Country Manager France- Retail (All Genders)
Greenfield. From the ground up.
France is a true greenfield market for ahead. No listings. No distribution. No local sales structure. You'll build our retail presence from the very first conversations with the major buying groups through to scalable distribution across the market. The reality: French grocery retail is highly centralized. Carrefour, Leclerc, Intermarché, Casino and others make national decisions that determine success or failure.
Your mission: establish ahead in French retail, build strong partnerships, and create the structures that will enable our growth in one of Europe's most important markets.
You'll report directly to the Sales Director (Hamburg) and work closely with Trade Marketing, Key Account Management and Category Management.
Retail & Key Account Development
Build and develop strategic relationships with national buying groups (including Carrefour, Leclerc, Intermarché, Casino)
Take ownership of listing negotiations, annual trade terms, conditions and distribution
Develop and scale long-term retail partnerships from first contact through to sustainable collaboration
Identify and develop relevant retail and drugstore channels, and build strategic partnerships with national and regional trade partners
Market Development & Go-to-Market
Analyze the French retail landscape and develop the go-to-market strategy for France
Define pricing positioning, assortment and channel strategy
Plan and execute local promotions and trade marketing activities
Conduct competitor monitoring and regular market reporting
Field Sales & Scaling
Build a local field sales structure - in-house or through external partners
Develop territory planning, KPIs and performance management structures
Select and manage merchandising/broker partners
Ensure distribution, shelf share and strong execution at point of sale
Business Ownership
Take full ownership of France business development, including P&L
Drive demand planning, forecasting and performance management
Collaborate closely with Marketing, Product, Operations and Sales
Several years of FMCG sales experience in France
Deep understanding of French grocery retail (centraizedl purchasing, trading terms, listings, promotions)
Experience building a market or a new category within a start-up or scale-up environment
A strong network within French retail, including buyers and category managers
Experience negotiating at decision-maker level
An entrepreneurial mindset: you build structures rather than just manage them
Fluent French and very good English
Experience in the better-for-you, health food or confectionery segment
Experience in the parapharmacy/drugstore channel
Background in category management or shopper marketing
- Hypergrowth Environment: If you're looking for greenfield, creative freedom, and real impact, you're in the right place. We're a team that is scaling fast - with purpose
- Amazing Team: Young, international, ambitious - inspiring colleagues who collaborate, support each other, and genuinely enjoy working together
- Career Growth: Develop through cross-functional projects, structured feedback cycles, and a steep learning curve in a dynamic, high growth environment. We offer a fair, attractive salary with role-dependent bonus opportunities
- Great Benefits: Fuel yourself with ahead snacks, drinks, and merch - we’ve got you covered. On top: a €50 monthly allowance to spend as you like - Urban Sports Club, mobility options, or vouchers from your favorite brands (IKEA, MediaMarkt, Lego and more)
- Vacation Days: Enjoy 28 vacation days plus two extra days off on December 24 (Christmas Eve) and December 31 (New Year’s Eve)
- Events & Offsites: Regular after-work hangouts and legendary annual team offsites you won’t forget