Country Manager – Gardencare Products

Our client is a well-established, ambitious and progressive business with a strong reputation for innovation and customer focus. Headquartered in Oranmore, Co. Galway, the company operates across three core sectors: Gardencare, Plant Protection Products for Agriculture & Amenity and Veterinary

The business has a growing geographic footprint across Ireland, Northern Ireland, Great Britain and France and continues to invest in product innovation and category leadership.

The company owns and manages a portfolio of recognised brands including in addition to distributing several partner brands. Their ambition is to lead the categories in which they operate by anticipating future consumer needs and driving continuous product and market innovation.

Culture

The business has built a high-performance culture centred on collaboration, accountability and ambition. Teams are encouraged to challenge convention, pursue innovation and continuously raise standards across the organisation. Success is shared and celebrated across departments, creating a strong “One Team” culture focused on sustainable growth and long-term market leadership.

The Role

The Country Manager – Gardencare will be responsible for leading the strategic development and commercial performance of the Gardencare division across the Island of Ireland. Reporting directly to the CEO and sitting on the Senior Management Team, the successful candidate will play a key role in shaping the future direction of the business while delivering sustainable revenue and profit growth.

Key ResponsibilitiesStrategic Leadership

• Define and deliver the strategic vision and growth plan for the Gardencare business across the Island of Ireland.
• Drive revenue growth, profitability and market share in line with company objectives.
• Contribute to overall business strategy as a member of the senior leadership team.

Commercial Performance

• Own full P&L responsibility for the Gardencare category.
• Develop and deliver annual sales, revenue and margin budgets.
• Identify new customer opportunities, sales channels and market expansion initiatives.

Team Leadership

• Lead, develop and coach a team of 8 Area Managers.
• Provide clear direction, structure and accountability to ensure delivery of strategic objectives.
• Build a high-performance culture focused on results and continuous improvement.

Customer & Market Development

• Develop and maintain strong commercial relationships with key customers and partners.
• Lead negotiations and manage key trading relationships.
• Maintain strong awareness of market trends, consumer behaviour and competitive activity.

Product & Innovation

• Work closely with the Marketing Manager to deliver the annual Gardencare marketing plan.
• Collaborate with the Technical Director and wider team to identify new product opportunities.
• Act as a key contributor to the company’s innovation pipeline and product development initiatives.

Operational Excellence

• Use data-driven analysis to guide decision making and performance management.
• Deliver clear and impactful presentations to internal stakeholders and customers.
• Ensure strong organisational discipline across planning, reporting and execution.

Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate will be a commercially driven leader with strong strategic and operational capabilities.

Experience

• Minimum 5 years’ senior commercial leadership experience
• Experience within Horticulture, Garden Centre, DIY Retail or FMCG sectors is highly desirable
• Proven track record of growing revenue and developing markets
• Demonstrated ability to build and scale a business in a dynamic or changing environment

Skills & Attributes

• Strong commercial and strategic mindset
• Excellent negotiation and relationship-building skills
• Analytical and data-driven decision maker
• Strong leadership and people development capability
• Excellent presentation and communication skills
• High level of proficiency in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint and Word

Education

• Degree in Business, Commerce or a related discipline

Package & Benefits

A highly competitive remuneration package is available reflecting the strategic importance of this role.

Benefits include: Performance-related bonus. Car, laptop and mobile phone. Generous share Option Scheme. 5% pension contribution. 20 weeks maternity/paternity leave. Training & development fund. Flexible working hours. Bike-to-Work scheme. On-site parking. Additional employee benefits

This is a permanent role based in Oranmore, Co. Galway.

Candidates must be eligible to work in Ireland or the EU.

For a confidential discussion, please contact David Coyle at 01 635 1748 or email david@methodius.com.

All applications will be treated in the strict confidence.