European Sales Director

Sales Director – Europe

£200,000 - £250,000 + Bonus & Benefits 

Location: London preferred (flexibility for exceptional Western European candidates)

The Opportunity

This is a rare opportunity to take ownership of one of the most strategically important regions within a global, vertically integrated industrial business at a pivotal point in its evolution.

Europe represents a core value market for the group: complex, margin-sensitive, relationship-led and strategically critical. The incoming Sales Director will be trusted with genuine commercial responsibility, not just for revenue delivery, but for how value is created, protected and expanded across the European portfolio.

This is not a “big team, big infrastructure” role. It is deliberately lean, hands-on and entrepreneurial. The business is scaling thoughtfully, preparing for a future liquidity event, and looking to strengthen the calibre of its commercial leadership accordingly.

The Role

As Sales Director – Europe, you will own all commercial activity across the region, balancing short-term execution with longer-term strategic positioning.
You will work directly with global leadership and operate one heartbeat from the Chief Commercial Officer, with clear visibility to the executive team.
Key elements of the role include:

• Full accountability for European revenue, volume and margin performance across core segments
• Ownership of key strategic and multinational customer relationships, including several global accounts headquartered in Europe
• Leadership of pricing strategy, contract negotiation and margin discipline in a cyclical, supply‑constrained commodity environment
• Active participation in allocation decisions, logistics strategy and value-chain optimisation
• Direct engagement with customers across Europe, this is a market-facing role, not a desk-based one

While this is a Director-level appointment, the role remains intentionally hands-on. You will be expected to lead from the front, not through layers of hierarchy.

The Commercial Context

This is a globally traded physical product business. Success in this role requires a practical understanding of how value is created through pricing, logistics, contracts and customer behaviour, not marketing narratives or theoretical models.

You will be operating in a market shaped by global supply dynamics, geopolitical volatility and cost pressure, where commercial judgement and credibility matter.

The business is also selectively re-evaluating its route-to-market strategy in Europe, including the balance between direct customer relationships and intermediated distribution, creating real scope for commercial impact.

What We’re Looking For

Rather than a rigid background checklist, the business is focused on capability, judgement and mindset.

You are likely to bring:

• Senior commercial experience in industrial minerals, chemicals, commodities or adjacent physical product markets
• First-hand exposure to European value chains, including pricing, contracts, logistics and distribution
• Credibility operating at both C-suite level with global customers and at an operational level when required
• An entrepreneurial, commercially curious approach, comfortable questioning how things have “always been done”
• Experience gained as a producer, trader, distributor or buyer within relevant sectors

This role will not suit candidates motivated primarily by title, scale of team or internal politics. It will strongly suit those who value ownership, impact and progression based on contribution.

Location & Travel

London is the strong preference, reflecting the importance of collaboration with the commercial, logistics and S&OP teams. That said, exceptional candidates based elsewhere in Western Europe will be considered.
Regular travel across Europe is expected and essential to success in the role.

Reward

The business offers a competitive executive compensation package aligned to the London market, with base salary and a performance-related incentive opportunity.
More importantly, this role offers meaningful scope for long-term progression within a global commercial leadership team as the organisation continues to scale.

This is a role for someone who wants to build, not inherit; to shape outcomes, not manage optics.