Sales Director

Sales Director
- Italy Department: Sales EMEA Employment Type: Full Time

Location:
Italy Reporting To: VP of Revenue Description Factbird gives manufacturing teams real-time operational intelligence without the complexity of traditional industrial systems. Our plug-and-play hardware and cloud platform turn live production data into decisions that improve performance across lines, sites and global manufacturing networks. Factbird already has a strong presence in EMEA, with around 300 customers across the region and established Sales, Solutions Consulting and Customer Success teams in our key markets. Italy is one of our most important growth markets, and we are now looking for a leader to take ownership of it. We are looking for a Sales Director for Italy who is a true player/coach: someone who carries a personal quota, wins deals hands-on, and at the same time builds, leads and develops a high-performing southern European sales team. You will own the Italian market end to end. That means setting the strategy, building pipeline and closing strategic deals yourself, while coaching your team to do the same. You will not be starting in a cold market: you will have a recognised brand, a strong EMEA customer base to use as references and experienced colleagues across Solutions Consulting, Customer Success and Marketing to work alongside. Success means more than hitting a number. It means establishing Factbird as the manufacturing intelligence standard for Italian manufacturers and building a team and a go-to-market engine that can scale. What you will own
* Develop and execute the go-to-market strategy for Italy, based on customer needs, competition and market trends, aligned with our EMEA strategy.
* Own the Italy ARR number and translate strategy into clear pipeline goals and execution priorities.
* Identify the industries, regions and accounts where Factbird can win first and grow fastest.
* Carry a personal quota and own a book of strategic accounts.
* Personally prospect, open doors at senior level and build your own pipeline through outreach, events, partners and referrals.
* Run complex sales cycles with multiple stakeholders, from plant managers to executive leadership, using MEDDPICC as a decision framework.
* Negotiate and close deals that protect value, and turn first sites into multi-site expansion.
* Lead by example: coach through deal reviews, joint customer meetings and regular one-to-ones, and raise the performance bar across the team.
* Set clear targets and KPIs, run a disciplined pipeline and forecast cadence, and step in early when performance is off track.
* Define account plans for the most important target accounts in Italy, and orchestrate multi-threading and internal support to win them.
* Develop relationships with system integrators, distributors and OEMs that can open doors and accelerate deals.
* Represent Factbird in the Italian manufacturing community through events, industry associations and customer networks.
* Partner with Marketing, Solutions Consulting and Customer Success on campaigns, localised materials and customer outcomes.
* Bring market feedback and customer insights back to Product and leadership to sharpen our offering and go-to-market. What we're looking for
* 10+ years in B2B sales, ideally selling SaaS, industrial technology or manufacturing technology
* A consistent track record of carrying and exceeding a personal quota
* Experience leading, coaching or mentoring sales team members, ideally as a player/coach
* Experience running complex sales cycles with multiple stakeholders, from plant level to executive level
* A track record of winning new logos and expanding accounts across multiple sites
* A strong network and understanding of the Italian manufacturing market
* Command of MEDDPICC or an equivalent qualification discipline, shown in how you run deals
* Strong commercial judgement in pricing, negotiation and forecasting
* Fluent in Italian and English
* You lead from the front. You are as comfortable closing a deal yourself as you are coaching someone else to close theirs.
* You create momentum. When a deal meets resistance, you find another route rather than waiting for circumstances to change.
* You are a builder. You enjoy shaping a market, a team and a way of working, not just running an existing machine.
* You combine confidence with coachability, and you invite challenge as much as you give it.
* You take full ownership of your market: strategy, execution, risk and outcome. Within your first 12 months, you will have:
* Built and started executing a clear go-to-market plan for Italy
* Personally created and closed new enterprise logos, meeting or exceeding your personal quota
* Built a healthy, well-qualified pipeline across your priority accounts
* Hired, onboarded and developed your team, with clear targets and a strong performance cadence
* Established relationships with key partners and a visible presence in the Italian manufacturing community
* Deliv