Technical Area Sales Manager

ICL Professional Horticulture is the leading company within the UK ornamentals market and due to continued growth and expansion we are looking for a highly technical and proactive area sales manager to add to our successful team. The chosen candidate will be joining a market leading team of 12 highly experienced technical sales professionals selling and advising on market leading brands including Levington Advance growing media, Osmocote controlled release fertilisers, Lalguard vine weevil control and Universol water soluble fertilisers.

With ambitious growth plans ICL Professional Horticulture are continuously developing new markets and products with key new product launches planned in the near future. This is a great opportunity for someone looking to advance their career within an international business with further potential opportunities for role expansion into international and global roles.

The Role

As an Area Sales Manager, you will be responsible for managing and developing sales of ICL’s branded fertilisers, controls and growing media across a defined area. You will work closely with growers, distributor partners and internal technical and marketing teams to maximise sales, achieve targets and strengthen ICL’s market position. You will play a key role in both maintaining strong customer relationships and identifying new business opportunities, ensuring the continued growth of the professional horticulture portfolio.

What You’ll Be Doing

• You will be responsible for achieving sales targets across all product lines within your area by effectively managing key grower and distributor accounts.
• A core part of the role will be building strong, long-term relationships with customers, working closely with distributor sales teams in the field to maximise opportunities and ensure full support across all product lines.
• You will identify and secure new business opportunities while maintaining a strong presence in the market to increase share and support the successful launch and adoption of new products.
• Alongside this, you will provide technical support where required, including managing product-related queries or complaints and working with technical teams to resolve issues.
• The role also involves monitoring competitor activity and contributing ideas towards new product development.
• You will coordinate, manage and report on product trials for both new and existing products, ensuring findings are clearly communicated and support future developments.
• You will work collaboratively with technical and marketing teams, including contributing to technical content and supporting wider product initiatives.
• In addition, you will maintain accurate and up-to-date customer and sales data within the CRM system, ensuring records reflect market activity, customer engagement and opportunities.
• You will manage your time effectively to maximise customer engagement and sales activity, support forecasting and budgeting processes, and ensure all activities are delivered in line with agreed expenditure budgets.

What We’re Looking For

You will be a motivated and commercially driven sales professional with experience in horticulture or a related sector. You will also have:

• A recognised horticultural qualification
• BASIS and FACTS registration
• At least 2 years’ sales experience in horticulture, FMCG or a related industry
• Strong knowledge of the professional horticulture or specialty agriculture market
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal
• A proactive, team-focused approach and a strong drive to succeed

Why Join ICL

• Opportunity to work within a leading global organisation
• Be part of a collaborative team environment
• Play a key role in driving growth within a specialised market
• Develop both commercial and technical expertise
• Contribute to innovative product development