Director of Customer Success and Business Development

GEA is one of the world’s largest systems suppliers for the food, beverage and pharmaceutical sectors. Our portfolio includes machinery and plants as well as advanced process technology, components and comprehensive services. Guided by a strong sense of purpose, our more than 18,000 dedicated employees work to enhance the sustainability and efficiency of production processes globally.

Responsibilities / Tasks

We are seeking an experienced and dynamic Director of Customer Success & Business Development to lead and elevate our customer success efforts while driving strategic growth through business development initiatives. This dual-role leader will be responsible for building and nurturing strong customer relationships, ensuring customer satisfaction, and maximizing customer retention. The Director of Customer Success & Business Development will be responsible for leading a 20-30 FTE team and driving end-to-end business growth from New Machines to After-Sales/ Service. In parallel, they will lead business development activities to expand our market presence and form strategic partnerships.

Key Responsibilities:

• Strategic Oversight: Develop and execute a comprehensive customer success strategy to ensure customers achieve maximum value from our products/services and become long-term advocates.

• Business Development: Identify new business opportunities, strategic partnerships, and potential markets to expand our customer base. Define growth areas, develop corresponding sales and service strategies/initiatives and execute with the wider sales team. Track the success of sales initiatives via the CRM and adjust wherever necessary.

• Customer Health Monitoring: Utilize data and feedback to monitor customer health and identify opportunities for upselling, cross-selling, or proactive intervention.

• Team Leadership: Lead and mentor a multidisciplinary team of heads of sales, front lines sales and service sales. Collaborate with executive leadership to prioritize initiatives and allocate resources effectively.

• Collaboration: Closely collaborate with “Engineering and Execution” team to ensure smooth handover of projects resulting in a seamless end-to-end customer journey. Collaborate with the wider business (business units/lines) as well as other functions (e.g. marketing/finance) or divisions to drive overall business growth.

• Sales & Revenue Growth: Identify opportunities for revenue growth, including renewals, upselling, and new business opportunities. Maximize share of wallet with our existing customer base whilst engaging in business development activities for new prospects. Drive and improve order intake for both New Machines and Service whilst ensuring that budget expectations are met.

• Change Management: Embrace and drive customer satisfaction throughout all touchpoints. Embed customer satisfaction as a cornerstone within the entire team and drive a customer centric culture within the wider

• Customer Retention & Satisfaction: Track and improve customer satisfaction and retention metrics (e.g., NPS, churn rate). Address any escalated issues or concerns with speed and care.

• Partnership Development: Build and nurture strategic relationships with key stakeholders, partners, and influencers in relevant industries.

• Market Insights: Monitor industry trends, competitors, and market shifts to propose informed business development strategies and ensure a competitive edge.

• Reporting & Analytics: Ensure that CRM information is kept up to date, analyse customer success metrics, sales data and wider CRM information to provide strategic recommendations to executive leadership. Provide forecasts for order intake and engage in budget as well as mid-term planning discussions.

• Innovation & Continuous Improvement: Advocate for the continuous improvement of products/services based on customer feedback, industry trends, and market demands by relaying customer feedback to the respective R&D departments in the Business Units. Drive the implementation of new solutions (e.g. digital or sustainable) within the customer base to ensure a competitive edge)

• Service Excellence: Develop integrated sales & service (SLA) offerings that cater to customer needs resulting in continued satisfaction whilst ensuring recurring revenue

Your Profile / Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or a related field; Master’s degree is a strong advantage.

• Experience: Minimum of 5 years in a sales and service organization, preferably within industries relevant to GEA.

• Leadership: Demonstrated experience in leading high-performing teams and driving change management initiatives.

• Business Development: Proven success in identifying growth opportunities and developing client relationships.

• Technical Knowledge: Solid understanding of separators, decanters, and homogenizers.

• Communication Skills: Excellent written and verbal communication abilities, with confidence in engaging stakeholders at all levels.

• Customer Focus: Strong service-oriented mindset, committed to supporting customer success.

• IT Proficiency: Skilled in using CRM systems and the full Microsoft Office suite, including MS Teams.

• Organizational Awareness: Ability to navigate and leverage GEA’s matrix structure and cross-divisional networks.

• Travel: Willingness and ability to travel as needed to meet with clients and support business objectives.

Did we spark your interest?
Then please click apply above to access our guided application process.