Sales Manager - North America

Position Title: 

Sales Manager – North America, Global Cellulose Fibers

Pay Rate:

$110,00 - $140,000

Multiple factors, including Individual experience, skills and abilities will determine where an employee is ultimately placed in the pay range.

Category/Shift:

Salaried Full-Time

Physical Location:

6400 Poplar Avenue

Memphis, TN 38197

The Job You Will Perform:

In this role, you will directly manage individual accounts with sales revenue of up to $30-50 million with regional responsibility for the North American territory and potential for global account support totaling $200+ million in sales revenue. You will oversee the commercial activities of Absorbent Hygiene & some Tissue/Towel converters in North America as part of the Global Cellulose Fibers 2.5+ million annual tons of global pulp sales.

Your responsibilities will include sales of Fluff & Papergrade pulps throughout the territory with a primary focus on Absorbent Hygiene converters. You will defend and improve our leading segment position, achieve desired growth in volume or mix with the right customers, and optimize our product portfolio and service platforms while mitigating value detractors.

This position requires an experienced, passionate and career driven sales professional capable of managing a wide range of accounts including both large strategic multilocational accounts and single site accounts in North America. The channels will mainly be direct but could require the use of or management of selling agents with all sales being all B2B. A strong foundational supply chain knowledge with an understanding of how products/commodities are moved, stored and associated economics is required in territory. The role includes a travel and expense budget, with travel primarily domestic and some limited international requirements.

Your direct focus will be on North America though this role will require a high level of competence and ability to navigate and articulate global pulp markets, foreign trade opportunities or challenges accounting for current trade/tariff requirements and the navigation of global supply chains.  An intense focus on cost reduction, cash flow, and efficiency is essential. You will work with and across a large number of business and functional stakeholder groups in different geographies and time zones to deliver value and business results.

Key Accountabilities:

• Lead the strategic initiatives and profitability enhancement efforts for key Absorbent Hygiene accounts converting widely recognized household brands.   

• Support and assist in managing multinational accounts in the territory. 

• Manage all sales activities to Absorbent Hygiene and Towel/Tissue converters. 
• Primary objectives are to develop new business, maintain existing business and maximize overall profitability for IP pulp assets. 

• Develop and execute sales and account plans/strategies to meet or exceed: volume, forecasting, price, mix, accounts receivables, inventory, service programs and customer value management targets as well as developing a sales pipeline for long-term growth. 

• Work closely with our Customer Value Manager, Product Portfolio Manager, Supply Chain, Marketing, Sustainability, Innovation, Technical Service, and Manufacturing teams to ensure we meet the objectives set for our customers and our internal organizations. 

• Partner with customers to help them win in their markets and segments by driving mutual value.
• Manage the credit and risk portfolio of our customers along with the Credit teams, to ensure we select financially sound customers and properly managing our receivables. 

• Understand the dynamics of the pulp market and effectively communicate the impacts to the appropriate people throughout the organization, as a way to help the organization understand the direction of the market and set the strategies for our Global Cellulose Fibers business. 

• Provide timely feedback on market conditions, customers, competitive activity influencing the market, and develop effective responses. 

• Provide annual budgetary projections and monthly forecasts of demand for territory accounts. 
• Facilitate processing of customer complaints and credits. 

The Qualifications, Skills and Knowledge You Will Bring:

• BS/BA Business Management / Supply Chain or related field 
• 5+ years of B2B sales experience and preferred in the absorbent hygiene or fluff pulp industry
• Experience with negotiation techniques and working knowledge of large-scale commercial B2B business. 
• Flexible business thinker – proven ability to provide customer solutions, overcome objections, deliver results, and keep pace with emerging channels and increasing competition. 
• Global Literacy – personal working knowledge of cultural differences and how business is conducted globally.  Proven ability to flex interpersonal style to be successful when engaging with various cultures.   
• Strong oral and written communication skills, with ability to articulate value propositions, negotiate contracts, and identify and engage various stakeholders. 
• Drives Engagement – effective motivator able to indirectly manage internal and external stakeholders establishing buy-in and engagement to identify and complete value creation activities.
• Ability to recognize and reconcile the importance of an overall global business perspective while proactively identifying and maximizing the most attractive local opportunities.  The know-how of making money at the end of the day and driving EBITDA and Free Cash Flow.
• Travel: 30 - 50% 
• Key Competencies: Business Acumen, Relationship Building, Customer Focus, Drive for Results, Decision Quality, Planning, Dealing with Complexity, Creative Thinking, Learning on the Fly, Comfort Around Senior Leaders, Presentation Skills, Interpersonal Savvy, Composure, Command Skills

The Impact You Will Make:

We continue to build a better future for people, the planet, and our company! IP has been a good steward of sustainable practices across communities around the world for more than 120 years. Join our team and you’ll see why our team members say they’re Proud to be IP.

The Culture You Will Experience:

International Paper promotes employee well-being by providing safe, caring and inclusive workplaces. We have team members all around the world with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. These are our strengths. We are committed to creating a culture where all individuals are respected, valued, engaged and have an opportunity to do their best work every day. We invite you to bring your uniqueness, creativity, talents, experiences, and safety mindset to be a part of our increasingly inclusive and diverse culture.

The Company You Will Join:

International Paper (NYSE: IP) is the global leader in sustainable packaging solutions. With company headquarters in Memphis, Tennessee, USA, and EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) headquarters in London, UK, we employ more than 65,000 team members and serve customers around the world with operations in more than 30 countries. Together with our customers, we make the world safer and more productive, one sustainable packaging solution at a time. Net sales for 2024 were $18.6 billion. In 2025, International Paper acquired DS Smith creating an industry leader focused on the attractive and growing North American and EMEA regions. Additional information can be found by visiting internationalpaper.com

About Global Cellulose Fibers (GCF):

Our GCF business helps customers transform renewable cellulose fibers into essential everyday products. Our high-quality, superior grade pulps form the basis for diverse applications, ranging from personal care items to specialty materials. We create components for diapers, tissues and feminine care products, as well as sustainable materials for the textile and construction industry. In 2024, IP announced a strategic review of options for the GCF business in keeping with its strategy of focusing on sustainable packaging solutions, which will allow GCF to fully unlock its capabilities to deliver enhanced service and product performance to its customers.

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