Group Sales Director Food Service
Ardo supplies its continuously growing markets around the world with high quality fresh frozen vegetables, herbs, and fruit with 3,200 employees and 16 production, packing & distribution sites in 7 different countries. The family business sells in more than 100 countries and has a turnover of more than 1.4 billion euros. The proximity of our factories to our crops is one of our key strengths and ensures that only minutes are lost between harvest and locking in the product’s natural goodness in our freezers. Ardo's purpose is to preserve nature’s gifts for future generations by providing fresh frozen, plant-based food while minimising our impact on the planet. Ardo achieves this goal thanks to an integrated network of growing areas, production units, freezing units, packaging equipment,logistics and stringent quality control. The group's know-how and flexible structure ensure that it can respond quickly to the newest trends and that innovative products can be brought onto the market quickly.
Here’s what you’ll do:
The Group Sales Director Food Service contributes to long- & short-term growth and profit within a specific market segment/channel: Food Service. He/she builds and develops the channel strategy, delivers the channel P&L, develops the team, and is closely connected with key customers. He/she coordinates the Food service business across borders and functional departments. He/she must allocate resources to reach the goals, and recognise opportunities and risks across the group, ensuring and leveraging the full benefit of integrated worldwide operations.
The Group Sales Director Food Service must ensure commercial success within the assigned segment and geographical regions. He/she must ensure the Ardo business is aligned with a specific customer segment by maximising the value we deliver to and derive from each customer.
The Group Sales Director Food Service must develop the channel strategy for this specific segment, identify the most valuable customers to be attracted and retained together with the sales team, uncover their most critical purchase drivers and make sure that Ardo is uniquely positioned to deliver products & services against these value drivers more effectively and profitably than competitors. Besides the Director needs to bring ‘strategy into action’, driving the results for the company and our customers. Meaning; create the right strategy and develop the tools and environment for the sales team to be successful with implementation at the customers.
The Group Sales Director Food Service coordinates key aspects of the business impacting the customer’s experience within this specific segment. He/she will therefore centralise information and coordinate cooperation with various internal departments, ensuring the customer’s experience across all touchpoints within the Ardo organisation reinforces the value being provided to the customer and the value of the customer to the company.
He/she must provide support and expert insight to the business. He/she is responsible for ensuring that company sales turnover, market share and profit margin goals are met. He/she must coordinate all activities with regards to new customer acquisition, customer satisfaction and product development needs.
For a detailed job description, please contact Group HR.
This is where you recognize yourself:
1. University Degree or similar through experience
2. Solid experience in a similar function
3. Experience working with customers in the food service segment
4. Strong skills in sales strategy, forecasting, and pipeline management
5. Proven track record in achieving sales targets and revenue growth
6. Excellent communication, negotiation, and leadership skills
7. Language skills: Minimum native language + English (L4 – full professional proficiency), preferably Dutch/French as second foreign language (L2-4).
8. Role requires frequent international travel – approx. 40%.
What’s in it for you?
We offer you the opportunity to be part of an authentic and sustainable international company, with real growth opportunities and the freedom to actively participate in shaping the business and the opportunity to develop professionally. You will receive a full remuneration package in line with the level of this position. We care for our people and create family-friendly surroundings by offering flexibility work arrangements.