Sales Director – DACH

De Gruyter Brill is a global leader in scholarly publishing in the humanities and beyond. Combining a rich heritage dating back to 1683 with a forward-looking mindset, our mission is to publish and curate indispensable research that breaks boundaries, builds new bonds, and shapes a better future. Join our diverse and passionate team of over 600 colleagues around the world – and help us shape the future of scholarly communications.

The Commercial Director, DACH is responsible for leading and executing De Gruyter Brill's commercial strategy across the DACH region to drive sustainable revenue growth, profitability, customer retention, and market expansion. This role translates global commercial objectives into regional execution plans, identifies new business opportunities, and leads a high-performing sales organization focused on accountability, collaboration, consultative selling, and continuous improvement. As the senior commercial representative for the DACH market, the Commercial Director builds strong customer relationships, strengthens De Gruyter Brill's market presence, and contributes to the achievement of the Company's strategic objectives.

Develop and execute a medium- to long-term strategic growth plan for the region in collaboration with key internal stakeholders, including the VP of Institutional Sales, Business Development, and Publishing.

Own regional sales forecasts, budgets, pipeline health, and revenue performance.

Lead, coach, recruit, develop, and retain the regional sales team, including performance management and succession planning.

Manage executive relationships with major institutions, library consortia, and strategic partners.

Support negotiations for complex, high-value agreements and intervene in strategic opportunities where executive engagement is required.

Drive adoption of strategic initiatives including transformative agreements, new DGB eBook collections/options, online resources/databases, and other new commercial models.

Partner with Marketing to align campaigns and demand generation with regional priorities.

Collaborate with Publishing, Business Development, Sales Operations, Finance, IT, and other internal teams to improve customer experience and commercial execution.

Represent the region on the Institutional Sales leadership team and contribute to global commercial strategy.

Ensure CRM discipline, forecast accuracy, KPI reporting, and continuous process improvement.

Represent De Gruyter Brill at conferences, customer meetings, and industry events while strengthening the company's reputation.

• 10+ years of progressive experience in scholarly publishing.
• 5+ years leading and developing successful sales teams.
• In-depth knowledge of the DACH market, supported by a well-established network of contacts across the region.
• Strong knowledge of academic libraries, consortia, journals, eBooks, databases, and Open Access.
• Demonstrated success managing complex negotiations and enterprise-level customer relationships.
• Experience building strategic business plans and delivering sustainable revenue growth.
• C2 German and English fluency in all forms of communication.

Strategic leadership and commercial decision-making.

People leadership, coaching, mentoring, and talent development.

Executive presence and relationship management.

Cross-functional collaboration and organizational influence.

Demonstrated ability to apply a data-driven approach to all aspects of the

Consultative selling and complex negotiation.

Financial acumen, forecasting, and analytical decision-making.

Change leadership and continuous improvement.

Regular travel throughout the DACH region is required to support customer engagement, business development, team leadership, and industry events. Occasional international travel will be required for leadership meetings, strategic planning, and collaboration with global colleagues. The successful candidate is expected to maintain a regular presence at the Berlin head office to foster collaboration with colleagues and key stakeholders.

• An exciting professional challenge for one of the innovation drivers of the publishing industry
• Family-friendly working time models, flexitime, and flexible home office arrangements to support a healthy work-life balance, alongside a substantial vacation allowance and additional special leave days
• Extensive benefits and allowances for a healthy, balanced life
• Development budget and opportunities for training and personal development
• Passionate colleagues in diverse, international teams; joint team events and company parties

At De Gruyter Brill, we are dedicated to diversity, equal opportunity, and building an inclusive culture where everyone belongs. We believe in individual potential.