---
title: 'International Commercial Strategy Lead (gn) - ESN at The Quality Group GmbH'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/international-commercial-strategy-lead-gn-esn-the-quality-group-gmbh-netherlands-vjvpfm12x3a2'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-15'
---

# International Commercial Strategy Lead (gn) - ESN at The Quality Group GmbH

- **Company:** The Quality Group GmbH
- **Location:** Netherlands
- **Work type:** remote
- **Posted:** 2026-04-15
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-15
- **Apply:** https://job-boards.eu.greenhouse.io/thequalitygroupgmbh1/jobs/4842199101

## Job description

Start: Immediately | Level: Intermediate/Senior | Location: Netherlands, UK or Germany, remote | Type: Full-time (40h/week)

ESN is expanding its B2B footprint across Europe. This role bridges the gap between brand and commerce — translating ESN's German go-to-market playbook into market-specific strategies that give our international sales teams a clear brief: where to play, how to win, and what to bring. Reporting into the Head of International for ESN, you'll own the commercial framework for new markets including Switzerland, France, Italy, and the UK, working in close partnership with local sales leads and the brand team in Germany.

This role requires flexibility to travel between the international markets of ESN within Europe and regular visits (around 1-2x times/month) in the Headquarter in Hamburg, Germany.

## Your mission

- You define market entry strategies by deciding where ESN wins in each market—across channels, key accounts, and categories—while adapting the German playbook to local dynamics
- You curate the A-assortment by building and maintaining a focused, high-impact product portfolio that balances hero SKUs with local market and retailer needs
- You set promotional guardrails by defining pricing, promotion depth, and trade investment to protect brand equity while enabling commercial success
- You develop in-store activation playbooks by creating scalable, channel-specific toolkits that sales teams can execute easily across markets
- You enable sales teams by translating strategy into clear, actionable materials such as sell-in decks, assortment rationale, and promotional frameworks
- You track and drive performance by defining relevant KPIs (e.g. distribution, sell-through, promo ROI) and establishing a clear review cadence across markets
- You ensure brand alignment with Germany by acting as the key interface between the core DE team and international markets—translating strategy without reinventing it

## Your experience & skills

- You bring 8+ years of experience across key account management, category management, and trade marketing—ideally within sports nutrition, FMCG, or consumer health
- You have strong KAM expertise with full ownership of major retail or wholesale accounts, including JBP negotiations and end-to-end trade term management
- You master category management tools such as range reviews, planogram development, shopper insights, and space-to-sales optimization
- You bring deep trade marketing experience across activation planning, promotional architecture, sell-in materials, and in-store execution
- You have worked across multiple European markets and understand how to adapt strategies beyond a one-size-fits-all approach
- You are fluent in English, with German or another European language as a strong plus

You'll trive if you

- Think like a GM, not just a marketer — you care about sell-through as much as brand fit
- Can simplify complex brand strategy into tools a sales rep can use in a buyer meeting
- Are energised by ambiguity and enjoy building structure where there isn't any yet
- Have enough commercial edge to push back on promotions that destroy value
- Are genuinely curious about the sports nutrition category and how it varies market to market

Why choose us?

Being part of our team means joining a high-performing company with a diverse and inclusive culture. In our fast-growing team of over 1,200 employees, we combine our passion for sports nutrition, supplements, and healthy foods with cutting-edge technology, production, and logistics processes. All of this serves one goal: providing our customers with top-quality products to support their healthy and active lifestyle.

You can look forward to a strong sense of team spirit, ongoing opportunities for professional growth and responsibility, and an exciting work environment that blends lifestyle and career. With locations in Hamburg, Elmshorn, Kaltenkirchen/Nützen, and Elsdorf, TQG offers diverse career opportunities in areas such as technology, product development, sales, marketing, and logistics. Additionally, you’ll benefit from*

- Flexible working hours and remote work options
- Attractive employee discounts (50% discount on our products)
- Subsidy for the E-gym Wellpass (Classpass in NL & UK)
- Workation
- Corporate benefits (only in Germany)
- 28 days vacation/year
- and much more

*Benefity may very depending on the location.

