Head of Sales, Americas

INEOS•League City, TX

1d•Onsite

About The Position

INEOS is a global manufacturer of petrochemicals and specialty chemicals, producing raw materials essential in a wide range of goods. It is the 3rd largest petrochemical company globally with 194 manufacturing sites across 29 countries and over 26,000 employees. INEOS Oxide is a diverse and successful business within INEOS, operating 5 manufacturing sites in Europe and North America, and is a leading producer of Ethylene Oxide (EO) and Ethylene Oxide Derivatives (EODs), with over 200 products across 4 key value chains. The total EO production capacity is ~1.4 million mt and overall business capacity is ~4.4 million mt. EO is a crucial building block for various EODs including surfactants, Ethylene Glycols, Glycol Ethers, Polyethylene Glycols, and Ethanolamines. The Head of Sales for the Americas will be a key member of the INEOS Oxide US Business Team, leading a Sales Team of 6 Regional Sales Managers. This role is responsible for delivering budgeted sales volumes of EO, Ethanolamines, Ethylene Glycols, and Glycol Ethers, guided by Business Managers' strategy. The post holder will manage strategic accounts in the Americas, provide direction for sales processes and targets, and ensure team training. Regular communication and reporting on sales volumes, prices, market trends, and competitor issues are required. The US Sales Team also markets products from the European asset base. The US Customer Service Team and Technical Service Team will report through the Head of Sales. The team represents customers in the Americas, including direct accounts, distributors, and traders, and collaborates with the global INEOS Oxide sales team for international customers. The Head of Sales and US Sales Team act as the primary customer interface, resolving internal issues for smooth operations and serving as a key source of market information for the wider INEOS Oxide business.

Requirements

Degree or commercial/business qualifications acquired through experience
5+ years in the Chemical industry; direct Sales or customer facing experience in that period
Fluency in English essential
Strong personal and communication skills are required
Proven influencing and negotiation skills
Commercial acumen; deep understanding of sales contracts
Strong analytical and economic analysis skills
Understanding of market interactions and dynamics
Basic understanding of chemical manufacturing processes, logistics and technical standards and regulations
Knowledge of contract law and ABC regulations
Knowledge of business accounting principles and practice
Decisive and tenacious in pursuit of objectives, demonstrating a proactive mentality and bias for action
Ability to think innovatively and strategically
Strong influencer
Highly numerate with an analytical mind-set, and attentive to detail
Calm under pressure, able to make quick, clear and reasoned decisions in a dynamic environment
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, natural relationship builder
Proactively and positively manages conflict
Adheres to INEOS commitment to Safety, Health and Environmental (SHE) policies; maintains personal integrity and ethical behaviours.

Nice To Haves

Ideally, an understanding of Oxide products and chemistry
Contract negotiation experience a plus

Responsibilities

Provide sales management for INEOS Oxide for the region of the Americas, including North America, South & Central America.
Provide leadership, direction and guidance to the team of 6 Regional Sales Managers.
Develop sales port-folio strategy for all the key product groups from the Plaquemine and Bayport assets, in alignment with the Business and Product Managers, and based on market knowledge and feedback.
Develop specific customer account strategies, especially for the key, strategic accounts.
Review and develop the appropriate channels to market for each product & region, including a full review of the distribution strategy for the US and including creating relationships and a strategy with traders.
Liaise with the Head of Sales in Europe to ensure a coherent strategy for global customers.
Ensure sales volume and pricing forecasts are done to support the overall Business & Product Management Teams and to support the financial forecasting process.
Practice and emphasize a net-back look within the customer base and strive to increase the net-backs.
Conduct market studies as required by the INEOS Oxide Board / Business Managers, either sector based or product based.
Manage Travel and Entertainment Budget.
Monitor performance against plans and implement improvement plans where needed.
Periodically review and where appropriate re-allocate new and existing customers to Regional Sales Managers; define key accounts and action plans aligned with the US Business Managers.
Continuously add to and expand the existing customer base targeting higher margins.
Ensure that the Sales Team interacts effectively across the functions, includng Product Managers, Supply Chain, Procurement, Manufacturing & Finance.
Take Key Account Management responsibilities for some key, strategic accounts in the Americas; deliver price, volume and contribution margins in line with commercial plans for these key accounts to ensure that long term strategies are aligned.
Effectively manage relationships with key accounts and negotiate and manage contract negotiations with these accounts directly.
Provide leadership, direction and guidance across the US Team, in particular to the Customer Service Manager.
Ensure that the order-to-cash process is fully functioning and that the Customer Service Team are enhancing the customer experience.
Set targets and provide guidance to Tech Service regarding regulatory, compliance and administrative challenges.
Work on streamlining portfolio to meet and stay ahead of regulatory requirements and challenges from regulatory changes.
Audit direct reports’ activities and performance providing constructive feedback as appropriate.
Set sales targets and review delivery with direct reports.
Organize training and development measures; ensure that team is up to date on all mandatory training requirements.
Set the targets and track the right balance between payment terms, pricing, market-share and volume / margin objectives in the customer portfolio and go-to-market.
Ensure Forecasting tool is used and data provided appropriately accurate and timely for the type of business and markets we have.
Utilize MS-Teams /SharePoint for Customer relationship management to collect/retain and report market information, customer information, contracts, visit reports etc.
Continuously review and challenge the customer mix and segmentation to optimize sales manager workload and the services offered to customers.
Effectively utilize current tools such as the Sales Information System and the Variable Margin Report within QlikView.
Commit to learning, following, and practicing INEOS 20 Principles of Process & Behavioural Safety as applicable to the position.
Follow INEOS’ Life-Saving rules on a daily basis.
Ensure compliance of all Team members for all matters of governance, safety and compliance.