Germany; Tortona, Italy; and Istanbul, Turkey), with Istanbul being the Center of Excellence for Manufacturing in the HPC segment. They will ensure that products are manufactured and delivered from these sites and collaborate with any other Huhtamaki Flexible Packaging manufacturing units that supply products for the markets to ensure we offer the full breadth of the flexible packaging product offering to our existing and potential customers.

In addition, you will collaborate actively with the centralized segment Regional Key Account Team concerning the Regional Key Accounts and Private Label Manufacturers on the assigned market as needed and with the Segment Commercial Excellence function on pricing, contract management, etc.

This role is open across our European Flexible Packaging locations.

• Conduct market research, competitor, and customer analysis to identify potential customers and develop and deliver new business opportunities within the HPC segment with existing and potential customers.
• Maintain effective market insight to ensure market protection, sustainable innovation, growth, and improved performance for Huhtamaki.
• Participate in establishing business development/sales strategy for the HPC products across European markets together with the European category sales managers.
• Lead new business acquisition in the market.
• Use the Huhtamaki network to showcase the entire product portfolio and capabilities.
• Organize and promote our product offering in trade meetings, road shows, or exhibitions.

• Establish and implement a mid-term commercial strategy for existing accounts in the market designed to maximize growth and profitability in alignment with group and segment strategic goals.
• Ensure high touch (Key) Account Management and customer relationships with regional accounts and private label manufacturers.
• Be the point of contact towards customers and develop strong and effective customer relationships.
• Create and prepare quotations and manage pricing and contracts together with the Commercial Excellence Team.
• Manage tender and price negotiations with local and regional accounts.
• Promote innovation and development of new products and business areas.
• Drive and execute local marketing activities, in collaboration with global and segment teams.
• Ensure efficient processes to control trade receivables and optimal levels of finished goods inventory of both own produced and traded items.
• Prepare and deliver on the budgeted sales, growth, and gross profit targets.
• Prepare and manage reporting, account presentations, and communication towards customers and internally.
• Provide customer profitability analysis and demand forecasts.
• Encourage an environment of continuous improvement and embrace Huhtamaki processes such as Commercial Excellence, as well as exchanging ideas and best practices with other markets.

• Utilize CRM tool Salesforce.com in accordance with the guidelines.
• Work in alignment with Huhtamaki Code of Conduct, other ethical guidelines, and Huhtamaki values Care, Dare, and Deliver.

• Deep knowledge and hands-on experience in the HPC segment in Europe, preferably in the Flexible Packaging industry.
• Proven track record of achieving results and delivering profitable sales growth in a multi-category business.
• Demonstrated ability to manage a complex product portfolio and customer relationships.
• Strong team leadership skills, with experience in both direct people leadership and indirect leadership as a Center of Excellence lead for HPC Sales.
• Excellent communication, influencing, and negotiating skills.
• High energy, drive, and ambition.
• Ability to see the big picture while also analyzing data and details supporting decisions.
• Comfortable working in a matrix environment with strong stakeholder management skills.
• Experience in implementing sustainable strategies leading to improved organizational performance.
• Knowledge of Turkish will be an advantage along with additional European languages.
• Alignment with Huhtamaki’s values and a passion for caring about food, people, and the planet.

• A meaningful job: At Huhtamaki, we believe in protecting food, people and the planet. Our innovative and transformative solutions touch the daily lives of people everywhere.  
• Employees at the center: As part of our 2030 Strategy we are committed to building a high-performance workforce and in doing so strive to be the best workplace for our employees – employees safety and wellbeing is our top priority 
• Development opportunities: We care for each other – and want our talent to thrive and develop 
• Responsible employer: Sustainability is embedded in everything we do. We believe diverse teams fuel innovation. We invest in fostering an environment where everyone is safe both psychologically and physically and where diversity and inclusion are promoted through day-to-day behaviors, which are reinforced by our policies and practices. 

Join us to shape the future together!