Regional Sales Manager

About AkzoNobel

Since 1792, we’ve been supplying the innovative paints and coatings that help to color people’s lives and protect what matters most. Our world class portfolio of brands – including Dulux, International, Sikkens and Interpon – is trusted by customers around the globe. We’re active in more than 150 countries and use our expertise to sustain and enhance the fabric of everyday life. Because we believe every surface is an opportunity. It’s what you’d expect from a pioneering and long-established paints company that’s dedicated to providing sustainable solutions and preserving the best of what we have today – while creating an even better tomorrow. Let’s paint the future together.

For more information please visit www.akzonobel.com 

© 2024 Akzo Nobel N.V. All rights reserved.

Regional Sales Manager
Home Based – Covering Central Scotland, the Scottish Borders and North East England

This is not just a sales role. It’s the chance to own your region, shape how we win in the market, and lead a high performing team that turns specifications into “Paint on Wall” and sustainable growth.

As a Regional Sales Manager (RSM) at DDC, you’ll sit at the heart of our new, integrated way of working – connecting specification, contractor sales, and national agreements into one powerful regional growth engine.

Why this role is exciting
•    You own the region – You will set the direction, lead the team, and be accountable for delivering profitable, sustainable growth.
•    You lead a hybrid, high-impact team – Regional Development Managers (RDMs), Key Account Managers (KAMs) and Account Managers (AMs) all come together under your leadership.
•    You turn specifications into real business – You’ll be the driving force behind turning DDC specifications into sales, ensuring our products are the ones on the wall.
•    You shape how DDC shows up in the market – You’ll be at the forefront of our route-to-market strategy, pricing, governance and customer experience in your region.
•    You influence national direction – Your insight, performance and feedback will directly inform national plans and decisions.

The purpose of your role
As RSMs you are responsible for delivering profitable, sustainable growth for the DDC business in your region by:
•    Leading, coaching and performance-managing RDMs, KAMs and AMs to hit ambitious targets for:
•    Sales and GIV growth
•    Margin and market share
•    Specification conversion and “Paint on Wall”
•    New business and accessories penetration
•    Owning the regional business plan across all key segments (housebuilders, construction, social housing, contractors, FM/end users).
•    Ensuring our strategic route to market, pricing and governance frameworks are effectively executed in your region.
•    Building strong internal and external relationships that unlock growth and strengthen AkzoNobel’s position.
•    Feeding accurate regional insight into our BPM cycle to guide national strategy and decision-making.

You are the leader who connects strategy, people and customers – and turns potential into performance.

What you’ll lead and deliver

1. Financial Performance – Own the Numbers
You will:
•    Take full ownership of regional sales performance, delivering revenue, GIV growth, margin and cost control.
•    Set clear financial targets for your RDMs, KAMs and AM – including specification value & conversion, GIV, margin, share gain, accessories and cash collection.
•    Identify and drive growth across:
•    Specification-led opportunities (housebuilding, construction, social housing)
•    Contractor-led opportunities via the AM and KAM customer ledgers
•    High-value regional opportunities in collaboration with national and central Key Account teams
•    Maximise return on regional investments (SIF, BDF, rebates) while protecting margin.
You won’t just track the numbers – you’ll shape them.

2. Customer & Market Leadership – Be the Face of DDC in Your Region
You will:
•    Provide overarching leadership for customer engagement in your region, ensuring each priority customer and segment has a clear, owned plan.
•    Support your team in high-stakes interactions: senior reviews, major negotiations and complex issue resolution.
•    Champion DDC’s value propositions, sustainability agenda and new product launches.
•    Stay close to market dynamics – competitive activity, customer behaviour and regional trends – and convert that insight into clear actions and adjustments to your business plan.
You will be recognised internally and externally as the key commercial leader for your region.

3. People Leadership & Capability – Build a High-Performing Team
You will:
•    Recruit, develop and retain a top-performing team of RDMs,AMs and AMs.
•    Set clear objectives, hold regular 1:1s and drive robust performance management.
•    Coach:
•    RDMs in specification selling, governance and stakeholder management.
•    KAMs/AMs in account management, commercial acumen and pipeline management.
•    Use capability matrices and individual development plans to drive continuous improvement.
•    Foster a “one team” culture across RDMs, KAMs, AMs and Stores, with seamless hand offs and joint planning.
Your success is measured by how successful your people become.

4. Strategic Planning & Execution – Turn Strategy into Action
You will:
•    Lead the development and regular review of the regional business plan, aligned with national strategy and sector priorities.
•    Ensure every AM/KAM has a clear, aligned territory plan and every RDM has a clear sector/specification plan, with measurable objectives.
•    Drive the execution of national frameworks and agreements at regional level – housebuilder agreements, social housing frameworks, buying groups, national contractor deals.
•    Ensure the DDC route to market, pricing policy and specification governance are understood and consistently applied.
You translate national strategy into local winning.

5. Operational Excellence & Governance – Bring Discipline to Performance
You will:
•    Ensure CRM and reporting tools are used accurately and consistently, giving a clear picture of activity, pipelines and performance.
•    Monitor key metrics – visit frequency, pipeline health, specification conversion, GIV growth, margin, cash collection – and take timely corrective action.
•    Ensure adherence to commercial policies, discounting and rebate guidelines, and approval processes for project pricing and local investments.
•    Drive disciplined call planning, diary management and journey planning across the team to maximise quality customer time and efficiency.
You create the conditions for sustainable, repeatable success.

6. Personal Growth & Leadership Impact – Grow as You Grow the Region
You will:
•    Own your personal development using leadership and sales capability frameworks.
•    Actively seek feedback from your line manager, peers and your team to sharpen your leadership, coaching and decision-making.
•    Build capability in strategic planning, financial management, complex negotiation and change leadership through training, coaching and self learning.
•    Role-model a growth mindset: be visibly committed to learning, share your insights and encourage continuous improvement across the region.
You lead by example – and your team will follow.

Level of Autonomy – Real Ownership, Real Impact

In this role you will:
•    Operate with a high level of autonomy in leading your regional business, setting priorities and allocating resources within national frameworks and budgets.
•    Make day-to-day commercial and people decisions and approve regional-level investments, project pricing and rebates within defined thresholds.
•    Influence national strategy through your performance, insight and active participation in planning and BPM cycles.
You are trusted to run the region – and expected to push it forward.

Is this role for you?
This role will suit you if you:
•    Thrive on accountability and ownership of a full regional P&L scope within defined frameworks.
•    Are energised by leading and developing people – and enjoy winning through others.
•    Combine strategic thinking with hands-on execution.
•    Are commercially sharp, data-driven and comfortable making decisions.
•    Want to be at the centre of DDC’s new model, driving both specification conversion and contractor-led growth.

The opportunity
The Regional Sales Manager role is a pivotal position in the new DDC structure. It brings together specification conversion, contractor management and key account leadership into one integrated, high-impact remit.
You will shape how our strategy comes to life in your region.
You will lead the teams that turn opportunities into “Paint on Wall.”
You will help define the future of DDC.

Step into a role where you don’t just manage a – you build it!

The advert is due to close COP 24 August 2026. 

#LI-SH1

At AkzoNobel we are highly committed to ensuring an inclusive and respectful workplace where all employees can be their best self. We strive to embrace diversity in a context of tolerance. Our talent acquisition process plays an integral part in this journey, as setting the foundations for a diverse environment. For this reason we train and educate on the implications of our Unconscious Bias in order for our TA and hiring managers to be mindful of them and take corrective actions when applicable. In our organization, all qualified applicants receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age or disability.

Requisition ID: 55396