Sales Engineer

Sales Engineer – Technical Sales Opportunity | Gurnee, IL

$65K Base Commission | $80K–$95K Long-Term Earning Potential | Contract-to-Hire

We are partnering with a long-standing industrial manufacturer in the Gurnee, IL area that is looking to add a Sales Engineer to their team due to an upcoming retirement. This is an excellent opportunity for someone with a technical background who enjoys building relationships, solving customer problems, and growing into a customer-facing sales career.

This company has been a trusted name in the industry for over 130 years and is known for designing and manufacturing custom industrial equipment and process solutions used across industries including coatings, paint, chemical, food, pharmaceutical, adhesives, and energy.

This role offers the opportunity to become the face of a well-established organization, work directly with customers, and make a meaningful impact within a close-knit, family-owned company environment.

What You'll Do

• Manage and grow relationships with existing customers while developing new opportunities

• Support customers with custom industrial equipment solutions based on their process needs

• Follow up on inbound leads, customer inquiries, referrals, and existing opportunities

• Identify customer challenges and recommend engineered equipment solutions

• Work directly with plant managers, maintenance leaders, operations teams, and engineers

• Develop proposals, pricing, and quotes for custom equipment projects

• Partner with engineering and operations teams to ensure customer requirements are met

• Maintain customer activity and opportunities through CRM tools

• Travel up to 25% throughout North America (typically day trips or trips lasting up to 3 days)

What We're Looking For

• 2 years of experience in technical sales, inside sales, account management, business development, customer service, applications engineering, or service within a manufacturing environment

• Experience supporting, quoting, selling, or servicing technical products, industrial equipment, OEM machinery, or engineered solutions

• Strong relationship-building skills and the ability to communicate with customers at all levels

• Naturally curious with a desire to understand customer needs and recommend solutions

• Self-motivated and comfortable managing longer sales cycles (typically 6–12 months)

• Ability to build trust with customers and consistently follow up throughout the sales process

Preferred Experience:

• Experience with CRM or ERP systems

• Experience with quoting/pricing tools

• Associate or Bachelor’s degree preferred but not required

• Background in engineering, chemistry, coatings, paint, chemical processing, or industrial equipment is a plus

Why Consider This Opportunity?

• Join a company with over 130 years of industry success and a strong reputation

• Family-owned organization with a laid-back, collaborative culture

• Opportunity to be a key customer-facing representative of the company

• Work closely with experienced leadership during a transition period

• Large impact opportunity within a flat organization with minimal red tape

• Strong customer base with established relationships and warm sales opportunities

• Career growth potential for someone who wants to build a long-term sales career

Compensation & Benefits

• $65K base salary ($31.25/hr during contract period)

• Year 1 estimated earnings: $65K–$75K

• Year 2 estimated earnings: $80K–$95K

• Commission opportunity:

• 2.5% commission on sold equipment once shipped
• Quarterly bonus opportunities based on sales goals
• • Holiday bonus potential
• • 9 paid holidays
• • 5% 401(k) match
• • Full benefits upon conversion

Location: Gurnee, IL

Schedule: Monday–Friday

Travel: Up to 25%

Type: Contract-to-Hire (9 months)

If you’re looking for a technical sales opportunity where you can build relationships, work with innovative industrial equipment, and have a direct impact on a growing organization, we’d like to speak with you. Please apply!