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 seeking an experienced and dynamic European Indirect Channel Strategy Director (m/f/d) to lead and manage our indirect channels across multiple countries. The ideal candidate will possess strong sales acumen, and a proven track record in indirect channel deployment and management. This role requires a strategic thinker with the ability to influence and inspire local leaders, drive operational strategy, and effectively deploy and follow up on actions to achieve outstanding results. The role will cover both wholesalers strategy deployment and implementation and a strong strategy around specialized distributor network deployment and implementation in the different European countries.
Location: this role can be located anywhere in Germany, Austria, Sweden, France, Italy, Spain or the Netherlands with regular presence and travel to the Xylem locations across Europe.
Your Responsibilities:
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Operational Strategy
Develop and implement comprehensive sales and service strategies for the indirect channel across Europe, ensuring alignment with Xylem’s global objectives. -
Country Coordination
Work in a dotted-line capacity with local country leaders to ensure effective execution of regional initiatives. Support local teams in meeting sales and service targets through coaching and strategic input. -
Sales Management
Drive sales performance and revenue growth through indirect channels. Identify market opportunities and develop scalable business plans to capitalize on them.
Manage relationships with large wholesalers operating across multiple countries, and lead negotiations of framework agreements aligned with Xylem’s channel strategy. -
Service Excellence
Integrate service capabilities into the sales cycle to ensure a seamless customer experience. Partner with local service leaders to implement improvement programs in line with the company’s overall service strategy. -
Strategic Action Deployment
Lead the deployment of key initiatives and strategic actions. Continuously track progress, measure impact, and adapt as needed to optimize performance. -
Influence & Leadership
Operate effectively within a matrix organization, leveraging your leadership, collaboration, and influence to drive change across multiple stakeholders and regions.
Skills & Experience:
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Experience
Minimum of 10 years in industrial indirect channel management, with a strong track record in sales leadership and service operations. -
Sales Acumen
Deep understanding of indirect sales strategies, partner management, and sales enablement. Experience negotiating large cross-country agreements. -
Service Integration
Proven ability to align service offerings with sales processes to increase customer satisfaction and retention. -
Strategic & Entrepreneurial Mindset
Ability to assess existing capabilities, seize short-term business opportunities, and design long-term operational improvements. -
Marketing & Channel Management
Strong channel marketing acumen, including experience with partner engagement programs and loyalty strategies that enhance transparency and growth. -
Leadership
Experience leading through influence in cross-functional, multi-country environments. Skilled in coaching and aligning dispersed teams. -
Communication
Excellent communication and presentation skills. Able to convey complex strategies to diverse audiences and senior stakeholders. -
Education
bachelor’s degree in business, Marketing, or a related field required. MBA or relevant advanced degree preferred. -
Languages
Fluency in English is required. Additional European languages are an advantage, German is highly preferred.
What You Can Expect:
- Professional Development – To advance the capabilities of our people, we offer a wide variety of experiences to support our employees’ professional growth and continuous learning.
- Total Rewards – We offer comprehensive programs for compensation, benefits, recognition, learning and development, work-life integration and corporate citizenship.
- Watermark – Watermark is our corporate social responsibility program working to provide education and access to safe water to ensure healthy lives, gender equality, and resilient communities. Employees have the opportunity to learn and volunteer on various water-related projects.
- Employee Networks – Our Employee Networks provide a professional, supportive network for employees from diverse backgrounds, including Women’s, LGBT+ and Allies, Veteran’s, People of Color and Allies, Emerging Leaders, and Working Parents Networks.
Ready to Make an Impact?
Apply today and help us shape the future of water through powerful partnerships and sustainable solutions.
For questions regarding this opportunity, please reach out to Niklas Naunheim, Senior Talent Acquisition Partner at +49 1621374371.
We are looking forward to your application!
Xylem is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, or other characteristics protected by law.
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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.