Columbia Sportswear Company - Sales Representative North-Est Germany (12 months – maternity cover) - Schwerin

🔝 Reports to: Country Manager

📑 12 months fixed-term contract (maternity cover)

📍 North-East Germany (remote)

📆 Start date : at the earliest convenience

OUTGROWN YOUR OWN BACKYARD? COME PLAY IN OURS.

At Columbia Sportswear, we’re as passionate about the outdoors as you are. And while our gear is available worldwide, we’re proud to be based in the Pacific Northwest, where natural wonders are our playground.

Every product we make and every task we undertake is inspired by the famous words of our founder Gert Boyle: “It’s perfect. Now make it better.” As pioneers of relentless improvement, we are constantly evolving

Discover a world of diversity within our team of 700+ across 13 European countries, united by the common goal of elevating Columbia to the pinnacle of outdoor brands in Europe. Our omnichannel approach seamlessly integrates Columbia and Sorel brands' engaging in-store and online experiences.

Nestled at the heart of the Alps in Geneva, Switzerland, our European headquarters hosts the Executive Committee, go-to-market functions, and Planning and Logistics teams. In Schiltigheim, near Strasbourg, our shared services center thrives with over 100 professionals managing Finance and Operations/Customer Service. Our distribution center in Cambrai ensures swift delivery to customers, while our 35+ Columbia stores adorn major European outlet centers. Finally, the Sales and Trade Marketing teams are displayed in 3 regions across Europe, close to their customers and markets.

We believe the outdoors is ours to protect and strive to keep our planet healthy. We believe in empowering people to experience the outdoors to the fullest.

And we believe in you.

ABOUT THE MISSION

We're looking for someone to step in and take over the North-East Germany territory while one of our Sales Reps is on parental leave. Your mission? Keep building strong relationships with our existing partners—mainly from Intersport and Sport2000—and help us open new doors in the region.

You'll split your time between nurturing current accounts and actively growing our presence. We’ve got momentum, and we want you to help us make the most of it.

The area you’ll cover stretches roughly from Kiel to Berlin, and Rostock to Dresden. You can be based anywhere within this region—you’ll work from home when you’re not on the road visiting partners or attending trade shows.

You’ll be part of a team that’s supportive and collaborative, even if you're often working solo in the field. We’ll count on you to represent Columbia with energy and purpose, backed by close connections with Customer Service, Credit, and Sales colleagues.

HOW YOU’LL MAKE THE DIFFERENCE

• Build and grow strong relationships with retail partners from Intersport and Sport2000
• Actively identify and pursue new business opportunities to expand our footprint
• Represent Columbia during key trade shows and sell-in meetings at our showrooms
• Plan and carry out regular store visits across your region—and take the lead in training store staff to help boost sell-through and bring our brand to life on the floor
• Make sure customer orders and deliveries run smoothly, season after season
• Work closely with internal teams (Customer Service, Credit, Sales Ops) to get things done
• Bring our brand to life in every interaction—championing our values and helping partners roll out key marketing activations for a strong and consistent in-store experience
• Take ownership of your agenda—you're trusted to manage your territory and make smart decisions

YOU ARE

• Self-motivated and organized—you like owning your time and planning your week
• Naturally engaging—you build trust and influence through authentic relationships
• Comfortable working with numbers—you know how to read sell-through data and spot opportunities to optimize in-season performance, like identifying when a reorder makes sense
• Curious and proactive—you don’t wait for things to happen, you make them happen
• Adaptable—you’re comfortable with change and quick to find solutions
• A team player—you know how to stay connected and contribute, even from a distance
• Comfortable navigating a matrix organization—you know how to work across different teams, manage multiple priorities, and keep things moving

YOU HAVE

• A background in B2B sales, field representation, or trade roles—ideally within the sports, footwear, or fashion industry. You may have worked as a Sales Rep, Tech Rep, or in wholesale account support, and you know how to grow an area, not just maintain it.
• A passion for developing strong, long-term customer relationships and turning potential into partnerships
• Experience working independently in a field-based role—you’re confident planning your own schedule and making smart decisions on the go
• Fluent German (a must) and solid English to communicate with your colleagues across Europe
• A valid driver’s license and the flexibility to travel regularly across your region for store visits and trade events

PERKS & BENEFITS

🎁 Significant discounts on Columbia and Sorel products

🚗 Monthly car allowance

📚 Unlimited access to LinkedIn Learning

📖 A monthly Learning Hour for training, discovery and learning

👩‍🏫 Unlock your potential: access to in-house training courses (feedback, leadership, Insights®…)

🌈DEI initiatives to exchange and strengthen our involvement around these themes

ABOUT THE CULTURE

• At Columbia Sportswear, we value an inclusive and open culture that emphasizes the absence of barriers between team members. We are committed to fostering a sense of belonging by encouraging personal connections at all levels, which creates a cohesive and supportive work environment.
• Team members serve as ambassadors for our brand, finding motivation in being part of an organization dedicated to activities they are passionate about. This dedication reflects our commitment to building a team that takes pride in our products and values.
• We offer the opportunity to work for a US-based company within a multicultural environment, where your job has an impact across different countries.
• Our "Always Be Learning" culture of continuous learning enables our employees to identify and develop skills that will enable them to continue to grow within the company.
• "Unlock Your Potential" is the spirit that characterizes our vision of employees' development: to offer them opportunities to grow, in their job, in their team or even to change jobs completely. We grow our people to grow our business.

To learn more about us and our culture, visit our page on Welcome To The Jungle: https://bit.ly/49bl1i5

ABOUT THE HIRING PROCESS

1️⃣ Ready to unlock your potential at Columbia Sportswear Company? Apply now to help us connect active people with their passion! The hiring team will review your application in the following weeks.

2️⃣ If your application is selected: a 30-45mn introductory interview with our Talent Acquisition Team to talk about yourself, your motivations and the role

3️⃣ Interview with the hiring manager (online)

4️⃣ Interview with the hiring manager + case study presentation (face-to-face)

5️⃣ Your unique strengths align perfectly with our team: we are thrilled to extend you an offer!

#LI-LA1

This job description is not meant to be an all-inclusive list of duties and responsibilities, but constitutes a general definition of the position's scope and function in the company.