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France · Executive search · Market entry · Salary benchmarks

Country Manager France

The Country Manager France is the hire that decides your market entry: first person in, owns the P&L, builds the customer base and later the team. We run this search as a boutique executive search for machinery, industrial technology and recycling companies — and for candidates, this page is the door to mandates that are rarely advertised.

  • Executive search for Country Managers in France — market entry & scale-up
  • EUR salary benchmarks for country leadership roles
  • Searches run in French by native-speaking consultants — local market, local language
Hire a Country Manager
Our niches
  • Machinery & plant engineering
  • Industrial technology
  • Recycling & environmental technology
2–4 weeks

to a shortlist of Country Manager candidates for France

5–9 weeks

from briefing to a signed country leader

1st hire

the typical mandate: the first commercial hire of a market entry

100% focus

industrial B2B — machinery, industrial technology & recycling

Mandates

Country Manager jobs in France

Public Country Manager mandates in France appear here — but note: the majority of country leadership searches run confidentially and are never advertised.

No public Country Manager vacancy in France at the moment — which is normal for this role: leadership searches for market entries run confidentially almost by default. Submit your CV below to be considered for exactly these mandates.

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Hiring a Country Manager in France?

Country Manager search France

The hire your market entry stands or falls with

A Country Manager for France is not a bigger sales rep — it is your company in the market. The role opens France from a standing start: first customers, first reference installations, pricing against local competitors, and in year two or three the first own hires. In machinery, industrial technology and recycling, the profile that works combines a hunter's new-business drive with enough commercial seniority to own a P&L and negotiate at plant-director level.

Finding that combination is a classic executive-search problem: the candidates who can do it are employed, visible successes in their current market, and not reading job adverts. We approach them directly — as a boutique agency with our own presence in the market, we know who has actually built business in French industry and who has only administered it. We also keep the search honest on structure: offers are benchmarked in EUR, and we brief you on local expectations — for instance that senior French sales roles are hired at cadre status — a formal status with its own pension scheme, probation and notice conventions that a serious offer has to respect.

For senior candidates, a Country Manager search is a career decision — which is why our process is strictly confidential in both directions. The benchmarks below show what country leadership in France pays; an open application is the reliable way into mandates that never reach this page.

100+ companies expanded successfully with our placements

Salary benchmarks

Country Manager salary in France

What does a Country Manager cost in France? Annual gross benchmarks in EUR for industrial B2B, with the wider sales organisation for comparison:

Position Base salary OTE (on-target earnings)
Country Manager France €100,000 – 130,000 €130,000 – 175,000
Head of Sales France €90,000 – 115,000 €115,000 – 155,000
Sales Manager France €60,000 – 80,000 €80,000 – 110,000
Technical Sales Manager €55,000 – 72,000 €72,000 – 100,000
Business Development Manager €55,000 – 70,000 €70,000 – 95,000
Area / Regional Sales Manager €50,000 – 65,000 €65,000 – 85,000
Technical Sales Engineer €45,000 – 60,000 €55,000 – 75,000

Source: JN Recruitment placement and interview data, industrial B2B sales, France. Île-de-France prices 10–20% above the national range; Lyon and Grand Est sit close to it.

France Q&A

Country Manager France: frequently asked questions

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Our placement data for industrial B2B puts a Country Manager France at €100,000 – 130,000 base salary and €130,000 – 175,000 on-target earnings, annual gross — typically plus company car and, at this level, sometimes equity or long-term incentives. Packages scale with the size of the P&L and whether the role starts a market or takes over an existing organisation.

Yes — that is the standard starting position of a market entry. Your first hire in France can be engaged through an Employer of Record, a local payroll provider, or a contractor structure while your subsidiary is being established. We advise which route top candidates in France will actually accept and structure the offer accordingly, so the entity question never costs you your favourite candidate.

For an industrial market entry: a proven new-business track record in your niche (machinery, industrial technology or recycling), an existing network among French plants, OEMs or integrators, commercial seniority to own pricing and a P&L, and the resilience to work alone for the first year. We deliberately screen out pure administrators — the first years in France are hunting years.

You see a first shortlist after 2–4 weeks; signing typically happens within 5–9 weeks of briefing. Factor in the start date: cadre contracts in France typically carry a three-month notice period, so even after a fast signature your new hire usually starts a quarter later. For urgent market entries we can bridge with interim constructions — but for the definitive hire, quality beats speed.

On the client side, a market entry is competitive information — announcing it via job adverts tells your competitors exactly where you are going. On the candidate side, the people you want are senior and employed; they engage with a discreet direct approach, not with public postings. This is why most of our Country Manager mandates for France never appear online — and why an open application is the only way candidates reliably see them.

If France is a new market and the first hire must open customers personally while representing the company locally, you need a Country Manager. If a French team already exists and the gap is leadership and pipeline discipline, a Head of Sales is the better-priced fit. We regularly re-scope this in the briefing call — hiring the wrong one of the two is the most expensive mistake in market-entry recruiting.

Yes. The first quarter decides the hire's success, so we stay involved: structured feedback loops with both sides during onboarding and probation. And when the market grows, the same search infrastructure fills the next roles — from the first Area Sales Manager to a full French sales team — with the candidate map already built.

Related searches

Sales roles we recruit in France

The same boutique search covers every commercial role in the market — pick the profile you are looking for, or looking to become.

Country Managers in other markets

Looking broader?

Candidate reviews

What placed candidates say about working with us

Real LinkedIn recommendations from candidates we placed in technical sales roles across Europe — names, roles and words are theirs.

Having worked with several recruiters throughout my career, I can confidently say that Natalia stands out as one of the most exceptional. She wasn’t simply focused on filling a position — she was truly committed to finding the best possible match for both the employer and the candidate. That genuine care made the entire experience feel like working with a trusted partner.

Stefan Wegner
Stefan Wegner Key Account Manager, Conveying Technology & Intralogistics
July 2026

She was incredibly supportive, responsive, and committed from start to finish, always making sure I felt informed and comfortable throughout every stage of the process. It is rare to meet someone in recruitment who combines professionalism with such a personal and caring approach.

Marta Lewandowska
Marta Lewandowska Sales Manager, Royal Apollo Group
May 2026

She maintained clear and regular communication, always keeping me informed and ensuring that every step of the process ran smoothly. Even after the recruitment was completed, she continued to reach out to learn firsthand about my progress in my new role.

Miguel Pavia
Miguel Pavia Business Development Engineer
March 2026

Beyond her professional skills, what truly sets her apart is her genuine care and empathy. She takes the time to understand not just the qualifications, but also the motivations. She builds trust easily and creates a positive experience for the candidate.

Josep Capdevila
Josep Capdevila Downstream Solutions, Packaging Industry
October 2025

From our very first conversation, her approachable attitude and clear, assertive communication made a world of difference. She truly listened, understood my goals, and guided me through each step with professionalism and genuine care. A true partner in your professional journey!

Ana Conejero
Ana Conejero Business Development Manager
May 2025

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Jonas Strambach – Director & Senior Recruiter, JN Recruitment
Our mission is simple: placements that open new markets.
Jonas Strambach Director & Senior Recruiter, JN Recruitment
Jonas Strambach – Director & Senior Recruiter, JN Recruitment

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