ABOUT DEPARTER - THE KNOW-WHO PEOPLE
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 ASIA, MEAI, DACH, and ANZ 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 globally recognized Japanese manufacturer of highly engineered industrial technologies and process solutions serving demanding manufacturing and process industries worldwide. With a long-standing heritage in engineering excellence, product quality and customer-oriented innovation, the company has established itself as a trusted partner to customers across a broad range of industrial applications.
The company's Asian operations are headquartered in Singapore and supported by established local organizations across China, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia. The regional business combines technical sales, consulting, engineering as well as after-sales services, with a strong focus on long-term customer relationships and the installed base. With a highly entrepreneurial and decentralized structure, the organization operates close to its markets and customers, enabling fast decision-making and a high degree of individual responsibility.
As Assistant General Manager, Sales (m/f/d), you will take on a key commercial leadership position within the Asian organization. Working closely with the regional President and the local management teams, you will be responsible for driving sales development, strengthening customer relationships and expanding the company's presence across key markets in Asia. The position combines hands-on sales leadership with regional business development and management responsibility. Rather than operating within a large corporate structure, you will work in a lean organization where personal customer relationships, market knowledge, entrepreneurial thinking and the ability to take ownership beyond a narrowly defined job description are essential. The successful candidate will work closely with the current regional President, gaining a comprehensive understanding of the business, its markets, customers and operations with the perspective of gradually assuming broader regional leadership responsibility over the coming years.
Your duties and responsibilities will include:
- Drive sales development across the Asian region, with a particular focus on China and other key Southeast Asian markets
- Develop and maintain strong relationships with key customers, distributors, partners and relevant stakeholders
- Identify new business opportunities and systematically expand the company's installed base and market presence
- Take an active role in developing existing accounts and winning replacement, service and MRO business
- Lead and develop a sales team while fostering a customer-oriented and performance-driven culture
- Build and maintain a strong personal network across relevant industries, customers, partners and market stakeholders
- Actively engage in customer visits, industry events, networking activities and other relationship-building initiatives
- Work closely with local management teams across the region and support them in achieving commercial objectives
- Combine strategic thinking with a highly hands-on approach, taking ownership of commercial and operational topics as required
- Monitor market developments, customer requirements, competitive activities and emerging business opportunities across the region
- Work closely with regional and Japanese headquarters to align commercial activities with the company's overall objectives
- Gradually assume broader management responsibilities and gain comprehensive exposure to the regional organization, preparing for a future regional leadership role
- Contribute to the further development of the organization through entrepreneurial thinking, personal initiative and a strong commitment to long-term customer relationships
To be successful in this role, you should have the following skills and experiences:
- University degree in Engineering, Business Administration, or a related discipline
- Several years of successful sales experience in an international B2B industrial environment
- Ideally, professional experience in the valves, pumps, steam systems, flow control, or related industrial equipment sector
- Experience in selling technically sophisticated products and solutions to industrial customers
- Proven experience in managing or leading a sales team, even if on a smaller scale
- Strong understanding of MRO, replacement, aftermarket and installed-base business models is highly advantageous
- Comfortable managing a high volume of smaller customer orders and recurring business rather than focusing exclusively on large-scale capital equipment projects
- Strong commercial drive combined with a consultative and technically oriented sales approach
- Excellent interpersonal and networking skills with a high level of emotional intelligence
- Entrepreneurial mindset and willingness to take ownership beyond a narrowly defined functional responsibility
- Highly hands-on working style and the ability to operate effectively within lean, decentralized organizations
- Strong customer orientation and willingness to invest personal time in developing long-term business relationships
- Experience working across Asian markets and a good understanding of the cultural and commercial dynamics of the region
- Fluency in Mandarin and the ability to read Chinese are essential due to the importance of the Chinese market and the scope of regional management responsibilities
- Experience in Singapore, Malaysia, China, or other Southeast Asian markets is highly advantageous
- Strong communication skills in English
- Willingness to travel regularly across Asia
