Departer is a leading German Executive Search firm with over 20 years of experience in global leadership recruitment. We specialize in placing executives in medium-sized enterprises and private equity portfolio firms across ANZ, DACH, MEAI and ASIA regions. With a deep understanding of the DACH economy, we facilitate successful placements within global management teams across corporate headquarters and entities abroad.

Our client is a long-established, family-owned German industrial company with more than 180 years of history and a strong international presence. The company develops, manufactures and supplies sophisticated industrial packaging solutions, ranging from consumables and individual machines to complete automated packaging lines. Its solutions are used across a broad range of industrial sectors, with a particular focus on steel, non-ferrous metals and other capital-intensive industries.

The Australian subsidiary has been successfully established for more than ten years and combines technical sales, engineering, service, after-sales and local machine building. Australia is currently the only international subsidiary within the Group that manufactures and assembles machines locally. It holds a unique position within the international organization by combining local manufacturing capabilities with the engineering and technology expertise of the German headquarters.

The Managing Director (m/f/d) will take full responsibility for the continued development of the ANZ business. This is a highly hands-on leadership role, combining 360° business responsibility with direct involvement in technical sales, customers, projects and the local organization.

Your duties and responsibilities will include:

• Take full commercial, operational and organizational responsibility for the ANZ business
• Head technical sales and business development across Australia and New Zealand, with a strong focus on industrial customers and new business opportunities
• Strengthen the company's position in key markets including steel, aluminium, copper, brick & block, agriculture and other industrial applications
• Personally manage key customers, commercial negotiations and major projects
• Take full responsibility for the further development of the significant PET strapping business, currently representing approximately 120 tonnes per month, with a strong position in the Australian hay and agricultural industry
• Develop new customers, applications and market opportunities beyond the existing customer base
• Lead and develop the local team and create a strong, entrepreneurial and customer-focused culture
• Further develop the business in New Zealand, with a particular focus on the potential of the wool industry as a future market
• Oversee local machine building, assembly, service and after-sales activities
• Ensure the successful combination of local manufacturing capabilities with the technical and engineering expertise of the German headquarters
• Manage P&L, budgets, forecasts and overall business performance
• Establish and further develop clear processes, KPIs and reporting structures
• Report into the German headquarters and work closely with the international sales organization on strategy, projects, engineering and market development
• Maintain close and regular cooperation with the CSO in Germany on strategic development and with the International Sales Director based in France on operational sales activities, ensuring an active two-way exchange of market knowledge, customer requirements and business opportunities
• Represent the ANZ business within the wider international organization and actively contribute local market knowledge and customer insights

To be successful in this role you should have the following skills and experiences:

• Several years of senior leadership experience within a technical or industrial environment
• Strong background in technical sales, business development and customer management
• Solid technical understanding, ideally gained within machinery, industrial equipment, automation or a comparable environment
• An open, authentic and empathetic leadership style, with the ability to build trust and strong relationships with employees, customers and international colleagues alike
• Experience with complex, high-value technical products, machinery or systems
• Proven commercial understanding and experience with P&L, budgets and overall business responsibility
• Experience leading and developing small, specialized teams
• A genuinely hands-on and entrepreneurial mindset, with the willingness to personally drive customers, sales opportunities and business topics
• The ability to combine strategic thinking with operational execution
• Experience in service, after-sales, machine building or local assembly would be advantageous
• Experience working within an international organization and collaborating with a European or German headquarters would be highly beneficial
• Strong communication, negotiation and relationship-building skills
• High intercultural competence and the ability to operate successfully between a local organization and an international headquarters
• Ideally, an existing network within industrial markets such as steel, aluminium, copper, building materials, agriculture or comparable sectors
• Willingness to be based in Adelaide and travel regularly throughout Australia and New Zealand
• Fluency in English is essential; German language skills are beneficial but not required