Sennheiser Business Development Manager-Audiophile

Who we are

In a life without sound, our work provides meaning. As a leading provider of innovative hearing care solutions, we are not just a company that makes products: we are a team on a mission to help people enjoy the delight of hearing. To enable a life without limitations, we – through our core business brands Phonak, Unitron, Connect Hearing, and Advanced Bionics – develop, manufacture and distribute solutions that push the limits of technology and redefine the future of our industry. Our talented and committed employees all over the world know they contribute to something greater than themselves – they create sense.

Who is Sennheiser

We live and breathe audio. We are driven by the passion to create audio solutions that make a difference. The business with consumer devices such as headphones, soundbars and speech-enhanced hearables is now operated by Sonova Holding AG under the license of Sennheiser.   
With the well-known Sennheiser brand, the company stands for premium quality in the field of audio products. In order to remain among the best in its field, Sonova Consumer Hearing is always on the lookout for outstanding talent for the Sennheiser brand. The company is headquartered in Wedemark, Germany, with approximately 650 employees worldwide.

The Way We Work

At Sonova we value our employees and prioritize their well-being. We believe people do their best and most innovative work in an inclusive environment that provides opportunities for engagement and collaboration across teams while offering flexibility in how work gets done. We designed our work model team by team, empowering teams to customize a working environment that balances individual team needs with business outcomes. By offering work options, we foster more flexible and individualized time management, contribute to a healthy work-life integration, increase employee satisfaction, build meaningful partnerships at work, and calibrate productivity to acknowledge you have a life outside of work. Sonova has chosen a HYBRID WORK MODEL- Customized by team that keeps our employees motivated and engaged.

Sonova Values

At Sonova, we come to work every day knowing that continuous innovation across all disciplines, our shared engagement as a team and our responsible approach to all things we do, brings the delight of hearing to millions of people: to hear better, to listen to music, to communicate effortlessly with friends and loved ones, and to fully enjoy life with all its great variety of sounds. In doing so, our shared core values reflect the corporate culture that defines and unites us as a company across all brands and regions.

1. We Care -- We care for our employees, customers and consumers, as well as our shareholders and society.
2. We drive innovation -- We courageously pioneer new ideas and approaches to come up with impactful innovations, to delight customers and consumers.
3. We strive for excellence -- We act with agility. We aim to excel. We are continuously working on improving products, services, processes and skills, to realize growth.
4. We take accountability -- We deliver on our commitments. We take accountability to provide outcomes in agreed quality and time, always acting with integrity.
5. We build the best teams -- We team up. We grow talent. We collaborate with people of diverse backgrounds to win with the best team in the market place.

Business Development Manager - Audiophile

Purpose of role: The Business Development Manager, Audiophile position supports the business development and client relationship management activities for the Sennheiser Retail Sales Channel, with a dedicated focus on the Audiophile/High End product segment of the portfolio. The overall goal is to support a new business strategy to increase sales and brand experience. This position is responsible for creating and building a network of key industry influencers and organizations/affiliations that will enable the growth of business and revenue generating opportunities. Additionally, the position will be responsible for creating annual sales plans, promotions, product assortment, and merchandising strategy.

In partnership with Trade Marketing and Global Marketing, the Business Development Manager, Audiophile will be responsible for building a 3-year plan to cultivate new business opportunities and grow revenue, profit and brand awareness. He/she will understand the competitive landscape and will build and sustain a network of relationships to enable the development of a pipeline of potential new business relationships and opportunities.

Our Offer to You:

• Improving the quality of life of millions of people suffering from hearing loss
• A challenging and motivating assignment as part of a dynamic team
• Modern mindset and processes, accommodating flexible working conditions
• Opportunities for further responsibilities and support for further training and development
• A company that values diversity and inclusion
• Sonova’s outstanding opportunities and career growth

Main Tasks and Responsibities:

• Drive market analytics for North America to evaluate target audience, sales channels, market and brand share potential and product preference
• Develop and execute 3-year business plan to include Sales and Trade Marketing strategy
• Manage local implementation of custom product portfolio, measure effectiveness and continuously assess future product needs, alignment with product management and development teams.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with key customers and other influencers in his/her country/region
• Represent brand at audiophile events and within audiophile communities in alignment with global and local marketing
• Define and implement sales strategies to achieve sales and profit to meet and/or exceed assigned targets in audiophile/high end audio accounts.
• Identify key performance metrics for the area of responsibility and actively manage and report results on a weekly, monthly, and quarterly basis.
• Support Regional Director Sales developing and maintaining high-level relationships with key channel contacts and account principals
• Establish and ensure effective/clear communication/coordination with the sales team to maintain efficient and team-oriented collaboration
• Forecast, analyze and report financials for the audiophile business within the region incl. accurate forecasts of projected sales, profit and growth covering monthly, quarterly, and yearly numbers
• Claim leading position with competitive activities and be responsive to market changes
• Oversee the execution of defined trade marketing plan in teamwork with local trade marketing and report on results.
• Monitor brand sentiment and response to product portfolio in relevant Audiophile social channels
• Establish a strong relationship with leading people in the local Operations team, i.e., Finance controller, Credit Manager, Customer Service Manager, HR, and technical Service manager to optimize the “Order-to-Cash” process within the local entity
• Provide market feedback on trends, opportunities, competitive products, and sales development.
• Support Product Management to secure best in class development, implementation, and execution 
• Actively work with tools like Business Intelligence (BI), Polaris, GfK/NPD data and other survey results to better understand the business and customer/consumer behavior.
• Play an active role in the Regional Sales Management team

