Sales Director – FMCG

We are seeking an experienced, commercially driven and customer-focused Sales Director to lead the strategic development and commercial performance of the business across the Island of Ireland.

Reporting to the CEO and sitting on the Senior Management Team, the Sales Director will lead the next phase of growth, with particular responsibility for Gardencare and consumer horticulture, alongside Agriculture and Animal Health. The ideal candidate will bring an FMCG, Gardencare, horticulture, consumer goods or related-sector background.

This is a strategic, hands-on role covering garden retail, garden centres, DIY, retail, wholesale, distribution and specialist trade. The successful candidate will understand seasonal trading, customer dynamics, product categories and routes to market, while applying strong FMCG disciplines across ranging, merchandising, promotions and profitability.

Headquartered in Oranmore, Co. Galway, the business operates across Ireland, Northern Ireland, Great Britain and continental Europe and has a strong reputation for innovation, quality and customer focus.

Key Responsibilities

Commercial & Strategic Leadership

• Define and deliver the commercial strategy for Ireland, aligned with business growth objectives.
• Lead the Gardencare strategy, driving market share, distribution, customer penetration and profitability.
• Own sales plans, revenue, gross margin, profitability and market share across Gardencare, consumer horticulture, FMCG, Agri and Animal Health.
• Identify growth opportunities through new customers, channels, products, brands and markets.
• Develop strategies by channel, customer, category and portfolio.
• Ensure effective pre-season planning and execution across seasonal markets.
• Contribute to overall business strategy as a member of the Senior Management Team.

Gardencare & Consumer Horticulture

• Lead commercial development across garden centres, DIY, retail, wholesale, distribution and specialist horticultural channels.
• Build senior relationships with garden centre groups, buying groups, independent retailers, distributors and key customers.
• Drive category growth through ranging, distribution, merchandising, promotions and rate of sale.
• Develop customer-specific plans based on category, geography, customer profile and seasonal opportunity.
• Monitor consumer gardening trends, competitor activity and emerging categories.
• Identify opportunities for new products, brands, pack formats and customer propositions.
• Work with Marketing and Product Development to strengthen the portfolio and maximise seasonal performance.
• Position the business as a leading Gardencare partner through innovation, expertise, service and commercial value.

FMCG, Customer & Channel Development

• Develop customer and channel strategies across retail, garden centre, DIY, wholesale, distribution and specialist trade.
• Build strong relationships with key customers, buying groups, distributors and strategic partners.
• Lead major negotiations, trading agreements, pricing discussions and commercial reviews.
• Increase distribution, rate of sale, ranging, promotional effectiveness and customer profitability.
• Develop effective go-to-market and route-to-market strategies.
• Maintain a strong understanding of shopper behaviour, consumer trends and competitive activity.

Sales Team Leadership

• Lead, manage and develop the entire Sales Team, including Area Managers and wider commercial resources.
• Set targets, territories, objectives and KPIs, with clear accountability for performance.
• Build a high-performance culture based on coaching, collaboration, accountability and continuous improvement.
• Coach the team in account management, negotiation, category selling, customer planning and commercial analysis.
• Introduce structured sales planning, pipeline, territory and customer-review processes.
• Maintain high standards of customer engagement, CRM and reporting discipline.
• Recruit, retain and develop high-quality commercial talent.
• Ensure Sales and Operations work collaboratively to deliver customer service and commercial results.
• Hold the team accountable for revenue, margin, new business, retention, distribution and category growth.

Sales Performance & P&L

• Own and deliver the annual sales, revenue and gross margin budget.
• Establish KPIs across channels, customers, territories and the Sales Team.
• Drive forecasting, pipeline management and sales planning.
• Use commercial data and market intelligence to identify opportunities and risks.
• Monitor pricing, promotional investment, margins and customer profitability.
• Provide clear commercial reporting to the CEO and Senior Management Team.

