Director, Refinish Coatings China

Welcome

If you're someone who inspires others, owns their impact and wants to elevate what they do, you'll fit right in. Until July 1, our business was part of BASF. As part of the current transition, all job listings and the application process are still hosted on the BASF platform and therefore fully presented in BASF branding. Please do not be confused by this: All roles are positions at Surventis, and your application will be submitted to us. At Surventis, we go beyond the surface - in everything we do. We put customers at the center, think one step ahead, and develop solutions that create real value and lasting partnerships. We inspire each other to think further, take ownership of our work, and constantly push to elevate what's possible. If you bring your full self, challenge the obvious answer, and want to grow with a team that means it - this is your place.

About the Role

We are seeking a seasoned Local Business Management (Refinish Coatings China head) from the automotive refinish, coatings, or broader aftermarket industry who can lead a business turnaround and transformation agenda in China. The ideal candidate combines strong commercial acumen, proven change leadership, and the ability to unite and inspire a large organization through a period of transition and growth.

Based on the role's mandate to drive profitable growth, strengthen commercial execution, lead integrated commercial and functional teams, and provide strategic direction to the China organization, the successful candidate should demonstrate the following capabilities:

Critical Success Profile

Proven Business Turnaround Leader

• Demonstrated track record of reversing underperformance, restoring growth, improving profitability, and delivering sustainable business results.
• Strong experience driving organizational transformation, performance improvement, and commercial restructuring.

Deep Industry & Market Expertise

• Significant leadership experience within automotive refinish, coatings, automotive aftermarket, commercial transportation, or closely related industrial sectors.
• Strong understanding of China market dynamics, customer landscape, distributor networks, channel economics, and competitive environment.

Strategic Commercial & P&L Leadership

• Full accountability for revenue growth, margin expansion, customer profitability, pricing discipline, and business performance based on data-driven business steering.
• Ability to translate strategy into execution with clear priorities, governance, and measurable outcomes.

Channel Management & Route-to-Market Excellence

• Proven success developing and optimizing distributor, dealer, bodyshop, MSO, and strategic partner networks.
• Strong capability to evaluate channel profitability, coverage, partner performance, and go-to-market effectiveness.
• Experience driving channel transformation, distributor capability building, network expansion/consolidation, and indirect sales growth.

Exceptional People Leader

• A visible and credible leader who can bring together diverse teams into "One China Team."
• Proven success building high-performing organizations, developing leaders, fostering accountability, and creating an engaged culture during periods of change.
• Able to lead through ambiguity while maintaining morale, trust, and performance. Take action on low performance

Change Management & Organizational Integration

• Strong capability to lead large-scale change initiatives, align stakeholders, manage resistance, and drive adoption of new ways of working.

• Skilled at creating clarity, communicating vision, and mobilizing teams around a shared purpose.

Customer & External Stakeholder Influence

• Established industry network and executive-level relationship management capability with customers, distributors, OEMs, MSOs, and market partners.
• Strong external orientation with the ability to bring market insights and best practices into the organization.

Leadership Presence

• Strategic thinker with entrepreneurial drive and execution discipline.
• High-impact communicator who can influence across functions, cultures, and organizational levels.
• Fluent in both Mandarin and English.

Education Qualification

• Bachelor’s degree or above in Chemistry, Polymer Science, Materials Science, Engineering, Business Administration, Marketing, or a related discipline.
• MBA, EMBA, or equivalent business / commercial leadership qualification is preferred.
• Additional training or certification in sales leadership, channel management, business transformation, change management, or general management would be an advantage.

Experience Qualification

• Minimum 12 to 15 years of progressive commercial leadership experience in automotive refinish, coatings, automotive aftermarket, commercial transportation, or adjacent B2B industrial sectors.
• Minimum 5 years in a senior sales, commercial, country, or business leadership role with responsibility for team leadership, business performance, and cross-functional alignment.
• Proven experience leading business turnaround, transformation, commercial restructuring, route-to-market optimization, or performance improvement.
• Strong track record in channel management, including distributor network development, partner performance management, indirect sales growth, channel profitability, and dealer / bodyshop / MSO engagement.
• Solid experience managing or influencing P&L performance, including sales growth, margin improvement, pricing discipline, forecasting, budgeting, customer profitability, and expense control.
• Proven ability to lead sizeable or multi-layered teams, including direct reports and broader matrix / functional teams.
• Experience hiring, developing, coaching, and retaining commercial talent, including building leadership capability during change.
• Strong exposure to China market dynamics and ability to operate effectively in a regional / multinational matrix environment.
• Experience working with senior customers, distributors, OEMs, MSOs, strategic accounts, and external market partners.
• Familiarity with CRM, sales pipeline management, data-driven business reviews, and commercial excellence tools is preferred.

Personal Attributes

• Turnaround mindset: able to act with urgency, focus, and resilience.
• Strong people orientation: able to bring teams together and build trust.
• Entrepreneurial and commercially sharp: able to identify opportunities and convert them into results.
• Structured and disciplined: able to drive execution rhythm and accountability.
• Collaborative and influential: able to align multiple stakeholders without relying only on formal authority.
• Customer-focused and externally oriented: able to stay close to the market and bring outside-in thinking.
• Mature, credible, and balanced: able to lead through ambiguity while maintaining team confidence.