International Sales & Distributor Manager - Moutier, Switzerland

Introduction

The Tornos Group is a world leader in industrialization solutions. TORNOS has always been the pioneer in the development, manufacture and distribution of automatic Swiss-type lathes and multispindle machines. We are proud of our 130-year history and our 640 employees worldwide.

The Tornos culture is based on trust, innovation, passion and excellence. To meet the complex challenges of the industrial world, we recruit the best talents and develop their skills for the future. Working as a team and sharing the same values make us stronger. We are agile, confident, open, collaborative and bold.

Mission

The International Sales & Distributor Manager develops sales of Tornos machines, solutions and services in selected international markets. The role combines business development, distributor and agent management, direct customer engagement, technical-commercial coordination and commercial contract management

Market responsibility is deliberately flexible and will evolve according to business priorities, market opportunities and the successful candidate’s technical background, experience, languages and cultural knowledge

Your responsibilities

International sales and business development

• Develop sales of Tornos single-spindle, multi-spindle and related solutions in assigned markets
• Identify and qualify new customers, applications, market segments and sales opportunities
• Build an active prospect and opportunity pipeline through customer visits, distributors, exhibitions, industry networks, referrals and disciplined digital prospecting
• Develop country and account approaches based on market potential, installed base, competition and customer investment cycles
• Visit prospective and existing customers with distributors, Tornos specialists or independently when appropriate
• Understand the customer’s parts, production requirements, current equipment, constraints, decision process and investment criteria
• Present the customer value of Tornos solutions in terms of productivity, precision, reliability, labour, floor space, total cost of ownership and return on investment
• Maintain commercial momentum throughout long capital-equipment sales cycles and drive opportunities toward a clear next step and decision

Distributor and agent management

• Act as the primary operational commercial contact for assigned distributors and agents
• Define objectives, pipeline priorities, customer visit plans and market-development actions with partners
• Conduct regular opportunity and pipeline reviews and ensure timely, reliable information in Salesforce
• Support and challenge partners to improve market coverage, prospecting intensity, opportunity qualification and conversion
• Train and enable partner sales teams on Tornos products, value proposition, positioning and sales process
• Evaluate partner performance, market coverage and capability gaps; recommend corrective actions or channel changes when required
• Coordinate Tornos support for strategic visits, applications, demonstrations, exhibitions and partner activities
• Protect Tornos commercial interests while building professional, transparent and sustainable partner relationships

Technical-commercial management

• Translate customer requirements into a structured technical-commercial request for Tornos applications, product management and other specialists
• Read and understand drawings, machining requirements, tolerances, tooling concepts and cycle-time considerations sufficiently to qualify an opportunity and involve the right specialists
• Coordinate machine selection, application studies, cycle times, tooling concepts, options, peripheral equipment, demonstrations and technical clarifications
• Ensure that technical assumptions, customer requirements, quotation content and commercial commitments remain aligned throughout the sales process
• Prepare and coordinate quotations and commercial proposals, including options, services, training, installation and warranty; identify technical or execution risks early and escalate them before commitments are made

Commercial and contractual management

• Prepare, review, coordinate and negotiate commercial offers within delegated authority and Tornos approval frameworks
• Manage commercial and contractual interfaces for customer contracts, distributor/agency agreements, amendments and special conditions
• Identify deviations from Tornos standard conditions and coordinate the required internal review and approval
• Coordinate pricing, margins, payment terms, delivery, warranty, penalties, acceptance conditions and other non-standard requirements
• Ensure consistency between quotations, negotiated conditions, customer contracts, order confirmations and the commitments transferred to internal execution teams
• Maintain clear documentation of agreed conditions, open points, approvals and contractual changes
• Support resolution of commercial or contractual issues arising before order, during execution or in the customer relationship, involving the appropriate internal specialists

Internal coordination, CRM and reporting

• Work closely with applications, product management, order processing, finance, service, spare parts, marketing, production and Tornos country organizations
• Maintain complete and reliable Salesforce records for contacts, opportunities, activities, next steps, probability, timing and competition
• Prepare sales forecasts, territory and distributor updates, visit reports and management recommendations
• Monitor competitors, pricing, product launches, market developments and distributor activity; translate observations into actions
• Escalate technical, commercial, contractual, delivery, credit or compliance risks early and clearly
• Represent Tornos professionally at customer meetings, exhibitions, open houses, partner events and industry activities

Your profile

Technical Background & Experience

• Technical education in polymechanics, CNC machining, mechanical engineering, manufacturing technology, or a related field.
• Additional qualifications in mechanical, industrial or production engineering are considered an asset.
• Proven experience in CNC machining, machine tools, industrial equipment or technical sales.
• Experience with Swiss-type lathes, multi-spindle machines, cutting tools, automation or precision manufacturing is a strong advantage.
• Ability to read technical drawings and understand machining processes, tolerances, tooling concepts and cycle times.
• Selection will be based primarily on technical credibility, commercial potential, learning agility and international mindset.

Languages

• Fluent French and English are mandatory.

Commercial & Digital Skills

• Ability to translate technical features into clear customer value.
• Strong communication, presentation, relationship-building and negotiation skills.
• Experience in opportunity management, sales follow-up and commercial negotiations.
• Good understanding of pricing, margins, payment terms and commercial risk management.
• Proficiency with CRM systems, Microsoft 365 and modern digital and AI-supported sales tools.

Personal Attributes

• Strong interest in machining technologies, industrial applications and international markets.
• Proactive, entrepreneurial and business-oriented mindset.
• Organized, reliable and disciplined in planning, follow-up and reporting.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work effectively across different cultures.
• Resilient and persistent throughout long sales cycles.
• Ability to balance customer, partner and company interests.
• Potential to grow into broader commercial and leadership responsibilities.
• Willingness to be based in Moutier and travel internationally on a regular basis (approximately 50% of annual working time).

Contact

Send your application to :

TORNOS SA Human Resources Rue Industrielle 111 CH-2740 Moutier Switzerland

Tel: +41 (0)32 494 44 44 E-mail : hr [at] tornos.com