Recruitment Agency in Antwerp for Sales Roles

Recruiting salespeople and managers in Antwerp

Need an Account Manager, a Sales Engineer or a sales director for a site in Antwerp? Archetype has recruited sales, marketing and management profiles since 1993. Flanders accounts for 48% of our assignments. We interview in Dutch, the working language of most Antwerp roles, or in English. We work on a 100% retainer, with an average placement time of 12 weeks and a 6-month replacement guarantee.

Sales engineer and logistics manager in an Antwerp port office — Antwerp sales roles often switch between Dutch and English in a single day.

What the Antwerp market expects from a salesperson

Port of Antwerp-Bruges handled 266.5 million tonnes in 2025, down 4.1%, and the United States became its largest trade partner at 31.3 million tonnes (port annual figures). Around the port sit forwarders, logistics providers, manufacturers and their suppliers. Their salespeople sell technical services to demanding buyers, often switching between Dutch and English in the same day.

VDAB, the Flemish employment service, puts B2B sales representative and sales engineer on its 2026 shortage list. It notes that a shortage does not always mean a lack of candidates: demand for specific combinations of skills, including commercial-technical knowledge and languages, sometimes makes hiring harder (VDAB, Knelpuntberoepen 2026, in Dutch). That combination is what our clients ask us to find.

Roles we recruit in the Antwerp area

Account Managers and Key Account Managers in logistics, transport and industry.
Sales Engineers and technical salespeople selling industrial equipment or services.
Business Developers opening new accounts in Flanders or across the Benelux.
Sales Managers, Sales Directors and Country Managers leading a trilingual team.

See our logistics and industry pages for sector detail.

Archetype is a family business. Marc Diamant founded the firm in 1993. His sons Davy and Steve joined him in late 2023. That continuity isn’t an anecdote: it’s what lets us hold client relationships across 20 years without method discontinuity, without turnover wiping out file memory, without changing direction every three years to chase the latest HR trend. Stability, in a trust business, counts.
The Archetype method, since 1993

How we run an assignment in Antwerp

Five steps: in-depth briefing, a sourcing strategy built for the assignment, structured screening, detailed candidate presentation, and follow-up before, during and after the hire. The timeline sets out the milestones.

Method and fees

How an Archetype recruitment assignment runs

Day 1Call 1: discoveryIn-depth briefing and a challenge of the role itself. Written proposal within 48 to 72 hours.
Day 12 on averageCall 2: our work presentedBrief recap, role scorecard, sourcing strategy, employer branding proposal. Contract signed.Fee set in the written proposal
Following weeksSourcing and structured screeningDirect approach of people already in post, interviews in the language of the role, KOAN personality test.
ShortlistDetailed candidate presentationScorecard, interview transcripts, KOAN reading. You meet the finalists.
12 weeks on averagePlacementCandidate signs. Measured from client signature to candidate signature.
First 3 monthsOnboarding follow-upRegular check-ins with you and the new hire. 6-month replacement guarantee.

Fees: agreed upfront and set out in the written proposal. 100% retainer, never a success fee.

Fees and guarantees

We only work on a retainer, never on a success fee. Our fee is agreed before we start and set out in the written proposal, and the amount depends on language requirements, management level, technical complexity and how hard the assignment is.

Item	What we apply
Model	100% retainer, never a success fee
Fee	Agreed before we start, in the written proposal
Payment	Terms set out in the proposal, before you sign

Archetype 100% retainer model

Placement takes 12 weeks on average. A 6-month replacement guarantee applies, and we follow up with the new hire for the first three months. On assignments carried through to the end, our success rate is above 75%.

Antwerp in numbers

Key figures

266.5 Mt

handled by Port of Antwerp-Bruges in 2025 (−4.1%).

Source: Port of Antwerp-Bruges

227

shortage occupations in Flanders in 2026, including B2B sales representative and sales engineer.

Source: VDAB

48%

of Archetype recruitment assignments are in Flanders.

Source: Archetype

For other Flemish cities, see recruitment in Flanders and our full coverage area.

About Archetype

Archetype is a Belgian family business founded in 1993 by Marc Diamant and now co-managed with Davy Diamant and Steve Diamant. A member of Federgon, it won Talent Business Innovation of the Year 2025 for its ethical and structured use of AI.

Questions about recruiting in Antwerp

How much does a recruitment assignment with Archetype cost?

It depends on the role: language requirements, management level, technical complexity and how hard the assignment is. The fee is set before we start in a written proposal, on a retainer, with no success fee. It covers the search, the assessment of finalists and the 6-month replacement guarantee. Tell us about the role to receive your proposal.