## About Us

The Quality Group (TQG) is an innovative provider of sports nutrition products, bringing together the successful brands ESN and More Nutrition since 2021.

ESN has been the German market leader in sports nutrition since 2004, offering products like protein powders, bars, and supplements designed for ambitious fitness goals. Founded in 2017, More Nutrition focuses on healthy, reduced-sugar foods, providing solutions for conscious nutrition and weight management without compromise.

TQG’s vision is to help people become the best version of themselves. With passion and innovation, the company develops high-quality products that promote health, performance, and joy in life. Its agile company culture and exciting career opportunities make TQG a strong partner not only for customers but also for employees.

This is us – The Quality Group – nice to meet you! Now it’s your turn! We look forward to your application! Regardless of gender, age, background, or identity – what matters to us is who you are and what you bring to the table. Join our team and grow with us!

## About The Quality Group GmbH

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: The Quality Group (TQG) builds and scales leading direct-to-consumer brands in nutrition, performance, and wellbeing, combining in-house production, community-driven product development, and omnichannel distribution.
- **Entity Type**: Private (backed by CVC Capital Partners, growth stage)
- **Headquarters**: Elmshorn, Germany (with additional offices in Hamburg, Elsdorf, Netherlands, UK, Switzerland)
- **Founded**: 2004 (roots as Fitmart/ESN); current group structure formed in 2021 through merger of ESN and More Nutrition
- **Founders**: Not publicly listed as individuals; leadership team includes Heikki Takala (CEO), Nicolas Lother (CPO), and others

## Core Business
- **Primary industries**: Sports nutrition, functional food & supplements, wellness lifestyle
- **Target customers**: B2C (health-conscious consumers, athletes, community-driven buyers); also B2B retail partnerships
- **Mission/purpose**: “To create real added value in everyday life” by making effective, science-backed nutrition accessible to everyone; empowering the community to transform their lives.

## Products & Services
- **ESN**: Premium sports nutrition brand – protein powders, snacks, supplements. Strong digital and retail presence.  
- **More Nutrition**: Lifestyle nutrition brand focusing on functional foods, meal replacements, and wellness products.  
- **RAW Nutrition** (US, partnership 2025): Performance nutrition brand expanding TQG’s US footprint.  
- **BUM Energy** (US, partnership 2025): Energy drink and supplement brand targeting active lifestyles.  
- **In-house production**: Own manufacturing facilities in Elmshorn for protein powders, snacks, and supplements.  
- **Logistics hub**: Elsdorf facility with automated robot fleet, shipping tens of thousands of packages daily across Europe.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation**: Not publicly disclosed.
- **Key Metric**: Annual revenue > EUR 0.1 billion (stated on company website).  
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Jointly owned by founders, management, and **CVC Capital Partners** (since 2022, supporting international scaling).  
- **Growth Signals**:  
  - Expanded portfolio through US brand acquisitions (RAW Nutrition, BUM Energy) in 2025.  
  - Over 1,250 employees across multiple locations.  
  - Omnichannel strategy: strong digital presence plus growing retail distribution.  
  - Data-driven, community-insight-led product development.

## Competitive Advantages
- **Vertical integration**: Own production, quality lab, logistics, and tech – full control over quality, speed, and capacity.  
- **Community-centric R&D**: Close feedback loop between consumer insights, science, and product development.  
- **Omnichannel reach**: Strong online direct-to-consumer channels plus established retail presence.  
- **Creator & athlete network**: Influencer and athlete partnerships drive brand awareness and credibility.  
- **Scale-up culture with established infrastructure**: Combines startup agility with operational maturity (in-house manufacturing, automated logistics).

