Managing Director Food Solutions DACH (d/f/m)
About Unilever Food Solutions (UFS)
Unilever Food Solutions (UFS) is a global food service business serving professional kitchens, chefs and food service operators in 76 countries worldwide with a turnover of around €3 billion.
UFS operates as a dedicated food service unit within Unilever, with a strong focus on chefs, field sales and close customer partnerships in a pure B2B environment. What makes UFS unique is its entrepreneurial mindset, strong execution focus and deep expertise in the professional food service channel.
Our ambition is clear: to become a €5 billion business by 2030, to lead the industry in digital selling, to be the preferred solution partner for food service operators, and to grow our business in a responsible way – for our people, our customers and the planet.
At UFS, people are encouraged to think like owners, test new ideas, learn fast and grow with the business. We believe strong results come from speed, simplicity and trust, combined with a deep passion for food and the people we serve.
About the role
This role has direct responsibility for the Germany market and the DACH Performance Unit.
Country head of Germany : To lead the UFS business end to end for Germany which has a 2026 forecast of 113m€.
DACH Performance Unit (PU): Among the performance units within UFS, DACH (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) is one of the largest, generating a turnover of €204million. This indicates a substantial contribution to the overall European operations, emphasizing the importance of the DACH PU in the UFS's strategy.
Therefore, this role will lead end-to-end business strategy with the full P&L responsibility for Food Solutions DACH. The role will be responsible for both strategic and operational agenda, overseeing and guiding operations and ensuring its continued success and sustainable growth. This role requires a strong background in leadership and strategic planning, with a focus on driving growth and profitability in Food solutions DACH to deliver a sustainable high performance.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Be UFS PU lead of DACH & the Head of Country for Germany
- Translate global and regional priorities into clear local execution plans
- Fully owns in-year P&L and performance of Germany and DACH
- Leads integrated sales, demand and supply planning across the DACH region as well as business transformational agenda to embed future-proof business capabilities for DACH.
- Develops and executes long-term UFS DACH business strategy to ensure sustainable and profitable growth.
- Acts as the guardian of culture, showing full ownership of the people agenda; Build talent and capabilities, build a performance culture to drive for high growth business.
- Identifying, attracting, and retaining the right profiled individuals and focuses on developing people through personally invests in their growth for DACH
- Clear prioritization and resource allocations for all DACH initiatives
- Identify new growth opportunities and corrective measures to optimize business performance.
- Provide leadership and guidance and ensure alignment with organizational goals.
- Leverage Digital as an enabler of future reach and penetration
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
- 15+ years of leadership experience, ideally in B2B, food service, FMCG or hospitality
- Proven track record in general management, commercial leadership or managing director roles
- Experience managing complex, multi-country businesses
- Strong understanding of sales, marketing, operations and P&L management
- Experience leading business transformation and growth initiatives
- Fluent German and strong English skills
- Passion for food, customers and the food service industry
KEY SKILLS
- Commercial & business acumen: from an outside-in perspective, deep understanding of the industry you are in, knowing the competitive environment, clear vision about the company. Proven ability to drive growth and profitability in a competitive market.
- Pattern Recognition & Systemic Thinking: ability to see and understand linkages and interactions beyond silos, to anticipate and pull together the right actions and interventions, through end-to-end thinking, in support of business growth
- Adaptability & Resilience: personal capacity to test, reflect, and change to succeed. Manages within the paradoxes. Especially facing challenges and changes from outside/inside, still hold strong belief in what should do and persistent to do the right things.
- Strong Judgement and Decision Maker: Ability to make objective and accurate judgments through rational analysis and grasp the key points. At the same time, accurately weigh various factors when faced with a choice, and ultimately make the best decision, weigh the pros and cons, anticipate risks, and be willing to bear the consequences.
- Performance Coaching & Casting: ability to challenge, stretch and coach others, demonstrates strong EQ to become the objective and trusted partner of the teams/leadership they support, to drive superior performance. Builds deep knowledge of talent and their development needs
- Digital & tech savvy thinks digital first. True understanding of digital technologies –physical, social & emerging – their capabilities and how they may evolve. Ability to see practical application, identifying and working with the right partners to make it happen. Thinks iteratively and creates learning loops to ensure it remains relevant, evolves, drives adoption and lands with impact.
- Food Culture: the candidates must understand and be passionate about Food and the Food culture that we are creating through UFS.
- Lateral teamwork: the incumbent also needs to be able to deliver through others, working closely and effectively with Unilever share service, supply chains, R&D, Factory, Operators, suppliers, and partners.
WHAT WE OFFER YOU:
- Lead a large, high-impact Food Service business in one of Europe’s key regions
- Full ownership, visibility and influence at senior leadership level
- Opportunity to shape the future of a growing, entrepreneurial B2B business
- International environment with strong development and growth opportunities
- Flexible working hours
- 30 days of vacation and 30 days of annual leave plus additional paid days off on December 24 and December 31
- Interesting training programs and 24/7 access to our learning platform
- On-site café offering snacks, lunch options, and specialty coffees at reduced prices
- Public transport support: monthly subsidy for the Germany Ticket
- Subsidized company bike (depending on employment type)
- E-GYM/Wellpass membership with a personal contribution
- Optional manager medical check-up and access to a 24/7 employee assistance and counseling service
- Company pension scheme
Unilever is an organisation committed to equity, inclusion and diversity to drive our business results and create a better future, every day, for our diverse employees, global consumers, partners, and communities. We believe a diverse workforce allows us to match our growth ambitions and drive inclusion across the business. At Unilever we are interested in every individual bringing their ‘Whole Self’ to work and this includes you! Thus if you require any support or access requirements, we encourage you to advise us at the time of your application so that we can support you through your recruitment journey.