Sales Operations Manager

Sales Manager – Italy (Compounds) Italy | Full-time | Field-based El Sewedy Polymers is the polymers arm of Elsewedy Electric, a global energy and infrastructure group with around USD 5 billion in revenue. We run two compounding facilities with a combined capacity of about 120,000 MT per year, producing PVC, HFFR, XLPE and PE compounds as well as masterbatch, and we export to customers across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and beyond. Italy is a priority growth market for us in Europe. We are looking for a Sales Manager to establish and grow our compounds business in Italy. You will focus on the wire and cable industry, with further opportunities in other PVC applications. Your work will centre on qualifying our grades with Italian cable manufacturers and processors, and turning approvals into long-term, profitable supply. PVC compounds: cable insulation and sheathing, plus flexible and rigid grades for hoses, seals, footwear, and technical and co-extruded profiles.
- CPR-rated building, infrastructure, rail and data cables.
- Build and execute the Italy compounds market plan (annual and 3-year): target accounts, applications, value propositions and pricing, delivering agreed volume, revenue, margin and market-share targets.
- Build coverage of cable manufacturers and PVC processors across Italy's main industrial regions, directly and, where appropriate, through agents or distributors.
- Own the qualification pipeline end to end: samples, plant trials, type testing and customer approvals against EN, HD, IEC and CEI standards, and CPR Euroclass classification.
- Coordinate third-party testing and certification with our Technical Service and Quality teams.
- Develop key-account plans to win multi-grade approvals, grow share of wallet and secure annual or multi-year supply agreements.
- Negotiate price formulas and raw-material indexation, Incoterms, payment terms and supply models within approved limits.
- Work with our application lab and R&D Center on trials, processing support and grade development for customer and CPR requirements.
- Bring regulatory and market requirements (CPR, REACH, RoHS, halogen-free and sustainability demands) back into our product roadmap.
- Resolve customer complaints and quality claims together with Quality and Operations.
- Provide demand forecasts to Planning and Supply Chain, and ensure smooth order-to-cash execution with Logistics and Finance.
- Report monthly on performance, qualification pipeline, market share and competitive intelligence.
- Represent the company at industry events such as wire Düsseldorf and Plast Milano.
- Work closely with our European Sales Office and Masterbatch team on shared accounts and market intelligence.
- As the business scales, build the case for local sales, technical or distribution capability.
- Support opportunities for our other product lines in Italy, including masterbatch, TPE and engineering compounds, with room to grow the scope of the role over time. 8+ years in B2B technical sales of cable compounds, polymers or cable materials, or in a technical or purchasing role at a cable manufacturer, including at least 3 years covering the Italian market.
- Bachelor's degree in Chemical, Polymer, Materials or Electrical Engineering, Chemistry, or a related technical field.
- Fluent Italian and English.
- Experience working with customer qualification and approval processes.
- Strong negotiation, key-account management and commercial judgement.
- Advanced Excel and CRM skills.
- A valid driving licence and the ability to travel extensively within Italy, with periodic travel to Egypt. An existing network with the technical, quality and purchasing teams of Italian cable manufacturers.
- A track record of taking new grades through customer qualification.
- Working knowledge of cable construction, extrusion and crosslinking, PE jacketing requirements and CPR fire-performance testing.
- A Master's degree or MBA.
- French, German or Spanish. A market-building role with real ownership and visibility to senior leadership. -