Senior Sales Manager (Louisville Metropolitan Area)

CRG Automation, headquartered in Louisville, KY, is an industrial automation systems integrator with more than 25 years of experience designing and building custom automation for manufacturers. Our work spans robotics, controls, vision, conveying and handling, packaging, welding, and fully custom systems for customers across food and beverage, consumer goods, automotive, and defense.

Role Overview

We are seeking a Senior Sales Manager to lead CRG's commercial team while personally managing a portfolio of strategic accounts. This is a player-coach role. You will be the direct supervisor of our Regional Sales Managers, accountable for their performance and development, and you will carry your own book of large, strategic, and national accounts.

Your expertise in automation technologies, robotics, conveyance systems, and custom automation controls will allow you to communicate the value of our solutions credibly, guide your team through complex technical pursuits, and build lasting relationships with customers. Just as important, you will bring the discipline to build and improve the systems, processes, and habits that make a sales team predictable.

This role reports to the VP of Engineering and Sales and works closely with Applications Engineering, Project Management, and Operations.

Responsibilities and Duties

Sales Leadership and Team Development

• Directly supervise and develop a team of Regional Sales Managers, owning their performance, accountability, and growth.
• Provide daily coaching and feedback to improve sales performance, from prospecting through close.
• Conduct hands-on training and development, including customer ride-alongs, call reviews, and structured feedback sessions.
• Recruit, onboard, and ramp new sales talent, including building ramp plans and addressing performance gaps directly.
• Design lead assignment structure for reps
• Lead structured win and loss reviews on significant pursuits, and feed what you learn back to Applications Engineering and marketing.

Sales Operations and Process

• Lead sales operations to ensure CRG's commercial SOPs are implemented, achieved, and continuously improved.
• Own the weekly pipeline review and be accountable to leadership for forecast accuracy, not just pipeline volume.
• Review proposals, pricing strategies, and technical solutions before they reach the customer.
• Collaborate with the Applications Engineering team to improve proposal generation, turnaround time, and quality.
• Work with RSMs to define customer investment constraints and collaborate with Applications to meet those needs. 
• Implement new technologies and tools that improve data integrity, sales automation, and customer experience.
• Maintain Salesforce as the single source of truth for accounts, opportunities, pipeline, and proposal status, and hold the team to the same standard.
• Partner with Project Management and Engineering to ensure clean handoffs at booking, with documented scope, stated assumptions, and realistic schedule commitments.

Strategic Account Ownership

• Manage and grow a portfolio of house accounts, including large, strategic, and/or national customers.
• Conduct in-depth needs assessments to understand each customer's automation requirements and pain points.
• Develop conceptual automation solutions in real time, grounded in what CRG can actually build.
• Prepare and deliver proposals, quotes, and technical presentations tailored to the customer's situation.
• Collaborate with Applications Engineering to confirm proposed solutions are feasible and meet customer expectations.
• Build co-selling relationships with technology partners including to generate leads and support joint pursuits.
• Stay current on industry trends, market conditions, and competitors to position CRG's offerings strategically.

How Success Is Measured

• Team booked revenue and blended margin against quarterly targets
• Performance of your personal house account portfolio
• Adoption of commercial SOPs and CRM data integrity across the team
• Development, retention, and ramp time of your Regional Sales Managers

Qualifications and Requirements

• 8+ years of progressive success in outside sales, preferably within packaging, robotics, or manufacturing automation, including at least two years leading, mentoring, or managing sales professionals.
• Bachelor's degree in engineering, automation, robotics, business, or a related field. Master's degree a plus. Equivalent experience will be considered.
• Strong knowledge of robotics, conveyance, custom automation systems, and their controls.
• Demonstrated ability to coach and develop sellers, not just carry a number yourself.
• Experience managing complex, long-cycle capital equipment sales with a consultative approach.
• Track record of forecast accuracy and disciplined CRM use.
• Comfort reviewing pricing and margin structures, and the judgment to make sound commercial calls.
• Ability to understand complex automation systems and translate technical concepts for a non-technical audience.
• Ability to conceptualize technical solutions on the spot based on customer needs.
• Familiarity with PLC control systems and the integration of automation solutions.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, verbal and written, with the ability to build rapport and influence decision makers.
• Mechanical aptitude and strong problem-solving skills.
• Strong organization and follow-through.
• Proficient in Salesforce CRM, Excel, Outlook, and Windows.
• Willingness to travel 25 to 40 percent of the time, primarily regional.
• Valid driver's license with a clean driving record.
• Ability to successfully pass pre-employment background and drug screenings.

What We Offer

• Competitive base salary with a performance-based incentive plan tied to team results, personal sales, and margin performance.
• Comprehensive benefits package including health, dental, and retirement plans.
• Company-paid life and long-term disability insurance.
• The chance to lead a commercial team at a company that builds genuinely difficult things, for customers who count on them.

We are passionate about engineering innovative solutions and delivering excellence every day. Ready to make an impact? Apply now and let's shape tomorrow together.