Head of Product Management France & Belgium

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Head of Product Management France & Belgium

Location: Montreuil, Paris, France
Reporting to: Business Director
Travel: Regular travel to Belgium (Brussels)
Direct Reports: Product Management Teams in France and Belgium

About the Company

Univar Solutions is a leading global chemical distribution company with strong local market presence across Europe. As part of our continued development, we are seeking an experienced and entrepreneurial Head of Product Management France & Belgium to lead our Product Management organization across these strategic markets.

Position Summary

The Head of Product Management France & Belgium is responsible for leading and developing the Product Management teams across France and Belgium while driving profitable growth, supplier engagement, portfolio management, and commercial excellence.

Reporting directly to the Business Director, this individual will play a key leadership role within the organization, serving as a member of both the French and Belgian local management teams. The role requires a commercial leader who combines strategic thinking with hands-on execution and is comfortable working across all levels of the business.

The successful candidate will be based in Paris and will work closely with Sales, Supply Chain, Regulatory Affairs, Operations, and other key partners to deliver sustainable growth and margin expansion across the region.

Key Responsibilities

Commercial Leadership

- Define and execute the commercial and product management strategy in line with the central business leads for France and Belgium.

- Drive profitable revenue growth, margin improvement, and portfolio optimization.

- Identify new market opportunities, industry trends, and growth segments within the chemical distribution market.

- Support key customer and supplier negotiations where needed, ensuring long-term value creation.

Product Management Leadership

- The candidate is a team builder.

- Lead, coach, and develop Product Managers across France and Belgium.

- Establish clear priorities, objectives, and performance metrics for the Product Management organization.

- Foster a high-performance culture focused on accountability, collaboration, and execution.

- Develop future commercial talent within the organization.

Supplier and Principal Management

- Develop and strengthen relationships with local chemical producers and principal partners.

- Lead/join supplier business reviews, growth plans, and strategic negotiations.

- Identify opportunities to expand partnerships and grow market share.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

- Work closely with Sales teams to align commercial priorities and business development initiatives.

- Partner with Supply Chain, Operations, Regulatory, and Finance teams to ensure commercial objectives are achieved.

- Participate actively in the France and Belgium local management teams, contributing to broader business strategy and decision-making.

Business Performance Management

- Own commercial performance across designated product portfolios and market segments.

- Monitor key business metrics including gross profit, volume, and supplier performance.

- Lead business reviews and implement corrective actions where required.

- Translate market intelligence into actionable growth strategies.

- Report on a monthly basis to Business Director and counterparts in other regions.

Candidate Profile

Experience

- Minimum 10 years of commercial leadership experience within the chemical distribution, specialty chemicals, or industrial chemicals sector.

- Proven track record of leading multi-disciplinary or regional commercial teams.

- Experience managing relationships with chemical manufacturers, producers, and principal suppliers.

- Demonstrated success in delivering commercial growth and profitability improvements.

Skills & Competencies

- Strong commercial acumen with excellent relationship skills.

- Strategic thinker with the ability to translate strategy into execution.

- Hands-on leader who is willing to engage directly in commercial opportunities and problem solving.

- Excellent leadership, coaching, and team development capabilities.

- Able to influence stakeholders across all levels of the organization.

- Good numeracy and statistics skills. Must have knowledge of Excel, and knowledge of current business tools (e.g. Salesforce, SAP, Tableau) would be beneficial.

Languages

- Fluent French and English is a requirement, both written and spoken.

What Success Looks Like

The successful candidate will be a visible and influential business leader who builds strong teams, develops strategic supplier partnerships, drives profitable growth, and actively contributes to the success of both the French and Belgian organizations. This is a role for an experienced commercial professional who is equally comfortable presenting internally , negotiating with chemical producers, coaching product managers, and personally supporting critical business opportunities when required.

It takes people like you and a global network of more than 9,500 employees to build a company where the best people want to work.

As a valued Univar Solutions employee, you understand that we are more than a distribution company. From delivering vital ingredients for food and nutrition, to helping keep drinking water safe, our company is dedicated to improving quality of life with our customers, suppliers and partners as we serve the world’s most essential industries.

We are committed to a diverse workforce and a culture of inclusion. Together, we are building a culture that acknowledges and respects the unique experiences, perspectives, and expertise of every employee. Through our dedicated Employee Resource Networks, we provide the development and growth opportunities to empower us to redefine our industry while making a difference in our communities.

Univar Solutions is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against based on their race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or other protected classification.