Job Title: European Sales Manager – Paints and Coatings

Location: Europe

Employment Type: Full-Time

Reports To: Senior Business Director Europe – Performance Coating Group (PCG)

 

Job Summary

The European Sales Manager for Paints and Coatings will lead a team of sales professionals to drive revenue growth and strengthen partnerships across Europe. This role focuses on fostering customer intimacy, managing sales pipelines, and ensuring effective opportunity management while promoting sustainable business solutions and practices. The successful candidate will be a strategic leader with a deep understanding of the chemicals, paints and coatings market, exceptional team management skills, and a passion for building long-term, value-driven relationships with direct partners. Our solutions include a range of Hyper-Dispersants, Surface Modifiers, Resins and Polymers, Dispersions and Fluid Solutions.

 

Key Responsibilities

Team Leadership and Development:

•  Lead, mentor, and motivate a team of sales professionals based across Europe, fostering a high-performance, collaborative culture.

•  Set clear performance goals, provide regular coaching, and conduct performance reviews to ensure team success.

•  Develop training programs to enhance team skills in customer engagement, technical knowledge of paints and coatings, and sustainable sales strategies.

•  Promote a customer-centric and sustainability-focused mindset within the team.

Customer Intimacy and Relationship Building:

•  Build and maintain strong, trust-based relationships with direct partners (e.g. industrial clients & OEMs) in the paints and coatings manufacturing sectors.

•  Act as the primary account manager for a selection of strategic key accounts, ensuring deep understanding of customer needs, challenges, and goals.

•  Collaborate with partners to co-develop tailored solutions, leveraging the company’s portfolio of eco-friendly and high-performance solutions.

•  Represent the company at industry events, trade shows, and customer visits to strengthen brand presence and foster long-term partnerships.

Pipeline and Opportunity Management:

•  Oversee the development and management of a robust sales pipeline, ensuring consistent lead generation and opportunity progression.

•  Work with the team to identify, qualify, and prioritize sales opportunities, aligning with customer needs and market trends.

•  Utilize CRM (Dynamics) to track pipeline health, forecast sales, and report on key metrics to senior leadership.

•  Implement strategies to accelerate deal closures while maintaining profitability and alignment with customer expectations.

Sustainable Business Growth:

•  Drive sustainable growth by promoting eco-friendly solutions that comply with EU regulations (i.e. REACH, PFAS restrictions).

•  Partner with R&D and marketing teams to position sustainable products (i.e. PTFE-free) as competitive differentiators.

•  Develop strategies to expand market share in key European regions, focusing on long-term partnerships that align with the company’s sustainability goals.

•  Monitor market trends, competitor activities, and regulatory changes to inform sales strategies.

Cross-Functional Collaboration:

•  Collaborate with marketing to develop targeted campaigns, technical collateral, and customer training programs.

•  Working very closely with the PCG European management team on all aspects of business and resourcing.

•  Work with supply chain and operations teams to ensure product availability and timely delivery to partners.

•  Provide customer feedback to product development teams to drive innovation in paints and coatings solutions.

 

Qualifications and Skills

Education: Bachelor’s degree within Business, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or a related field. MBA or equivalent is a plus.

Experience:

•  7+ years of sales experience in the chemical, paints and coatings industry, with at least 3 years in a leadership role.

•  Proven track record of managing commercial teams and driving revenue growth in the European market.

•  Experience in customer relationship management, pipeline development, and opportunity management in B2B settings.

Skills:

•  Strong leadership and team management skills, with the ability to develop a high-performing team.

•  Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills, with fluency in English (additional European languages, e.g., German, French, or Spanish, are a plus).

•  Strategic thinker with expertise in pipeline management, forecasting, and deal negotiation.

•  Technical understanding of paints and coatings applications

•  Proficiency in CRM software and Microsoft Office Suite.

 

Other Requirements

•  Willingness to travel extensively across Europe (up to 60% of the time).

•  Valid driver’s license and passport for international travel.

 

Personal Attributes

•  Visionary leader with a passion for sustainability and customer-centric solutions.

•  Relationship-driven, with a talent for building trust and long-term partnerships.

•  Be a champion for Lubrizol values and standards, become a “Brand Ambassador”.

•  Results-oriented, with a proactive approach to problem-solving and opportunity creation.

•  Adaptable and resilient, able to navigate complex markets and regulatory environments

 

 

 

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