Vice President of Sales

Position Summary

The Vice President of Sales is responsible for developing and executing the company’s sales strategy, driving profitable revenue growth, strengthening customer relationships, expanding market share, and leading the sales organization. This executive partners closely with Operations, Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, Finance, and Customer Service to ensure customer commitments align with manufacturing capabilities, capacity, quality requirements, margin expectations, and long-term business objectives.

Essential Duties and ResponsibilitiesSales Strategy & Growth

· Develop and execute short- and long-term sales strategies aligned with company revenue, profitability, and market-growth objectives.

· Establish annual sales plans, forecasts, budgets, account strategies, and measurable performance targets.

· Identify and pursue new customers, programs, markets, products, and strategic opportunities that fit the company’s manufacturing capabilities.

· Maintain a disciplined opportunity pipeline and ensure timely progression from prospecting through quotation, negotiation, award, launch, and ongoing account management.

· Evaluate market conditions, customer demand, competitor activity, pricing trends, and industry developments to guide commercial strategy.

Customer & Account Leadership

· Serve as an executive-level relationship owner for key customers and strategic accounts.

· Build strong relationships with customer purchasing, engineering, operations, quality, and executive leadership teams.

· Lead commercial negotiations involving pricing, contracts, annual cost reductions, surcharges, tooling, freight, payment terms, and other customer requirements.

· Ensure customer concerns, escalations, delivery risks, and commercial issues are addressed quickly and collaboratively.

· Develop account retention and growth plans for major customers, including customer diversification strategies to reduce concentration risk.

Pricing, Quoting & Profitability

· Provide leadership and oversight for quoting, pricing strategy, commercial terms, and contract review.

· Partner with Finance and Operations to evaluate cost structures, contribution margins, capacity requirements, capital needs, and return on investment before committing to new business.

· Ensure sales decisions support profitable growth rather than revenue growth alone.

· Monitor customer and program profitability and lead corrective commercial actions when margins fall below expectations.

· Support recovery of material, labor, freight, tariff, energy, and other cost increases when contractually or commercially appropriate.

Sales Leadership & Team Development

· Lead, coach, develop, and hold accountable the sales and account-management organization.

· Establish clear roles, territories, account ownership, goals, KPIs, and performance expectations.

· Conduct regular pipeline, forecast, account, and performance reviews.

· Recruit and develop high-performing sales talent and create succession plans for key commercial roles.

· Promote a culture of accountability, responsiveness, customer focus, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

Cross-Functional & Operational Alignment

· Partner with Operations and Supply Chain to ensure forecasts and customer demand are communicated accurately for capacity, labor, inventory, and production planning.

· Work with Engineering and Program Management on new-product opportunities, feasibility reviews, prototypes, tooling, PPAP/APQP requirements, and product launches as applicable.

· Coordinate with Quality on customer requirements, corrective actions, scorecards, and quality-related commercial matters.

· Participate in Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) or equivalent demand/capacity planning processes.

· Avoid commercial commitments that exceed approved manufacturing, engineering, quality, capacity, or financial parameters without appropriate executive review.

Forecasting, Metrics & Executive Reporting

· Maintain accurate sales forecasts by customer, program, product, and timing.

· Report sales performance, pipeline health, bookings, revenue outlook, pricing actions, customer risks, and market opportunities to executive leadership.

· Use data and CRM tools to improve forecast accuracy, sales discipline, customer visibility, and decision-making.

· Recommend corrective actions when sales performance, bookings, margins, or customer activity deviate from plan.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

· Revenue growth and sales versus budget/forecast

· Gross margin / contribution margin performance

· New business awards and bookings

· Sales pipeline value, quality, and conversion rate

· Forecast accuracy

· Customer retention and strategic account growth

· New customer and market diversification

· Pricing and cost-recovery performance

· Customer scorecards, satisfaction, and escalation resolution

· Sales team performance against individual and departmental goals

Qualifications

· Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Engineering, Supply Chain, or a related field required; MBA or advanced degree preferred.

· 10 years of progressive sales, business development, or commercial leadership experience, preferably in a manufacturing environment.

· 5 years of experience leading sales teams, key accounts, or commercial functions.

· Demonstrated success growing revenue and profitability with OEM, Tier 1/Tier 2, industrial, or other complex B2B manufacturing customers.

· Strong experience with contract negotiation, pricing, quoting, forecasting, account strategy, and executive customer relationships.

· Working knowledge of manufacturing operations, capacity, lead times, cost structures, quality requirements, and new-product launch processes.

· Experience using CRM, ERP, forecasting, and business intelligence/reporting systems.

· Ability to travel as required to customers, company locations, trade events, and industry meetings.

Knowledge, Skills and Competencies

· Strategic sales leadership and business development

· Commercial judgment and financial acumen

· Negotiation and contract-management skills

· Executive communication and presentation skills

· Customer relationship management

· Forecasting, pipeline management, and data analysis

· Manufacturing and operational awareness

· Cross-functional leadership and influence

· Problem solving, urgency, and sound decision-making

· Team development, coaching, and performance management

Leadership Expectations

The Vice President of Sales is expected to operate as a company leader, not solely as the head of the sales function. The position must balance customer advocacy with the company’s operational, financial, quality, and strategic requirements; communicate risks early; make fact-based commitments; and reinforce accountability across the commercial organization.

Physical / Work Environment

This position primarily operates in an office and manufacturing environment and may require regular visits to production areas and customer facilities. The employee must be able to travel by automobile and air as business needs require. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Pay: $210,000.00 - $240,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Health insurance
• Health savings account
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

Education:

• Associate (Required)

Experience:

• Executive Leadership: 3 years (Preferred)
• Sales: 10 years (Required)

Work Location: In person

Salary : $210,000 - $240,000