Country Manager, Italy

You will take ownership of the Italian market-entry phase for FICUS Health. Your initial mandate is to validate the market, establish FICUS with the most relevant stakeholders and secure our first lighthouse partnerships. You will report directly to our founding team and initially operate as a senior individual contributor, shaping key market-entry decisions and building your own local team over time.

What you'll do

• Validate market-entry assumptions and determine how FICUS should enter and scale in Italy, including analysing the market, competitive landscape, funding and reimbursement structures, procurement processes and provider decision-making
• Build relationships with rehabilitation providers, hospital and clinic groups, professional associations, payers and other relevant healthcare stakeholders
• Lead first commercial conversations and take responsibility for developing, negotiating and closing initial pilot partnerships
• Navigate Italy's regulatory, data-protection, procurement and reimbursement requirements at both national and regional level
• Bring deep understanding of Italian rehabilitation workflows and provider needs into product development, determining which parts require local adaptation
• Build the Italian market hands-on, supported directly by the founding team and teams in Germany, and eventually build the local team and take full operational and financial responsibility for Italy

What you'll need

• At least ten years of relevant experience in the Italian healthcare or rehabilitation market
• Strong understanding of the Italian healthcare system and its national and regional decision-making structures
• Relevant experience in rehabilitation, hospital care or an adjacent provider market
• Established and relevant network with credibility to open doors across rehabilitation providers, hospital or clinic groups, payers, professional associations or regional health authorities in Italy
• Track record of building rather than simply managing, such as establishing a new market, business unit, commercial operation or partnership structure
• Ability to operate effectively in a highly ambiguous environment without a finished playbook
• Combination of strategic thinking and hands-on execution
• Fluent Italian and professional English; German is an advantage

What they offer

• Competitive base salary plus equity participation
• Remote within Italy with regular travel across the country and to Berlin
• Direct collaboration with and reporting to founding team
• Genuine ownership of Italian market-entry phase from day one with clear path towards full operational and P&L responsibility
• Regular company and team events