Head of Competence Commerce Development

At Lely, we believe in achieving a sustainable, profitable and agreeable future for dairy farmers by combining robotisation, enjoyable and farming expertise.

It all started with a dream cherished by two brothers in Maassluis more than 75 years ago, and ever since, we have worked to become innovative market leaders in automated systems for dairy farmers across the globe. With a team of 2,500 professional specialists, we work constantly to bring about revolutionary solutions for the agro industry. We are based at our Maassluis Campus, a building which features the highest sustainability performance possible, not just in the Netherlands, but on a global scale. Our overall objective: making dairy farming interesting, also for the coming generations.

Do you want to help build the (commercial) future of Lely? In the role of Head of Competence Commerce Development, you lead the E-commerce and Sales Management teams and are responsible for strengthening and developing commercial effectiveness and customer focus within our organization. Your position falls within Competence Proposition Management. You develop strategies that contribute to the growth and positioning of propositions and the further development of direct and indirect sales channels.

You also create and professionalize the foundations of E-commerce, establishing a scalable and future-proof digital domain.

As Head of Competence Commerce Development, you move effortlessly within a matrix organization. You know how to provide clear direction and naturally get people on board. Together with various teams inside and outside Competence Proposition Management, you ensure an integrated commercial approach that is translated worldwide.

You report to the Competence Director Proposition Management. You lead the E-commerce and Sales Management teams and ensure that both domains are developed and executed in alignment. From this position, you steer commercial development, digital growth, and operational effectiveness, with a clear impact on the global commercial organization.

Do you recognize yourself in this? Then read on.

Your key responsibilities:

• Developing an integrated commercial strategy in collaboration with Business Teams, the Distribution Channel Development team, and Marketing.
• Managing the Sales Management team (processes, tools, training and performance, customer identification & onboarding).
• Leading and building the E-commerce team, where you are responsible for establishing the global digital sales strategy and the underlying processes.
• Facilitating commercial alignment within the matrix organization, with respect for local market dynamics.
• Strengthening collaboration between Commerce, Marketing, Product Management, and Clusters.
• Coaching and developing a team of approximately 12 FTE with a focus on collaboration and result orientation.
• Developing and safeguarding commercial processes and best practices that contribute to scalability and consistent execution.

What is your experience?

You are a strong discussion partner at a strategic level and know how to translate commercial opportunities into clear programs and guidelines. You combine vision with execution power and move smoothly between strategy and operations.

In addition, you bring the following:

• Academic working and thinking level with a background in commercial economics, business administration or similar.
• At least 8 to 10 years of experience in omnichannel strategy, sales management and demonstrable experience in e-commerce as an essential requirement.
• Demonstrable leadership experience within a complex (international) matrix organization.
• Expertise in value-based selling, digital sales channels, and commercial process improvement.
• Strong skills in stakeholder management, data-driven working, and change management.
• Excellent command of Dutch and English.

Working at Lely means contributing to sustainable progress within one of the most innovative organizations in the Netherlands. You help future-proof the agricultural sector — and we ensure you have the space, resources, and support to do so.

• An international working environment with room for personal initiative and entrepreneurship
• Excellent employment conditions, including up to 7 weeks of holiday per year and a solid pension scheme
• A salary range between €7,000 and €9,000 gross per month, with room for growth beyond the starting salary. The package includes an electric car and a bonus
• Strong development opportunities: you're in control of your growth, with access to a wide range of training through our Lely Academy — from personal development to job-specific education
• Daily access to top-notch sports facilities on our modern Lely Campus: an indoor gym, outdoor padel courts, basketball and volleyball courts, table tennis, and foosball. Join Hyrox workouts or sign up for personal training — and challenge your colleagues during an active break
• Enjoy freshly brewed coffee and tea from our in-house barista, made with milk straight from our farm, and a healthy, affordable company restaurant
• A healthy work-life balance through our hybrid work policy: you'll work on Campus at least three days a week, with flexible hours and the option to spend extra time on site (anytime between 06:00 and 20:00)
• A free shuttle service takes you to and from the metro station in Maassluis, ensuring a smooth start and end to your day
• We celebrate success — from work anniversaries to Christmas parties, at Lely we know how to mark the moment

Recruitment & selection agencies, consultancies, and temp agencies:

We appreciate your interest, but we recruit all our candidates directly. While we understand your desire to contribute to our ambitions by submitting candidates for our great opportunities, this is not how we've set up our recruitment process. As such, any unsolicited profiles submitted for Lely vacancies will be treated as direct applications.