Job Title: Area Sales Manager – Munster

Industry: Wholesale Hardware / Building Materials Distribution

Territory: Kerry, Cork, Waterford & Limerick

Job Type: Permanent

Working Hours: Full time

Working Model: Field-based / On the road

Reporting to: Sales Manager

The Client

Our client is a long-established and highly respected distributor within the Irish hardware and building materials sector. They represent a broad portfolio of well-known, market-leading brands and supply extensively into builders’ merchants nationwide.

The business is well embedded across the merchant network, with long-standing customer relationships and a strong reputation for product quality, availability and technical support. This is an established operation with scale, depth of range and a stable customer base.

Job Purpose

The purpose of this role is to manage and grow an established merchant customer base across the Munster region.

Rather than focusing on new business acquisition, the emphasis is on account growth, product penetration and range management across a large and diverse SKU portfolio. The successful candidate will take ownership of their territory, developing strong working relationships with key merchant contacts and maximising opportunities within existing accounts.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Manage and develop an established portfolio of builders’ merchants and hardware customers
• Grow sales and market share through account development, product focus and territory planning
• Manage a large and varied SKU range, prioritising opportunities within existing accounts
• Work to a structured call plan while remaining flexible to attend training, events and customer requirements
• Build strong, professional relationships with branch managers, buyers and decision-makers
• Identify opportunities for incremental growth across product categories
• Provide feedback on customer activity, competitor presence and market trends
• Handle customer issues professionally and follow through to resolution
• Work closely with internal teams to ensure a consistent level of service

Ideal Candidate

We are keen to speak with candidates who already have experience selling into the builders’ merchant or hardware channel, ideally coming from a distributor or supplier background.

The ideal candidate will have:

• 3+ years’ experience in field sales within hardware, building materials or a related distribution environment
• Experience managing established accounts rather than relying on constant new business generation
• Comfort working with large product portfolios and high SKU volumes
• A strong understanding of how builders’ merchants operate
• The ability to work independently while contributing effectively to a wider sales team

Key Competencies & Skills

• Proven experience in an Area Sales Manager or Field Sales role within a similar sector
• Strong account management and relationship-building skills
• Commercial awareness and the ability to spot growth opportunities within existing customers
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal
• Well organised with good territory planning skills
• Professional, dependable and commercially grounded approach

Package & Benefits

• Basic salary circa €50k
• Performance related bonus (discussed further during the recruitment process)
• Company car
• Pension (commences immediately)
• Phone, laptop and tablet
• Fuel card
• Lunch allowance