Sales Leader Netherlands

Location: Breukelen (NL) – hybrid (min. 3 days/week in office)
Employment: Full-time (40 hours/week)
Travel: mainly within the Netherlands (driving distance) and occasional international travel (10% max)
Languages: Fluent in Dutch and English

About the Role

As Sales Leader Netherlands, you will lead and develop a team of Sales Managers and Account Managers responsible for our Institutional business in the Dutch market. You will co-develop the strategic direction for the Netherlands and take full ownership of its implementation, driving profitable growth both through direct sales and via trade partnerships.

You will actively manage and expand relationships with our trade partners, while ensuring the field sales team creates demand for our solutions among end-users. This role includes full P&L accountability and leadership of people, processes, and performance. You are a key member of the Benelux Institutional Management Team.

The ideal candidate taking on this role would be a potential future Cluster Leader BeNeLux. In other words, we are looking for strong talent with potential for further growth down the line.

Your Responsibilities

Leadership & Team Development

• Inspire and guide the sales teams to deliver their best work.

• Empower and coach individuals to grow in their roles and careers.

• Foster collaboration, accountability, ethical behavior, and a strong team culture.

• Set clear goals, provide continuous feedback, and lead by example.

• Deliver and facilitate training on (sales) skills.

• Recruit, onboard, and develop high-performing team members.

Commercial Strategy & Execution

• Define and implement the country’s commercial strategy aligned with the Benelux (and European) vision. Understand it’s impact on our customers.

• Optimize and expand trade partnerships to ensure the right national coverage, incentives, and performance.

• Enable direct and indirect sales growth through targeted initiatives and field activation.

Sales Management & Performance Tracking

• Monitor sales funnel quality, win rates, account plans, customer value creation, and white-spot analysis using CRM and dashboards.

• Conduct frequent 1:1s with Sales Managers and Account Managers to drive accountability.

• Ensure SLA compliance and high-quality customer interactions.

Cross-functional Collaboration

• Partner with (Technical) Customer Service, Sales Support, Application Experts, Supply Chain, Finance, and other departments.

• Ensure smooth coordination to deliver integrated customer solutions.

Cost Control & Profitability

• Manage P&L, optimize margins, and monitor expenses, including T&E and vendor costs.

• Take charge of resource optimization – allocate our time and efforts for maximum impact.

Personal Development

• Invest in your own learning and leadership development.

Your Profile

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree

• 10–15 years of experience in B2B commercial leadership roles

• Proven experience in building and leading successful sales teams

• Strong understanding of key account management, negotiation, and customer value creation

• Experience in the cleaning & hygiene industry or similar markets is a plus

• Deep knowledge of commercial KPIs, financial dashboards, and P&L ownership

• Strong presentation, communication, and influencing skills

• Hands-on, analytical, and results-oriented

• Proficient in Salesforce or other CRM platforms

• Able to work effectively in a matrixed organization with cross-functional and international teams

Key Skills & Behaviors

• Inspirational and ethical leader

• Strong interpersonal and coaching skills

• Commercial and strategic thinker

• Comfortable with ambiguity, change, and innovation

• Data-driven decision-maker

• Fluent in Dutch and English

• French fluency a nice to have (for career progression), but note essential

• Willing to travel nationally and internationally

About Solenis

Solenis is a leading global provider of water and hygiene solutions. The company’s product portfolio includes a broad array of water treatment chemistries, process aids, functional additives, cleaners, disinfectants, and state-of-the-art monitoring, control and delivery systems. These technologies are used by customers to improve operational efficiencies, enhance product quality, protect plant assets, minimize environmental impact, and create cleaner and safer environments. Headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, the company has 70 manufacturing facilities strategically located around the globe and employs a team of over 16,500 professionals in 130 countries across six continents. Solenis is a 2025 Best Managed Company Gold Standard honoree. For more information about Solenis, please visit www.solenis.com.