Job Description

Probably the least boring job you’ll ever have.

At air up, we don’t just make bottles. We unbore water with flavor by scent. It makes no sense until you try it, and once you do, there’s no going back. Behind it all are teams pushing boundaries every day. Product bends taste and design in new directions. Marketing turns ideas into moments people talk about. Operations makes sure those moments reach hands everywhere.
Working here feels like stepping on stage: professionalism meets passion, curiosity meets courage. You’ll experiment, fail fast, learn faster, and actually see your ideas come to life. It's refreshingly low politics and low ego. Just smart, driven people who lift each other up and make things happen. And whatever happens, it sure won't be boring.

Welcome to air up.

As our General Manager France, you are the entrepreneurial powerhouse behind one of our most vital and dynamic markets. You aren't just supervising a region; you act as the business owner for France, fully owning the strategy, the execution, and the results. You sit at the intersection of commercial rigor and disruptive brand innovation and ensure our French organization thrives across Retail, D2C and marketplace channels by driving deep local consumer proximity.

Location: Munich, Germany (Preferred) / France

In this role, we follow a hybrid working model. While our strong preference is for someone based in Germany to foster regular in-person collaboration at our Munich headquarters, we are open to candidates working remotely from France.
In either case, the role requires a balance of presence for team connection and remote days for focused, independent work.

Your Responsibilities

• Own the P&L: You hold ultimate accountability for France’s commercial health and financial performance, managing total revenue, profitability, and the strategic omnichannel split between Retail, D2C and marketplace channels.
• Set the Local Strategy and Drive Retail Execution: You define the "How" and the "Where" for the French market. You place the high-level commercial bets, identify major retail accounts, and make the final calls on local resource allocation and media spend. This is a highly entrepreneurial role that goes far beyond high-level strategy; we need a leader with hands-on retail expertise who will actively get into the field to unlock, pitch, and scale key retail accounts. Your ultimate goal is a healthy balance in building physical and mental availability to foster sustainable short- and long-term growth.
• Lead a High-Performing Team: You lead and develop a lean, high-performing local team, acting as the primary people lead for both Sales (Key Account Managers) and the local Marketing Director to foster a fast, horizontal and collaborative team culture.
• Foster a Powerful Leadership Partnership: You will work hand-in-hand with your local Marketing Director to ensure seamless and impactful workflows. While you set the commercial "North Star" and strategic boundaries, you partner with and empower the local Marketing Director to ensure all consumer touchpoints align with our core innovation - Scentaste - broadening our reach while maintaining cultural relevance with our French consumers. You eliminate internal friction to build a fast-moving, collaborative partnership.
• Bridge the Market and Central Functions: You serve as the vital strategic link between the French market and our central enabling teams. You translate our global brand vision, frameworks and capabilities into local success stories,
  
  

That’s You

• Seasoned Commercial Leader: You bring significant experience in a senior commercial leadership role (Country Manager, General Manager, or similar) within the Retail or FMCG space.
• Entrepreneurial P&L Manager: You have a proven track record of managing P&L statements with accountability down to Contribution Margin 3 (CM3). You excel at navigating retail complexities, understanding cost structures and making tough, strategic calls on budget and resource allocation.
• A Multi-Disciplinary Coach: You are an inspiring people manager who genuinely enjoys leading diverse teams. You know how to coach analytical sales leads and inspire highly creative marketing experts simultaneously.
• Marketing-Driven Sales Mindset: You possess an intense commercial drive combined with a deep appreciation for brand equity. You understand that long-term brand health is what fuels short-term sales growth.
• Deep French Market Expertise: You have a deep understanding of the French consumer landscape, media trends, and distribution channels and know how to navigate the specific complexities of the French market to drive growth.
• Impactful Communicator: You are fluent in French and English, with the unique ability to turn complex commercial data into compelling, inspiring stories for both your local team and senior leadership.