Sales Director

About the role

This is a confidential, board‑level opportunity to lead the commercial function for a fast‑growing European food & beverage brand expanding across Saudi Arabia and the wider GCC. You will own full P&L responsibility, shape a multi‑year commercial strategy, and build a high‑performance sales organization.

Key responsibilities

• Full commercial P&L accountability across all channels and geographies, driving revenue, margin, market share and execution discipline.
• Develop and execute a 3–5 year commercial strategy covering channel mix, route‑to‑market, distributor network and geographic expansion (GCC, MENA, international).
• Lead market entry, channel diversification, distributor overhaul and category expansion initiatives.
• Build and mentor a senior leadership bench (Channel Heads for Modern Trade, General Trade, Export, HORECA) with clear targets and succession planning.
• Negotiate and manage strategic commercial relationships with national key accounts, master distributors and international partners at CEO/owner level.
• Design pricing architecture and trade investment strategy to protect margins while funding growth.
• Align cross‑functional teams (Marketing, Finance, Supply Chain, Operations) at the executive level.
• Represent the commercial function externally with retailers, distributors, regulators and industry bodies.

Required profile

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing or related field; MBA strongly preferred.
• 12–15+ years progressive commercial/sales leadership in FMCG/F&B, with 5–7+ years at Director/VP level and full P&L ownership.
• Proven experience scaling multi‑channel organisations (MT, GT, HORECA, Export) and launching major channel initiatives.
• Existing relationships with major GCC retailers, distributors and trade networks.
• Demonstrated ability to influence senior leadership and board members beyond the sales function.
• Strong commercial and financial acumen with experience in board reporting.
• Fluent in Arabic and English.

Required skills