Alveris helps international groups build or strengthen their commercial and operational leadership in France, through direct, confidential approach.
An international group entering or growing in France often needs one of three related profiles: a Country Manager, a Sales Director, or a Managing Director for a French subsidiary, close in scope, but distinct in responsibility.
Alveris helps international industrial and commercial groups recruit the leadership needed to represent, sell or operate in France: local legal representation, P&L ownership, or a purely commercial mandate, depending on the structure you already have in place. As with every Alveris search, candidates are identified by name and approached directly and in confidence, not sourced from public applications.
This is often the first hire a group makes when formalizing its presence in France, and the quality of that first leader shapes how the market reads the group's commitment to the country. Getting it right matters more than for a typical mid-market hire.
17 years of experience in French industrial recruitment, 200+ placements across France. First conversation is free, with no obligation.
Three related roles
A Country Manager typically holds legal representation for the group in France and owns the local P&L within a broader regional or global structure, the role fits groups that want a single accountable leader without yet standing up a full local subsidiary. A Managing Director of a French subsidiary carries fuller local responsibility, usually with a more established local structure reporting to it. A Sales Director for France is narrower and purely commercial: building and running the local sales organization without P&L or legal representation responsibilities. Getting the distinction right at the briefing stage avoids recruiting the wrong seniority or scope for the role.
Our approach
These profiles are rarely in active job search, the best candidates are already leading a comparable operation for a competitor or an adjacent group. Alveris identifies them by name, approaches them individually and in confidence, and evaluates their fit against your specific structure (legal representation needed or not, P&L scope, reporting line) before any presentation. For international clients, the scoping call and candidate presentations are conducted in English, with a single point of contact managing the mandate end to end.
Retained search
Foreign groups that hire their first Country Manager, Managing Director or Sales Director in France often start with job boards and LinkedIn posts. The candidates they need, experienced leaders already in post at French industrial companies, rarely answer. A retained search gives access to them through direct, confidential approach.
Each candidate is approached individually, in French, with a clear explanation of your company, the role and the reporting line. Your company name is disclosed only to candidates who confirm their interest, and no candidate name is shared with you without that person's explicit consent.
Interviews focus on verifiable achievements: a sales organisation built from scratch, a key account won, a subsidiary turned profitable. We also check what matters specifically in France: experience of works councils (CSE), familiarity with French employment contracts and notice periods, and the ability to report to a headquarters abroad, in English.
You receive a shortlist of three to five candidates, each with a written assessment. Every placement carries a six-month replacement guarantee: if the person leaves or the probation period is ended within six months, we restart the search at no additional fee. Fees are a percentage of the annual gross package, starting at 18%.
Senior executives in France usually work out a notice period set by their contract or collective agreement, which can delay their start by several months. We help you plan the timeline accordingly and support the first months of integration. For a broader view of our industrial work in France, see our executive search firm in France page.
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