Sales Director & Country Lead, Norway

Xylem is a Fortune 500 global water solutions company dedicated to advancing sustainable impact and empowering the people who make water work every day. As a leading water technology company with 23,000 employees operating in over 150 countries, Xylem is at the forefront of addressing the world's most critical water challenges. We invite passionate individuals to join our team, dedicated to exceeding customer expectations through innovative and sustainable solutions.

We are looking for a strong commercial business leader to run Xylem's $60M Transport business in Norway and act as Country Lead / Managing Director for the Norwegian legal entity.

This is first and foremost a commercial leadership role. The mandate is to strengthen growth, local profitability, sales execution, forecast quality, pricing discipline, go-to-market effectiveness and sales capability in Norway. The formal Managing Director / Country Lead responsibility is important but should be understood as part of the overall country leadership platform rather than the core identity of the role.

The right candidate will bring more than sales leadership alone. We are looking for someone with strong P&L experience, the ability to understand the mechanics behind business performance, and the leadership capability to mobilize people across a matrix organization. This person should be able to contribute meaningfully to the Nordic agenda from day one and have the potential to take on broader Nordic or European responsibilities in the future.

As Sales Director, Transport Norway & Country Lead, you will own the commercial and financial performance of the Transport business in Norway. This means delivering profitable growth through disciplined sales execution, stronger account planning, better funnel quality, pricing realization, improved forecast accuracy and a sharper go-to-market model.

Profitability in this role is not limited to consolidated margin. You will be expected to understand and improve the broader local performance picture, including EBITDA, contribution margin, revenue mix, pricing, cost drivers and execution quality, using the relevant local business adjustments and management views.

You will also serve as the formal Managing Director / Country Lead for Norway, ensuring that local statutory, legal and administrative responsibilities are handled properly in collaboration with Finance, HR, Legal and other support functions. This part of the role requires maturity, judgement and coordination, but the core success factor is commercial leadership and business performance.

The role is also about continuous transformation. We are looking for someone who can challenge the status quo, translate strategy into clear operating choices, and use data, business insight and what-if scenario thinking to test options before deciding where to focus.

• Lead the Transport business in Norway with accountability for growth, EBITDA development, consolidated margin, pricing discipline, forecast quality and commercial execution.

• Build a high-performing sales organization with stronger account planning, customer-facing intensity, disciplined follow-up and a clear operating rhythm.

• Improve funnel quality, win rate, pricing realization, sales capability and forecast accuracy through structured governance and transparent countermeasures.

• Translate Nordic and regional strategy into a practical Norway growth plan with clear priorities, ownership, measurable outcomes and what-if scenarios around volume, price, mix, channel, cost and execution risk.

• Strengthen go-to-market execution as a combination of market insight, customer segmentation, direct sales, indirect/channel strategy, partner/distributor logic and clear value propositions.

• Partner closely with Service, Finance, HR, Legal, Product Management, Marketing and other enabling functions to remove barriers, improve execution and make change stick.

• Navigate a matrix environment and influence senior stakeholders without relying only on formal authority.

• Relate credibly to executives across the Nordic and European organization when required, simplifying complex business situations into clear storylines, options, implications and recommended actions.

• Act as Country Lead / Managing Director for the Norwegian legal entity, including statutory and external representation where required.

• Contribute actively to the Nordic Leadership Team and bring a broader business perspective beyond Norway.

We are looking for a commercially strong leader with clear potential to grow beyond the current role. You are likely to have experience from country leadership, commercial director roles, business unit leadership, general management or senior sales leadership in an industrial, infrastructure, water, capital equipment, technical distribution or service-intensive environment.

You should bring:

• Strong P&L ownership and financial acumen, including the ability to manage both margin and EBITDA performance.

• Proven track record of profitable growth, commercial transformation and continuous improvement of the business model.

• Experience improving margin, forecast discipline, funnel quality, pricing realization and sales productivity.

• Ability to run what-if scenarios and translate business analysis into clear commercial decisions and execution priorities.

• Strong go-to-market capability, including the ability to balance direct sales, indirect channels, partners, customer segmentation and market messaging.

• Ability to lead through a matrix and mobilize support functions without relying only on formal authority.

• Strong stakeholder management internally and externally, including the confidence to engage senior executives on demand.

• Strong presentation and communication skills, with the ability to simplify complex situations into clear, actionable storytelling.

• A structured, performance-driven leadership style with the ability to create pace, accountability and follow-through.

• Experience building capable teams and developing future leaders.

• Credibility to contribute at Nordic leadership level and potentially take on broader responsibility over time.

• Fluent English; Norwegian or another Scandinavian language strongly preferred.

This is a visible and strategically important leadership role in Xylem Nordics. The business needs a leader who can build a stronger commercial platform, improve local profitability, deliver performance today, and help shape how Transport Norway contributes to the Nordic and wider European agenda over time.

For the right person, the role offers the opportunity to lead a business with real market relevance, build a stronger sales engine, develop people, and contribute to an international, purpose-driven company focused on solving one of the world's most important challenges: water.

Apply: Please apply in English. Applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis.

To learn more, please contact Leila Sayyad, Corporate Recruiter, at [email protected].

Join the global Xylem team to be a part of innovative technology solutions transforming water usage, conservation, and re-use. Our products impact public utilities, industrial sectors, residential areas, and commercial buildings, with a commitment to providing smart metering, network technologies, and advanced analytics for water, electric, and gas utilities. Partner with us in creating a world where water challenges are met with ingenuity and dedication; where we recognize the power of inclusion and belonging in driving innovation and allowing us to compete more effectively around the world.