Sales Head/Director (US & Canada)

The Director of Sales is responsible for leading and managing the sales organization to achieve revenue growth, market expansion, and customer satisfaction goals. This role involves developing strategic sales plans, overseeing execution, and ensuring alignment with overall business objectives. The Director of Sales will lead a team of Senior Account Managers and Account Managers, foster a high-performance culture, and collaborate cross-functionally with Technical Marketing, R&D, and Customer Service teams.  This position will be responsible and accountable for the business results and the achievement of annual sales and profits targets for the U.S. region and Canada in line with strategic business development and growth plans.

Key Responsibilities:

• Responsible for developing Sales Strategies and Sales Plans. Ensures achievement of annual revenue and profit targets according to budgets for all sales territories in the region.
• Plans and directs all sales activities (including Outside and Inside sales teams) in the region for the organization to achieve positive market growth year over year.
• Supports sales team to identify and pursue new sales opportunities within current and potential growth accounts. Ensures effective Territory Development and Client Relationship Management practices, goals and targets for all Account Managers in the region.
• Hire and staff the sales team appropriately based on geography, account specifics and revenue growth requirements. Ensures Account Managers continually improve number and quality of Sales Opportunity Pipelines and Meaningful Customer Interactions (MCIs).
• Act as a coach and motivator to the sales team, providing guidance on sales tactics, opportunity pursuit, contract negotiation and product and technical support.
• Establishes annual targets and KPI’s for the sales team and evaluates their performance and achievements of goals.
• Responsible for pricing and contribution margin management for all segment and customer pricing and approval of SQLs by Account Manager on the team.
• Collaborate with the Technical Marketing Managers to ensure effective marketing communication to customers and to ensure a positive continued relationship with existing clients and to build relationships with new clients.
• Prepares, analyzes, monitors, and presents sales forecasts and territory performance and sales achievement to management team and Board of Directors. Takes necessary actions to improve Sales Operations and results / outcomes.
• Work with the Technical Marketing, Product Development and Operations teams regularly to support new and existing programs, manage response to quality and delivery issues, and help to improve overall customer responsiveness.
• Coordinates, analyzes and proposes annual sales budget to the Leadership Team.
• Identifies areas of product gaps in the market and feeds information to Technical Marketing
• Establish productive and professional relationships with senior level personnel at key customer accounts.
• Negotiate and close agreements with strategic customers including supply agreements and term negotiations,
• Ensure the sales teams manage and meet requirements of Core Responsibilities (Customer Interactions, Timely Reporting, T&E expense management). Mentors, coaches and provides required feedback and need based training & development to all Sales Managers
• Prepare monthly reports related to sales volume, potential sales, areas of client expansion and other related statistical data. Ensures input is provided regularly to Account Managers to improve their results and outcomes.
• Represents the company at trade shows to promote products and technologies.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in chemistry / B.Tech in chemical engineering or scientific field preferred.
• MBA preferred.

Experience:

• 12 to 15 years of experience selling ingredients produced for consumer products or regulated markets, preferably personal care (B2B background).
• 3 years of sales management experience preferred.
• Experience developing and executing tactical and strategic sales plans including growth strategies and account objectives.
• Business and financial acumen.
• Demonstrated independent thinking and decision-making ability
• Strong planning skills with a 3-year time horizon.

Work Environment:

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

This is an environment with many interruptions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee may be occasionally exposed to work near moving mechanical parts, fumes or airborne particles and toxic or caustic chemicals. The noise level in the work environment is usually low.

Physical Demands:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Travel Requirements:

Minimum 50% domestic travel.  Overnight stays of one or more days are required.