Sales Manager - France and Switzerland (Lighting Controls)

Job description

To drive sustainable sales growth for Helvar across France (based in Paris) and French-speaking Switzerland by developing the specification market, expanding and supporting the partner network, and strengthening Helvar’s brand presence in the region. The role is responsible for identifying opportunities, influencing key stakeholders (consultants, end-users, contractors), and enabling partners to win projects with Helvar solutions.

Job requirements

• Strong sales experience in lighting controls, lighting, building automation, or smart-building technology.
• Proven ability to develop new business and manage partners or channels.
• Excellent relationship-building skills with consultants, designers, and end-users.
• Strong technical and commercial understanding of lighting-control systems.
• High energy, ownership, and ability to work independently in the field.
• Native-level French; fluent English (written and spoken).
• Structured, disciplined use of CRM tools (preferably Salesforce).
• Ability to travel across France and Switzerland as needed.
• Preferred Experience
• Experience with DALI-2, wireless controls, hybrid solutions, IoT-based building systems.
• Experience working for a manufacturer or distributor in the lighting controls or building-automation domain.
• Existing network of consultants, integrators, and lighting designers in France.

Job responsibilities

Partner Network Growth & Support

• Manage and support existing Helvar partners to increase sales performance, capabilities, and market reach.
• Identify, qualify, and onboard new partners to strengthen regional coverage and accelerate growth.
• Conduct regular partner business reviews covering pipeline, forecast, training needs, marketing activities, and must-win projects.
• Ensure partners follow Helvar best practices, brand guidelines, and commercial frameworks.
• Provide training, coaching, and technical-commercial support to improve partner self-sufficiency.

Specification Market Development

• Develop and execute a clear specification strategy targeting consultants, lighting designers, architects, and major end-users.
• Drive Helvar early into project specifications (concept & design stages).
• Create strong relationships with key influencers in the construction and refurbishment ecosystem.
• Promote Helvar solutions (ActiveAhead, Imagine, Insights, Hybrid) in line with market needs, regulations, and trends (EPBD, energy efficiency).
• Deliver effective presentations, technical workshops, and CPDs in French.

Sales Growth & Pipeline Management

• Achieve revenue, margin, pipeline, and forecast accuracy targets for the region.
• Develop a healthy pipeline across all verticals (healthcare, education, hospitality, offices, logistics, museums, data centres).
• Follow up on must-win opportunities, ensuring Helvar is the preferred choice.
• Work closely with internal teams (product management, marketing, technical support, project services) to support major bids.

Brand Building & Market Presence

• Increase Helvar visibility and brand strength in France and French-speaking Switzerland.
• Coordinate with marketing on campaigns, events, trade fairs, local webinars, and social media activities.
• Represent Helvar at industry events and professional associations.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Provide structured market feedback on competition, pricing, technology trends, regulations, and customer needs.
• Contribute to regional strategy and annual sales planning.
• Ensure Salesforce is used consistently for pipeline, account planning, and forecasting.

Job benefits

Why You'll Love Helvar?

• We value your growth: With a wide range of online learning opportunities and internal mobility, you’ll have the tools and support to advance your career.
• Autonomy and balance: Our culture is built on trust, offering you autonomy in your role while promoting a healthy work-life balance and benefiting from a supportive and collaborative environment.
• Wellbeing at the heart: Whether it’s our products for customers or how we care for our team, wellbeing is our top priority. We offer a dedicated Wellbeing Day every year, and all employees can take advantage of our weekly Empower Hour for wellbeing, community, or learning activities.
• A company you can trust: With over 100 years of history, we’re a stable, family-owned Finnish company that’s growing across our international locations.

If you’re excited to drive innovation, shape Helvar’s future, and grow in a company with a rich history and forward-thinking mindset, we want to hear from you! Apply to join our team of talented and innovative experts! If you’d like to be a part of the Helvar family, please apply for this vacancy via our Helvar Careers site at helvar.com/careers/ by the 17th of February. We have added a few questions on the application form that we hope you wont mind responding too. We will be continuously interviewing candidates during the application period and will fill the position as soon as we find the right match! For additional information on the role, please contact our Talent Acquisition & Development Manager: Ben Fryer [email protected] who will get in touch with you shortly. In the meantime, please give us a follow on Instagram: @lifeathelvar The Helvar Promise to You! At Helvar, we’re determined to improve the wellbeing of people in every space - including our own employees. We promise you conditions that foster your personal growth and help you achieve your full potential. As a tight-knit company with a family ethos, we’re proud to see that Helvarians care deeply about our customers, our partners, our planet and each other. Our drive to create a better working environment is part of what we call Brighter Spaces. We trust your vision! "Over the last 100 years, we've become experts at innovation. It's part of our culture. Together we evolve and adapt our solutions to create perfect conditions.“ We invest in you! "As we spend 1/3 of our life at work, it's important to have fun! We work in a friendly, easy-going atmosphere, and we're focused on improving your wellbeing. We celebrate a learning culture and promote Bright Ideas.” You have the freedom to impact! “People help shape our success. This allows us to be true leaders. With your ideas, we're focused on achieving a brighter, sustainable future for generations to come.” We’re with you all the way! Our Story About Helvar Helvar is an international SMART lighting controls technology company specialising in intelligent and energy-saving solutions. Helvar lighting control solutions and luminaire components help to create smart environments built for the future, using information, and working seamlessly with other systems. With a vast range of projects spanning from hospitals, schools, workplaces to cruise ships and Istanbul’s 3rd new airport (the largest in the world), Helvar designs open and flexible solutions for lighting across a range of applications. With over 100 years of expertise, Helvar serves its customers locally with offices in Finland, UK and Sweden and via our global network of partners in over 50 countries. Do you want to shape the future of smart buildings that improve people's wellbeing? Great! We are world leaders in lighting intelligence and our solutions are built with people in mind. Our products and solutions save energy and improve human comfort. We offer an international and diverse working culture where your wellbeing is important to us. It's a place to grow and develop, while maintaining a healthy balance of work and life. Helvar Recruitment Equality and Diversity Disclaimer At Helvar, we are committed to creating a workplace that promotes a culture of equality, respect, and opportunity for all. We welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, or any other characteristic protected by law. We value the unique perspectives and experiences that each individual brings to our team and encourage everyone to apply. If you require any accommodations during the recruitment process, please do not hesitate to get in touch. Apply To This Job