European Business Development & Territory Sales Manager

JC Ford Company | Europe – Remote/Field-Based (Germany or Spain preferred) | Travel: 60%+

Position Overview

JC Ford, a global leader in tortilla and tortilla chip production systems, seeks an entrepreneurial sales professional to establish and expand our European market presence. This role combines new business development with technical territory sales—identifying opportunities, building strategic customer and industry relationships, and converting prospects into long-term revenue. The successful candidate will independently develop a new-market sales pipeline and position JC Ford as a trusted provider of food production machinery solutions.

Key Responsibilities – Market Development & Sales

· Develop and execute a European territory and market-entry strategy, including an initial plan within six months; prioritize countries, customer segments, and growth opportunities.

· Research market trends, competition, customer needs, and barriers to entry; recommend strategies and report market intelligence to leadership.

· Generate qualified leads through prospecting, networking, direct outreach, and industry engagement; build and maintain a strong sales pipeline.

· Establish relationships with food manufacturers, decision-makers, distributors, strategic partners, and Midera affiliated companies to expand market reach.

· Manage the full sales cycle—from discovery and technical consultation through quotations, negotiation, contracts, and customer handoff.

· Develop territory sales objectives, forecasts, and performance measures; maintain accurate customer and opportunity records in the CRM.

· Identify additional sales opportunities with existing customers, including equipment upgrades and production expansion.

Key Responsibilities – Technical & Cross-Functional

· Become a knowledgeable customer-facing resource on JC Ford tortilla and tortilla chip production equipment and systems.

· Assess customer production requirements; collaborate with engineering, project management, and operations on customized solutions, technical specifications, and proposals.

· Coordinate order transfer and project handoffs; communicate customer feedback and market-specific needs to internal teams.

· Represent JC Ford at trade shows, conferences, customer visits, and industry events throughout Europe and internationally.

· Provide regular updates on territory performance, customer activity, competitive conditions, and strategic opportunities; perform other duties as assigned.

Education

· Bachelor’s degree in Business, Sales, Marketing, Engineering, or a related field; equivalent relevant professional experience considered.

Experience & Qualifications

· 5+ years of technical sales, business development, or territory management experience in industrial machinery, capital equipment, food processing, packaging, or related manufacturing industries.

· Proven success developing new markets, acquiring customers, generating leads, and executing territory growth plans with limited existing market presence.

· Experience selling complex technical systems through long sales cycles and significant capital investments; experience with $1M–$6M+ opportunities preferred.

· Understanding of food manufacturing or industrial production processes and manufacturing customer decision-making.

· European business development experience and familiarity with regional business practices; established industry relationships highly desirable.

· Strong consultative selling, negotiation, relationship management, analytical, and problem-solving skills.

· Ability to work independently across multiple countries while collaborating effectively with engineering, operations, and project teams.

· Excellent written and verbal English communication; German or Spanish language proficiency highly desirable.

· Willingness to travel extensively (60%+) and a self-directed, adaptable, results-oriented approach.