Brand, Category & Product Development

• Partner with Marketing on brand, category and trade marketing plans.
• Translate customer, consumer and market insight into commercial opportunities.
• Work with Technical, Product Development and Innovation teams on new products.
• Support successful launches and commercialisation of new Gardencare products and brands.
• Strengthen brand positioning and customer value propositions.

Agri & Animal Health

• Provide commercial leadership across Agri and Animal Health alongside Gardencare.
• Understand relevant agricultural, veterinary and animal health markets and customer requirements.
• Support commercial development across crop protection, weed management, veterinary products and parasite control.
• Work with technical teams and customers to position and support products effectively.
• Incorporate technical and regulatory considerations into commercial planning.

Market Expansion & Cross-Functional Leadership

• Identify and pursue new customers, markets, partnerships and distribution opportunities.
• Develop opportunities across Ireland, the UK and selected European markets.
• Lead business development projects from identification through implementation.
• Work closely with Finance, Marketing, Technical, Operations, Supply Chain and Innovation.
• Improve alignment between sales, forecasting, inventory and customer requirements.
• Embed data-led decision-making across the commercial organisation.

Candidate Profile

An experienced commercial leader with a proven track record of delivering growth in Gardencare, horticulture, FMCG, consumer goods, retail, agriculture or related sectors.

Experience

• Significant senior sales/commercial leadership experience.
• Proven delivery of revenue, margin and market share growth.
• Demonstrated experience managing, coaching and developing a Sales Team.
• Strong experience with targets, KPIs, key accounts and commercial negotiations.
• Experience developing channel, customer and route-to-market strategies.
• Knowledge of garden centres, garden retail, DIY, wholesale, distribution or specialist horticultural channels is highly advantageous.
• Experience with budgets, forecasting, pricing and commercial performance.
• Strong cross-functional experience with Marketing, Product, Technical, Operations and Finance.
• Experience managing seasonal sales cycles and demand planning is advantageous.
• Exposure to Agriculture, Animal Health, Horticulture or Gardencare is advantageous.

Skills & Attributes

• Strong FMCG and customer-centric commercial mindset.
• Proven ability to lead, motivate, coach and develop high-performing teams.
• Strategic thinker equally comfortable with execution and operational detail.
• Excellent negotiation, influencing and relationship-building skills.
• Strong understanding of retail, garden centre, wholesale, distribution and route-to-market dynamics.
• Highly analytical and data-driven, with strong financial and P&L understanding.
• Exceptional leadership and people-development capability.
• Commercially astute, focused on revenue, margin, growth and customer profitability.
• Confident, credible and commercially persuasive communicator.
• Entrepreneurial, ambitious and comfortable in a changing environment.
• Passionate about Gardencare, consumer horticulture and excellent customer experiences.
• Proficient in Excel, PowerPoint and Word.

Education & Technical Requirements

• Degree-qualified in Business, Commerce, Marketing, Horticulture, Agriculture or a relevant discipline.
• Relevant sector qualifications or technical knowledge are advantageous.
• Eligibility or willingness to become qualified as a Professional Advisor is desirable for relevant Agri/Animal Health responsibilities, with training provided where required.

Package & Benefits

A highly competitive package reflecting the seniority and strategic importance of the role, including:

• Competitive base salary
• Performance-related bonus
• Company vehicle
• Generous share option/equity participation scheme
• 5% pension contribution
• Enhanced maternity/paternity and family leave
• Training and development fund
• Flexible working hours
• Company laptop and mobile phone
• Bike-to-Work scheme, on-site parking and additional benefits

Additional Information

Permanent, full-time senior leadership position based in Oranmore, Co. Galway, with travel across Ireland and, where appropriate, the wider UK and European markets.

Candidates must hold a full driving licence and be eligible to work in Ireland/EU.

For a confidential discussion, please contact David Coyle on 01 635 1748 or david@methodius.com. All applications will be treated in the strictest confidence.