Inside Sales Assistant - Distribution business

Do you want to be part of a global leader in the polymer industry? Join Ascend’s European team of 280 employees who are committed to safe, responsible and sustainable ways to provide the world of high value polymer materials. This position is within the Ascend distribution business unit, where we provide solutions to distributors and related end customers in Europe, Middle-East, India and Africa. You will be operating in a highly dynamic, international, multi-cultural environment with further possibilities for career growth. As one team, we invite you to become a part of our overall organization where you can work across departments, management levels and geographic areas.

Being an inside sales assistant you will assist the distribution manager in the daily management of the business unit on various aspects: commercial, finance, planning, supply chain,… You will have direct customer contact and you’ll get the chance to build and support relationships with external partners, providing them daily solutions for their business needs. In this role, you will the center of help identifying needs and responding to requests to maximize our value and solutions we can provide to our commercial partners.

Job Overview

Scope of responsibility

• Commercial
• Logistics & inventory
• Planning & forecasting
• Financial & credit management

Commercial

• Manage pricing data in internal pricing system

• Provide quotations to distribution partners on ad-hoc basis

• Analyze price evolutions, margins and material costs of the distribution business unit

• Communicate monthly pricelists to all distributors in alignment with the distribution manager

• Overall CRM management: update project data
• Present/share successful developments within Ascend EU team to generate learning effects.
• Lead management

Logistics & inventory

• Support shipment arrangements (air, land, sea)
• Analyze and evaluate overall logistics setup distribution partners
• Material availability checks (EU and global)

Planning & forecasting

• Update monthly rolling forecast distribution partners

• Evaluate orders vs forecast basis with the distribution manager
• Identify trends, risks and opportunities together with the distribution manager
• Establish annual budget/APO based on customer input, eventually amended based on historical data or business goals.

• In collaboration with the supply chain team (logistics, planning and customer service), evaluate necessary changes in supply model, inventories or costs.

Financial & credit management

• Follow up overdue payments
• Evaluate payment terms and payment behavior of distribution partners

Job requirements

• Junior position: max 3-5 years’ experience
• Fluent in English and French, German or Italian is an extra asset
• Occasional travel might occur, although will be limited
• Bachelor degree with few years experience as inside sales or within a supply chain team

Skills Summary:

About Us:

Ascend Performance Materials is the premium provider of high quality chemicals, fibers and plastics. With world scale integrated manufacturing facilities we are able to develop new products from our core technologies, and provide flexibility to respond to the expanding needs of customers. Ascend has global sales and distribution facilities across the globe and six manufacturing facilities globally. As a privately-held company, our people do big things and make big decisions, often much earlier in their careers than at larger companies. Ascend Performance Materials offers team members the opportunity to contribute in big, meaningful ways—all within a stable and growing business.

Why work at Ascend?

Our vision is to be the recognized leader in the nylon 6,6 value chain, creating new possibilities with PA66 for everyone, everywhere, every day. We achieve that through living our Ascend values.

We care. We operate safely with high integrity for our employees, our customers and our communities. Our people are our greatest assets, and our Total Rewards Program extends beyond traditional benefits to include access to on-site medical clinics at our U.S. facilities, a global wellness rewards program and Performance Matters, an employee-driven recognition plan. Our Commitment to Zero demonstrates our belief that is it possible to operate with zero personal injuries, zero process safety incidents and zero environmental releases. And the Ascend Cares Foundation, led by Ascend employees, supports Ascend families in times of need, provides inspiring opportunities for community engagement and facilitates community leadership.

Customer-focused. We exist for our customers; they drive our actions. Their success is our success. Our plastics and chemicals are building blocks that help make everyday essentials safer and more sustainable, and we constantly strive to develop new and innovative products to meet the future needs of our customers. And that customer focus doesn’t only apply to the marketplace – it also applies to how we treat our colleagues and our fellow community members.

Better every day. We invest in our people and our processes to improve every day. A2E, our continuous improvement program, guides the way we do business. And this way of problem solving applies not only to our manufacturing practices but also to our commitment to developing our people. You’ll see it during your career at Ascend in our leadership development, skills training and mentoring programs

Agile. We think broadly and lead proactively in a constantly evolving organization and industry. Agility doesn’t mean simply working quickly – it means critical thinking, creative problem solving and novel approaches to everyday challenges.

One Ascend. All together, with a common set of goals and an eye toward the future. We don’t accept silos. We look for ways to share across departments, sites and geography. This means you won’t be boxed into a single role at Ascend – you could get the chance to work with teams across the globe to improve the way we serve our people, our customers and our communities.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, protected veteran status, citizenship, genetic information or other protected status under federal, state or local laws.