You are ambitious and know how to establish a successful business. Empowering a team is something you do as a hobby. Merging business and people is your second nature. Does the idea of conquering the world with your sales team sound good to you? Then this shirt could look very good on you!

We are Pop Vriend Seeds, a specialized seed breeding company in the Netherlands. We export our vegetable seeds to over 100 countries worldwide, among which are the United States, China and Russia. Our headquarters is located in Andijk, in the heart of Seed Valley, the Netherlands. As from 2019, Pop Vriend Seeds is an independent subsidiary of KWS.

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Fulltime Andijk
As our Commercial Director you are responsible for the commercial success of our sales team all around the world. You have a strong vision on international sales, after sales and promotions. You know how to develop & execute crop business plans successfully for sales and profitability. With your organizational skills you help your people to focus; you can create a proactive and dynamic regional sales team that knows where to work to in the future with vision and a strategic mindset. Because of your international experience you can create a team that really feels like 1 global team, even when they’re spread all over the globe. You’ll report to the CEO and will be part of the Management Team.

Are you our perfect match?

Education & Experience
You have a bachelor’s or a master's degree, preferably an agricultural training and background. Besides that you have a minimum of 15 years of experience in an international sales or business development position with a minimum of 5 years of experience leading an international multidisciplinary team.

Skills & Personality
You like to fly; with your helicopter view you have a primary focus on strategic issues. Your operational involvement is limited. You have a commercial focus and good communication and social skills. You execute calmness and professionalism with your strong personality, besides that you are a strategic thinker.

Because of your managerial, motivating and coaching qualities everyone in the team likes to work with you, especially the business area managers that are reporting to you directly. You know how to establish and maintain effective relationships with your team by employing fact, tact and sensitivity to the needs of others.

Teamwork is the key to success; we work with an international ambitious team and everyone takes his/her responsibility in winning this match by smart collaboration. We do not work with aggressive targets but focus on good cooperation.

Language and IT
You speak and write English, and preferably Dutch, fluently. You know your way around with programs like Office365, ABS and the usual CRM systems.

Your future
Are you a Growth Hacker? We’re looking for a type of person, who wants to accelerate the organization and with that facilitate growth.

Because you are such a good colleague we like to keep you challenged; Before you will get bored, you’ll have the opportunity to grow further on in the KWS organization.

The rewards
An amazing chance to work and gain experience in a unique company where you will have loads of space and responsibility. You’ll work in a team of about 75 inspiring colleagues that consists of all kind of people; some just finished school, others are real guru’s in the field. Do you like to get to know some colleagues? Check the People of Pop Vriend.

Besides an inspiring work environment in the most beautiful and sustainable building of West-Friesland, including a nice lunch café and delicious cappuccino’s, you’ll have loads of possibilities to develop yourself in your discipline. We have a no-nonsense work mentality and an informal culture, another way to say that we laugh a lot at Pop Vriend Seeds.

Convinced?
You can let us know by clicking HERE to apply online by the 12th of June. We’ll collect all the incoming applications and we’ll give a follow up in the week of the 1st. of June.

If you have any questions you can get in touch with Nancy van der Veen – Executive Secretary, by phone number 0228-591 462 or by e-mail address nvanderveen@popvriendseeds.nl

A workweek as our Commercial Director

On Monday morning you start with the daily huddle with your team, what is your one thing to get done today? When that’s clear it’s time for coffee and some small talk about the weekend, you always know what’s on in your team. After that, time for some work!

Today you have set several project meetings. Because you want to help one of your team members with an issue with a customer in New Zealand you solve that first. After that, straight to the meeting. After lunch you prioritize the information from the project meetings, and gained insights are turned into action plans for the sales team.

On Tuesday one of our foreign team members is visiting because she will have her year interview and you take the opportunity to update her on the sales progress. You’ll explain her everything about your goals and exclusive distribution agreements. Together you decide the best strategy to follow. At the end of the day you invite her to see how beautiful the area is and to have a meal together with other colleagues of the department.

On Wednesday you blocked half day to work on your strategic bean plan for Belgium. In the afternoon you have a meeting planned with your Business Area Managers to check the open orders with them and define actions to outperform our year targets.

Because this is the first week of the month, you will have a business review with our MT on Thursday morning. You present excellent sales figures, and tell that you want to grow faster since you know there is room in the market. Together with our manager Operations you align the actions to take.

In the daily huddle you’re telling todays focus will be to finish the pricelists. All numbers are aligned with customers, Supply Chain and our Market Manager. When finished you will work on a fall back scenario in order to be ready for future changes. Last but not least, you send the Business Area managers some last forecast updates from our ERP system to be informed well. It was a good week, time for a drink with the rest of the teams!