Market Development Manager - Central & Eastern Europe

Sunstar is a Swiss-Japanese multinational serving customers in more than 90 countries worldwide and is currently undergoing an ambitious multi-year transformation journey. At Sunstar, we combine diverse perspectives, cultures, and expertise to drive innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement. We are committed to improving health and wellbeing through our products and services, while fostering a culture where people are empowered to learn, grow, take ownership, and make a real impact. Joining Sunstar means becoming part of a company that values purpose, collaboration, and sustainable growth—offering the opportunity to shape the future while staying true to a strong set of values and a unique Swiss-Japanese heritage. About the job We're looking for a Market Development Manager CEE (Central and Eastern Europe) to take full ownership of a portfolio of distributor markets, driving revenue growth, profitability and commercial excellence. Partnering closely with distributors, you will build joint business plans, develop capabilities and lead initiatives that accelerate sell-out growth across pharmacy, mass-market and online channels. The job's mission As Market Development Manager, you take full ownership of a group of markets: revenue, P&L and growth, and the capability of the distributor partners who deliver them. This is not an account-management job of taking orders — you build joint business plans, assess and develop your partners, and lead the interventions that unlock the next stage of growth. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES Building the business Own the business — Full responsibility for the cluster’s commercial results - revenue, P&L, sell-out growth and profitability, not just sell-in.Ensure budget & forecast discipline — Own the cluster budget and its building blocks; drive forecast discipline with distributors and operations; pressure-test forecasts and re-anchor targets on baseline data.Drive Sales fundamentals execution — Drive perfect execution in store through the distributor teams — assortment, planograms, merchandising and pricing — deploying the Trade Marketing guidelines.Expand Channel coverage — Ensure each distributor has the capacity and capability to cover pharmacy, mass and online across the cluster. Building capabilities Own JBP discipline — Build and run the Joint Business Plan for each distributor in the cluster — 3-year vision, annual targets, sell-out transparency, review cadence, agreed actions with owners.Develop your distributor partners - Assess each distributor’s capabilities against our capability model, agree the priority to fix in each cycle and follow through the development plan.Lead intervention plans & change management — Take on the toughest market priorities, using objective data as your negotiation base, and see interventions through.Onboard & develop— Onboard new distributors, continuously assess and develop their capabilities, run performance management, and own MBR (Monthly Business Review) reporting for the cluster. WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR Qualifications Master’s degree in business, International Business, or MarketingFluent English essential. Russian highly desirable. Proficiency in an additional CEE language would be an advantage. Experience Experience — 7+ years in commercial / distributor management within FMCG, consumer health or OTC, with proven P&L or sell-out accountability across international distributor markets.Distributor craft — Has built and run joint business plans with independent distributors; comfortable holding partners accountable through data rather than relationship goodwill.Analytical strength — Fluent with sell-out data, pricing and margin mechanics; able to challenge a forecast and rebuild it from baseline.Change leadership — Track record of moving reluctant partners; resilient in markets where structure must be built, not inherited. What makes you successful in this role An entrepreneurial mindset with the ability to build new capabilities, processes and standards from the ground upStrong commercial acumen and analytical skills, with the ability to turn data into actionable business recommendationsExcellence in developing strategies and translating them into effective execution and measurable resultsCreative and innovative thinking to solve complex market and commercial challengesA results-oriented approach with a strong sense of ownership and accountabilityExcellent stakeholder management, influencing and negotiation skills, enabling you to build strong relationships across markets and functionsA collaborative and adaptable mindset, thriving in a multicultural and distributor-led environmentWillingness to travel across the CEE region as required Why join Sunstar? Purpose-driven company focused on health and wellbeingUnique Swiss-Japanese heritage with a truly global footprint, serving customers in more than 90 countriesExciting transformation journey creating opportunities to make a tangible impactCollaborative, inclusive, and multicultural environmentStrong commitment to learning, development, and career growthCulture of ownership, innovation, and continuous improvementHybrid working model supporting flexibility and work-life balancePrivate healthcare and life insurance, Multisport (gym) card, Contribution towards corrective eyewear Location: Poland Employment Type: Full-time, Permanent Travel: Approximately 50-75% travel across CEE Excited by this opportunity? We'd love to learn more about you. Apply today and help us drive meaningful impact at Sunstar. Due to the high volume of applications, we are only able to contact shortlisted candidates. If you apply and do not hear from us within three weeks of the job posting date, please understand that we will not be progressing with your application.