We are looking for an experienced commercial leader to join GEA as Area Global Sales Director for Italy, Greece and Libya.

Reporting to the VP Cluster France, Italy & North Africa, you will lead the sales organization across the area and drive profitable Order Intake growth in line with the overall Cluster strategy.

This is a senior commercial leadership role combining sales strategy, team leadership, business development, customer engagement and complex commercial negotiations across GEA’s Processing Engineering portfolio.

Your responsibilities

• Lead the front-sales and sales support teams and develop and implement the sales plan.
• Take accountability for the delivery and implementation of the Order Intake budget.
• Lead Sales Front-End, Technical Offering, Sales Engineering, Sales Administration and CRM activities.
• Play an active role in customer negotiations and commercial offering activities.
• Negotiate contractual terms and conditions in collaboration with Legal and Finance.
• Work directly with customers and through GEA’s global sales network, depending on market applications.
• Collaborate with Division Marketing to define and implement global marketing plans.
• Manage agents and distributors, including engagement, support, commissions and compliance activities.
• Define pricing and discount policies and project-specific commercial conditions, ensuring project profitability and the implementation and maintenance of price lists.
• Shape and implement the business development strategy and go-to-market approach in collaboration with the NPE Division Regional Business Units and the Global Dairy Business Line.
• Contribute to the product development pipeline and to defining R&D investment priorities and related business cases.
• Manage the cost center and personnel budget.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with customers, key accounts and key stakeholders across GEA.

• Master’s degree in Engineering, Economics, Food Technology & Science or an equivalent field.
• At least 15 years of professional experience in similar commercial leadership positions, including a minimum of 5 years in a sales management role.
• Strong application knowledge and experience in the dairy/cheese, beverage and food processing industry.
• Experience working in international business environments.
• Strong commercial acumen and negotiation capabilities.
• Proven ability to navigate complex commercial situations and challenges.
• Good understanding of legal and financial aspects of commercial contracts.
• Strong customer orientation and relationship-building skills.
• An open and collaborative leadership approach, with a solution-oriented mindset.
• Ability to perform effectively in demanding and high-pressure situations.
• Openness to new ideas and continuous improvement.
• Fluent Italian and English. Additional languages, particularly French, are considered an advantage.

Additional education or training in finance, commercial contracts, sales, negotiation or value selling will be considered an advantage.

What we offer

• Competitive compensation package.
• Company car.
• Health and wellbeing programmes.
• The opportunity to work in an international environment with global responsibility and exposure.

Base salary range €90,000–€110,000, plus a variable component based on the company's annual bonus plan.

Contract classification will be evaluated based on the candidate’s experience and seniority.

GEA is proudly certified as a Top Employer, reflecting our commitment to employee wellbeing, development and empowerment.

Ready to bring your commercial leadership to GEA and help shape the future of Processing Engineering? We look forward to hearing from you.