Director Sales - Crop Protection

Position Overview:

The Director – Sales, Crop Protection is part of Country Leadership team and responsible for providing strategic and operational leadership to the sales organization and delivering sustainable revenue, profitability, market share, and business growth objectives. The role will lead the development and execution of short- and long-term sales strategies, market development models, distribution and channel roadmaps, and commercial plans aligned with evolving customer and market needs. The Director will ensure clear accountability for execution while building a high-performing, future-ready Sales organization with the capabilities, structure, and talent required to support the company's growth ambitions. As a key commercial leader, the incumbent will work closely with Marketing, Commercial Excellence, Finance, Supply Chain, Product Management, R&D and other cross-functional stakeholders to translate business strategy into effective market execution and deliver value for customers, channel partners and the organization.

Key Responsibilities:

Sales Strategy & Business Growth

• Develop and execute short- and long-range sales strategies aligned with the overall Crop Protection business strategy and growth objectives.
• Establish annual sales operating plans, priorities, objectives and performance measures across markets, geographies and product portfolios.
• Deliver revenue, profitability, volume and market-share objectives through disciplined commercial planning and execution.
• Develop market development models and identify new opportunities for sustainable growth across products, crops, customers, channels and geographies.
• Translate strategic priorities into clear sales plans and ensure consistent execution across the field organization.
• Lead monthly and annual sales forecasting and drive greater forecast accuracy through strong market intelligence and sales discipline.
• Monitor business performance and proactively initiate corrective actions where performance is below plan.

Distribution & Channel Strategy

• Strengthen and expand the distribution network to improve market reach, customer access and commercial effectiveness.
• Build strong, sustainable relationships with distributors, channel partners and other key stakeholders.
• Regularly assess the effectiveness, productivity and relevance of the distribution model and implement appropriate corrective measures.
• Ensure consistent implementation of commercial policies across the distribution network.
• Identify opportunities to evolve channel and go-to-market models in response to changing buying behaviors, technology and market dynamics.
• Drive disciplined channel management with appropriate focus on inventory, demand generation, market coverage and quality of sales.

Commercial & Market Leadership

• Partner closely with Marketing on customer segmentation, product positioning, pricing strategies, portfolio priorities and go-to-market plans.
• Provide timely market intelligence on competitor activity, pricing, customer dynamics, market trends and in-season developments to support commercial decision-making.
• Develop appropriate competitive responses and commercial interventions in partnership with Marketing and other relevant functions.
• Contribute actively to product management teams, including new product introduction, product development strategies, launch planning, promotion, business planning and product lifecycle management.
• Ensure strong alignment between sales execution, demand generation activities and broader commercial priorities.
• Identify emerging customer and market needs and translate these insights into actionable commercial opportunities.

Sales Organization & People Leadership

• Lead the organizational design of the sales organization, ensuring that structure, roles, capabilities and staffing are aligned with current and future business needs.
• Establish clear roles, responsibilities, objectives and performance standards across the sales organization.
• Communicate expectations clearly and create strong accountability for execution and business results.
• Regularly assess sales force productivity and effectiveness, including half-yearly and annual performance reviews.
• Build a strong leadership and talent pipeline through coaching, capability development, succession planning and targeted development interventions.
• Foster a high-performance culture characterized by customer focus, collaboration, ownership, inclusion and continuous improvement.
• Anticipate future capability requirements and ensure the sales organization continues to evolve in line with changing markets and commercial models.

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Collaborate with Marketing, Finance, Supply Chain, Commercial Excellence, R&D and other functions to ensure integrated business planning and execution.
• Partner with Supply Chain and commercial teams to align demand forecasts, portfolio priorities and market requirements.
• Provide senior leadership with regular visibility into sales performance, market developments, business opportunities and potential risks.
• Influence enterprise decision-making by bringing a strong customer, channel and market perspective to strategic discussions.
• Champion effective execution of strategic commercial initiatives across the sales organization.

Education & Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in agriculture, Agricultural Sciences, Agribusiness, Business Management or a related discipline. A Master's degree/MBA would be advantageous.

• 15–20 years of progressive commercial/sales leadership experience, preferably in the agro-input/agriculture industry; strong leadership experience from adjacent sectors such as FMCG, Pharmaceuticals, Consumer Healthcare, or other distribution-led industries will also be considered.

• Demonstrated experience leading sizeable and geographically dispersed sales organizations.

• Strong understanding of complex distribution and channel models, customer segmentation, go-to-market strategies and market development. Experience in agriculture/Crop Protection is preferred, with relevant experience from FMCG, Pharmaceuticals, Consumer Healthcare or other distribution-led industries also valued.

• Proven experience developing and executing sales strategies and delivering revenue and profitability objectives.
• Experience in organizational design, sales-force effectiveness, capability development and leadership of senior commercial teams.

Leadership & Functional Capabilities:

The successful candidate will demonstrate:

·       Strategic Commercial Leadership: Ability to connect long-term business strategy with practical market and sales execution.

·       Market Shaping: A forward-looking mindset and the ability to anticipate shifts in customer, channel and agricultural market dynamics.

·       Business & Financial Acumen: Strong understanding of revenue, profitability, pricing, investment choices and commercial trade-offs.

·       Customer & Channel Orientation: Deep understanding of customer needs and an ability to develop sustainable relationships across the distribution ecosystem.

·       Execution Excellence: Ability to translate strategy into clear priorities, establish accountability and consistently deliver business outcomes.

·       People Leadership: Proven ability to build, motivate and develop high-performing sales teams and future leaders.

·       Collaboration & Influence: Ability to work effectively across functions and influence senior stakeholders in a complex, matrixed organization.

·       Innovation & Agility: Willingness to challenge established approaches and introduce new commercial models, tools and ways of working as the market evolves.

·       Data-led Decision Making: Ability to use sales, customer and market insights to strengthen forecasting, resource allocation and commercial decisions.

·       Change Leadership: Ability to lead teams through changing business models, market dynamics and organizational priorities while sustaining execution.