What are the responsibilities and job description for the Sales Admin position at Progressive Metal Mfg Co?
Sales Administrator
Department: Sales
Reports To: Sales Manager
Position Summary
The Sales Administrator provides critical support to the Sales Department by managing customer information, tracking sales-related activities, maintaining customer portals, coordinating internal communications, and assisting with customer requirements. This position serves as a key liaison between customers, sales personnel, engineering, production, and other internal departments to ensure accurate communication, timely responses, and exceptional customer service.
The ideal candidate is highly organized, analytical, customer-focused, and capable of managing multiple priorities in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
- Create, maintain, and analyze spreadsheets and databases used to track:
- New business opportunities
- Customer and engineering changes
- Special customer requirements
- Tooling activity
- Pricing and cost breakdowns
- Sales performance metrics
- Assist the Sales Team with preparing customer quotations, pricing analyses, and supporting documentation.
- Collaborate with customers and internal departments to understand customer requirements and resolve issues in a timely and professional manner.
- Monitor and maintain customer portals, including:
- Retrieving releases and forecasts
- Downloading customer scorecards
- Reviewing customer communications and notifications
- Updating required customer information
- Register and maintain customer-required software platforms and supplier systems as needed.
- Generate reports and provide sales-related data analysis to support strategic decision-making.
- Track customer requests, engineering changes, and project milestones to ensure deadlines are met.
- Participate in weekly plant walkthroughs with Sales personnel to develop a thorough understanding of manufacturing processes, production capabilities, and customer requirements.
- Assist with customer presentations, sales meetings, and business review preparation.
- Support new business development activities and customer account management initiatives.
- Maintain accurate customer records and documentation.
- Travel occasionally to customer locations, trade shows, or industry events as required (less than 10%).
- Perform additional duties and projects as assigned.
Qualifications
Required
- Minimum 2 years of administrative, customer service, sales support, or manufacturing-related experience preferred.
- Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including:
- Pivot Tables
- VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP
- Complex formulas
- Data analysis
- Charts and reporting
- Macros (preferred)
- Strong proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Outlook, PowerPoint).
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities.
- Ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines with minimal supervision.
- Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
- Ability to work effectively in a team-oriented environment.
Preferred
- Manufacturing industry experience.
- Experience with ERP/MRP systems.
- Experience with customer portals used in automotive or industrial manufacturing.
- Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings and blueprints.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
- Customer-focused mindset with a commitment to delivering exceptional service.
- Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work with diverse personalities.
- Self-motivated with a proactive approach to problem-solving.
- Excellent time management and prioritization skills.
- Ability to analyze data and identify trends, opportunities, and potential issues.
- Process-oriented with a continuous improvement mindset.
- Willingness to learn manufacturing processes, products, and customer requirements.
Working Conditions
- Office environment within a manufacturing facility.
- Frequent computer and data-entry work.
- Regular interaction with production, engineering, quality, and customer personnel.
- Hybrid role after training period
Performance Expectations
Success in this role will be measured by:
- Accuracy of customer and sales data.
- Timeliness of customer responses and issue resolution.
- Quality and reliability of reporting and analysis.
- Support provided to sales and customer service initiatives.
- Ability to effectively coordinate activities between customers and internal departments.
- Continuous improvement of sales support processes and systems.