Description
COUNTRY MANAGER – NETAFIM NETHERLANDS
Direct Manager: Head of North Europe GBU
Location: The Netherlands
Work Environment: 80% field-based (customer visits, field trials, partner engagement), 20% office-based (team management, planning, reporting).
Travel: 70–80% (national and international)
Mission / Role Purpose:
As Country Manager, you will be directly responsible for driving sales growth and market leadership in the Netherlands. You will lead by example, engaging daily with key customers, empowering your team, and translating strategy into commercial execution. Your mission: to scale Netafim’s impact through precision agriculture and digital farming, while delivering profitable, customer-centric, and sustainable business outcomes.
Key Responsibilities:
1. Sales Growth and Commercial Execution
- Deliver on monthly and annual sales and margin targets through proactive sales management.
- Personally engage with strategic customers and key accounts to close deals, upsell solutions, and strengthen relationships.
- Develop and execute localized go-to-market plans, in line with global/EMEA commercial strategies.
- Continuously assess market dynamics and identify growth opportunities by crop, solution (drip, greenhouse, digital), and channel (dealers, B2B, B2C).
- Lead weekly pipeline reviews and coach sales teams to increase conversion rates and win high-value projects.
2. Operational and Financial Accountability
- Own the full P&L responsibility for Netafim Netherlands. Track performance daily and take corrective action as needed.
- Lead accurate forecasting, budgeting, and cost control in alignment with the Annual Operating Plan (AOP).
- Ensure on-time delivery and project execution, collaborating with supply chain, agronomy, and service functions.
3. Team Leadership and People Development
- Build, mentor, and empower a high-performance, customer-obsessed team across sales, agronomy, operations, and support.
- Implement a feedback-rich, performance-driven culture aligned with Netafim’s values and global People Strategy.
- Conduct regular 1:1s and team reviews, and lead talent development plans to enable internal growth and succession.
4. Innovation and Digital Adoption
- Champion adoption of Netafim’s digital farming solutions, demonstrating ROI to customers and embedding tools in the sales cycle.
- Drive experimentation with new technologies, field trials, and case studies that reinforce our market leadership.
- Collaborate with global innovation teams to localize and scale breakthrough solutions.
5. External Representation and Governance
- Act as the face of Netafim Netherlands with customers, partners, government authorities, and industry platforms.
- Ensure compliance with legal, ethical, and financial policies, as well as health, safety, and environmental standards.
- Provide regular updates to EMEA leadership on performance, risks, and new business opportunities.
Success Metrics / KPIs:
· Sales revenue and gross margin growth
· Customer acquisition, retention, and satisfaction (NPS)
· Market share increase in strategic segments
· Project conversion rate and hit ratio
· Forecast accuracy and operational efficiency (SG&A)
· Employee engagement, development, and retention
· Adoption rate of digital solutions and innovative offers
Requirements
Education & Experience
- Bachelor's in Agronomy, Business, Engineering, or related field (required); MBA/Master’s preferred.
- 10+ years of experience in commercial and general management roles, ideally in agriculture, irrigation, ag-tech, or agribusiness.
- Proven success in leading sales teams and growing a business in B2B/B2C channels.
- Experience managing cross-functional teams and complex stakeholder environments.
Skills & Behaviors
- Sales-driven leader with strong business acumen and hands-on execution.
- Motivational and inspirational people manager who leads by example and builds trust.
- Strong commercial negotiator, able to translate value into revenue.
- Analytical and data-driven, with proficiency in CRM, ERP, and digital tools.
- Excellent communication skills in Dutch and English; other languages (e.g. German, French) are a plus.
- Agile, entrepreneurial, and culturally sensitive in a global organization.
What You’ll Achieve in Your First 12 Months
- Hit or exceed sales and margin targets in your top 3 segments.
- Launch 2–3 new growth initiatives with measurable customer impact.
- Improve forecast accuracy and win rates through better sales discipline.
- Strengthen Netafim’s brand presence and leadership position in the Dutch market.
