Emma's Garden is looking for a Business Unit Manager to grow our biodiversity brand for gardens and balconies, from a strong Belgian base into a pan-European, omnichannel brand. In this role you are responsible for brand, range, distribution and P&L. You are based in Brussels, with regular time at our sites in Lennik and Ghislenghien. 

We created Emma's Garden in 2020 within the Vadigran Group, a Belgian family business, and the brand has outgrown the way we run it today.   

With around €3M turnover and double-digit growth every year, Emma's Garden is a well-known name in specialised garden and pet retail in Belgium and France. 

We believe that one of the biggest opportunities to restore biodiversity lies closer to home than most people realise. Across Europe, more than 100 million people have a garden or balcony. Every bird feeder, insect hotel, hedgehog shelter or wildlife-friendly corner may seem like a small act on its own. Together, they can create a connected network of habitats that supports nature at scale. That means more biodiversity, more greenery, less heat and better water retention: a healthier environment for people and wildlife alike. 

This is the ambition behind Emma's Garden: to help millions of people make a positive impact on nature, right outside their own door. 

That is why we are building Emma's Garden into an independent business unit, and why we are looking for an entrepreneur who shares that ambition and wants to build a Belgian brand into Europe's leading biodiversity brand for gardens and balconies. 

Your Role 

As Business Unit Manager of Emma's Garden, you lead the brand as if it were your own business. You shape the strategy, the range, the distribution, the brand and the P&L. 

You start with one colleague by your side, and the team grows as the business grows. You are never on your own, though. Emma's Garden is part of Vadigran Group and can count on the group's colleagues in logistics, sales, finance, purchasing, IT and the other support functions. You get the freedom of a start-up with the support of a €32M group behind you. 

Let's be honest about what this is: a small unit with big ambition. You might work on strategy in the morning and help pack a sample box in the afternoon. Today the brand is strong in specialised retail in two countries. Going pan-European and omnichannel is the journey ahead, and it's one we'd love to build with you. 

A typical day? You go through sell-out data from a garden centre chain and decide which references to push and which to phase out. You call a supplier in Poland about a prototype for a new insect hotel. You brief your colleague on the content for the spring campaign. And you end the day with a first meeting at a retailer in a country where Emma's Garden isn't on the shelf yet. 

Key Responsibilities 

Lead the business unit 

• Steer the P&L of Emma's Garden: turnover, margin, costs and investment choices 

• Build the business plan and roadmap from €3M towards a pan-European brand 

• Coach and grow the team, starting with one colleague and expanding as the business grows 

• Work closely with the group functions (logistics, sales, finance, purchasing, IT) 

• Set up simple, lean processes that help the business run smoothly 

Build the brand 

• Make Emma's Garden the first brand people think of when they want to do something good for nature in their garden 

• Shape positioning, identity and brand consistency across products, packaging and communication 

• Create inspiring and educational content: guides, video, social media, newsletters and PR around biodiversity 

• Turn ecological knowledge into simple, attractive stories that inspire people to act 

Grow distribution: pan-European and omnichannel 

• Expand beyond Belgium and France into the wider European market 

• Develop the retail channel mix: garden centres, pet shops, nature and lifestyle retail 

• Build our own webshop and connect with marketplaces and other platforms 

• Build and nurture the distributor and key account portfolio, together with our sales organisation 

• Make sure availability follows demand, together with supply chain and purchasing 

Develop the range 

• Translate consumer insights and market trends into new products and categories 

• Guide product development from concept to launch: specs, materials, sustainability, safety, prototypes, testing and validation 

• Manage the full range lifecycle: build categories, launch, monitor margins, and phase out what doesn't work 

• Source and negotiate with suppliers in Europe and Asia on price, MOQ, lead times, sampling and quality 

Who we are looking for 

What you bring 

• Entrepreneurial experience: you have built or grown something yourself, whether that's your own business, a new brand or a new activity within a company 

• Experience in sales, marketing and product development in consumer goods 

• Fluent in French and English and comfortable in Dutch 

• A love for gardens, nature and animals 

It's a plus if you also have 

• Experience owning a P&L or a business unit 

• Experience in e-commerce 

How you work 

• You take ownership: you care about the brand, the numbers and the people you work with 

• You enjoy rolling up your sleeves: in a small team, strategy and execution go hand in hand 

• You have commercial sense: you understand margin, pricing and which investments really create growth 

• You are a brand thinker and storyteller: you understand how brands grow and how content builds preference 

• You make thoughtful choices, based on data, and you're open to adjusting course when the data points another way 

• You believe commercial growth and positive impact go together, and you love showing that in the results 

• You enjoy connecting with people: colleagues across the group, retail partners and suppliers alike 

Practical 

• Your base is our office in Brussels, with frequent visits to our production site in Lennik and our distribution centre in Ghislenghien (Ath).  

• You are open to travel in Europe and Asia 

A few years from now: 

• Emma's Garden is a reference brand for biodiversity in the garden across several European countries 

• The brand is available where consumers actually shop, in retail and online 

• Turnover and margin have grown to a multiple of today's level, and the team has grown with it 

• New products and categories have been launched successfully 

• There is measurably more life in European gardens because of what we sell 

• The closest thing to running your own company, without having to fund it yourself: a real brand, real customers, real cash flow and real freedom 

• A family business with a warm, family atmosphere at the office: result-oriented, but flexible 

• Short decision lines with limited corporate layers 

• A competitive salary in line with your expertise and experience, with a bonus linked to the performance of your business unit 

• An electric company car with a charging card 

• A mobile phone subscription and a laptop 

• Meal vouchers and eco vouchers 

• Flexible working hours and the option to work from home 

• Staff discounts on all Vadigran Group products, great for spoiling your two- or four-legged friends 

• Quarterly events to connect with colleagues across the group 

• And yes, you can bring your dog to the office 

Ready to help nature grow, one garden at a time, and build Emma's Garden with us?