Works closely with:

Internal:

• Regional Retail Sales Team
• Regional Direct Sales Team
• Regional Trade Marketing
• Regional Operations Team (specifically credit and customer service)
• Global Retail Channel Management
• Global Product Management

External:

• Direct National, Regional and Independent Reseller and Distribution Accounts – Merchandising and Marketing management personnel.
• Influential regional trade organizations and enthusiast platforms with focus on Audiophile

Education and Skillset:

• 5-8 years in business development and/or related CE retail sales management
• At least 2 years of budget responsibility and direct management of outside vendors
• Solid understanding of retail pricing policies  
• Demonstrated experience in consumer electronics sales & trade marketing
• Proven skills in business development, networking, negotiation, sales, and promotional strategies
• Audiophile/High End Audio channel experience a must; knowledge of target audience, key customers, influencers, and channel dynamics will be critical to drive desired results
• Must have good working knowledge of premium consumer electronics audio products, including headphones, amplifiers and related accessories.
• Prior knowledge in product development a plus

• Ability to (domestic and international) travel up to 50%
• Strong communication skills with the ability to work with all levels of management
• Willingly accepts direction to adapt role to organization or team changes
• Is quick to recognize situations where change is needed and takes steps to implement change
• Results focused; uses performance targets and goals to drive personal accountability
• Attention to detail; self-directed; self-starter; expert problem solver
• Able to work independently and with a team, to maintain a strong work ethic, and to promote a positive work atmosphere
• Profound experience in sales & trade marketing and proven understanding of the retail business
• Strong sales and closing skills with proven ability to meet and exceed sales targets
• Ability to work independently and manage a country/region to achieve goals
• Good management skills with the ability to motivate, coach and work collaboratively with a sales team
• Strong communication skills with the ability to work with all levels of management
• Willingly accepts direction to adapt role to organization or team changes
• Is quick to recognize situations where change is needed and takes steps to implement change
• Results focused; uses performance targets and goals to drive personal accountability
• Attention to detail; self-directed; self-starter; expert problem solver
• Able to work independently and with a team, to maintain a strong work ethic, and to promote a positive work atmosphere
• Profound experience in sales & trade marketing and proven understanding of the retail business
• Strong sales and closing skills with proven ability to meet and exceed sales targets
• Ability to work independently and manage a country/region to achieve goals
• Good management skills with the ability to motivate, coach and work collaboratively with a sales team
• Strong leadership skills to manage all sorts of internal and external situations in an efficient and constructive way
• Ability to hold others accountable and take responsibility for achieving stated objectives
• Strong understanding of customer and market dynamics
• Ability to develop and maintain professional internal and external relationships
• Excellent oral and written communication skills and interpersonal skills
• Strong business acumen and analytical skills
• Competitive drive with an intense focus to win for the team
• Polished presentation skills
• Excellent negotiation skills

Don't meet all the criteria?  If you’re willing to go all in and learn we'd love to hear from you! 

We are looking forward to receiving your application via our online job application platform. For this position only direct applications will be considered. Sonova does not recruit via app, telegram, carrier pigeon or any other format that does not include speaking with an actual human. If you are offered a job without speaking with someone please contact wholesale.HR@Sonova.com

Pay Ranges:$85,000-130,000

Eligible for bonus

Health Benefits & Perks:

• Medical, dental and vision coverage*
• Health Savings, Health Reimbursement, Flexible Spending/Dependent Care Accounts
• TeleHealth options
• 401k plan with company match*
• Company paid life/ad&d insurance
  • Additional supplemental life/ad&d coverage available
• Company paid Short/Long-Term Disability coverage (STD/LTD)
  • STD LTD Buy-ups available
• Accident/Hospital Indemnity coverage
• Legal/ID Theft Assistance
• PTO, floating Diversity Day, & paid holidays*
• Paid parental bonding leave
• Employee Assistance Program (24/7 mental health support hotline, 5 company paid counseling sessions and more)
• Robust Internal Career Growth opportunities
• Tuition reimbursement
• Hearing aid discount for employees and family
• Internal social recognition platform
• D&I focused: D&I council and employee resource groups

*Plan rules/offerings dependent upon group Company/location.