## Strategic Focus
- **International expansion**: Scaling US presence via RAW Nutrition and BUM Energy; European and global growth.  
- **Portfolio upgrade**: Continuously innovating product lines with science-backed, effective solutions.  
- **Operational excellence**: Deepening integration of product development, production, logistics, and technology to sustain quality while growing.  
- **Data-driven decision-making**: Leveraging community insights and analytics to guide brand strategy and new product launches.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture**: Hands-on, speed-driven, ownership mentality; “real impact” and rapid development in a scale-up environment.  
- **Work setup**: Hybrid, onsite, and mobile options depending on role; up to 60 days of workation per year (EU, UK & Switzerland).  
- **Perks**:  
  - 50% employee discount on ESN & More products.  
  - Free products, snacks, fresh fruit, and drinks in offices.  
  - Corporate Benefits, SIXT car rental, discounted E-Gym Wellpass (fitness).  
  - Subsidized Deutschlandticket, free language courses (German/English), company pension scheme.  
  - Dog-friendly offices, team events, and discounted lunch offers at HQ.  
- **Engineering/tech**: Builds the digital backbone for e-commerce, logistics, finance, and production – strong systems focus.  
- **Growth**: Regular feedback/performance reviews, real career progression in a fast-growing company.

## Sources
1. [tqgg.com - Home](https://www.tqgg.com/)
2. [tqgg.com - About Us](https://www.tqgg.com/about-us/)
3. [tqgg.com - Careers](https://www.tqgg.com/jobs/)
4. [Greenhouse - Job Board](http://job-boards.eu.greenhouse.io/thequalitygroupgmbh1)
5. [tqgg.com - Imprint](https://www.tqgg.com/imprint/)

## Other roles at The Quality Group GmbH

- [Head of Influencer Marketing (gn) - Netherlands](https://feeny.ai/job/head-of-influencer-marketing-gn-netherlands-the-quality-group-gmbh-netherlands-wva9h6kfxezr) — Netherlands
- [Graphic Designer (gn) - ESN](https://feeny.ai/job/graphic-designer-gn-esn-the-quality-group-gmbh-germany-g41ds9vc2p9g) — Germany
- [(Senior) Product Developer (gn) - PCT](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-product-developer-gn-pct-the-quality-group-gmbh-hamburg-8xxcs78rre3k) — Hamburg, Germany
- [(Senior) Finance Systems Analyst (gn) – SAP & Data](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-finance-systems-analyst-gn-sap-data-the-quality-group-gmbh-hamburg-x2pfdzwwszjf) — Hamburg, Germany
- [(Senior) IT Business Analyst (gn) – SAP FI/CO & Finance](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-it-business-analyst-gn-sap-fi-co-finance-the-quality-group-gmbh-hamburg-fm783ps9s3vr) — Hamburg, Germany
- [(Senior) Business Analyst (gn) – SAP, Finance](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-business-analyst-gn-sap-finance-the-quality-group-gmbh-hamburg-pa9cjb3jh4fr) — Hamburg, Germany
- [VAS Supply Planner (gn) - Logistics](https://feeny.ai/job/vas-supply-planner-gn-logistics-the-quality-group-gmbh-elsdorf-gw9bnywn1k94) — Elsdorf, Niedersachsen
- [Vice President (gn) Product ESN](https://feeny.ai/job/vice-president-gn-product-esn-the-quality-group-gmbh-germany-ymqn4qhhmp24) — Germany
- [Referendar Wahlstation Legal (gn)](https://feeny.ai/job/referendar-wahlstation-legal-gn-the-quality-group-gmbh-germany-hamburg-z2pwde6m93va) — Germany / Hamburg
- [Junior Legal Counsel (gn) – Schwerpunkt Vertragsrecht](https://feeny.ai/job/junior-legal-counsel-gn-schwerpunkt-vertragsrecht-the-quality-group-gmbh-52050rdgjqxr) — Germany / Hamburg