Director of Sales

We have been retained to identify a Director of Sales for an established industrial organization entering an important stage of growth and leadership development. This is a highly visible opportunity to lead an experienced technical sales team, strengthen commercial execution, and help shape the future direction of a respected regional business. The right leader will bring a combination of sales management, business judgment, technical aptitude, and the ability to earn credibility with customers, suppliers, engineers, and a tenured sales organization. Deep technical expertise can be valuable, although the company is equally interested in a strong sales and business leader who understands complex engineered products and can quickly build additional product knowledge with support from an experienced engineering team. Beyond the immediate sales leadership mandate, this role offers meaningful exposure to the broader leadership team and the possibility of expanded responsibility over time. The company is specifically interested in someone who wants to build, develop people, modernize sales practices thoughtfully, and grow with the organization for the long term. Responsibilities This Director will lead a team of established outside sales professionals while working closely with engineering, operations, customer service, other sales leaders, and supplier partners. Success will require equal parts leadership, commercial strategy, coaching, collaboration, and disciplined execution. Set the commercial direction for the business and translate growth priorities into actionable territory, account, and market strategies. Lead, coach, and develop an established outside sales team through regular field engagement, customer visits, ride-alongs, and individual performance support. Strengthen sales discipline through clearer expectations, pipeline visibility, forecasting, accountability, and practical performance metrics. Help sales professionals identify and develop new opportunities while continuing to expand long-standing OEM and MRO customer relationships. Build executive-level relationships with key customers and serve as a senior commercial resource during important opportunities, negotiations, and complex applications. Develop productive supplier relationships and collaborate on market development, customer opportunities, and strategic growth initiatives. Partner closely with engineering and operations to translate customer needs into technically sound, commercially viable solutions. Improve pricing and margin discipline while balancing competitiveness, customer value, and profitable growth. Work alongside other sales directors to identify cross-selling opportunities and bring broader technical capabilities to customers when appropriate. Contribute to longer-term business planning and leadership initiatives beyond the immediate sales function. Skills & Qualifications The strongest candidates will have led technical or industrial sales teams and know how to improve performance without disrupting the relationships and culture that already make an organization successful. This is a collaborative environment, so influence, coaching, credibility, and sound judgment will matter more than a command-and-control leadership style. The company is open to more than one successful profile. One candidate may bring deep technical-market expertise combined with solid people leadership. Another may be an exceptional sales and business leader with strong mechanical aptitude and enough technical foundation to lead credibly while relying on engineering resources for deeper application support. Progressive leadership experience managing outside sales professionals in an industrial, engineered-product, technical distribution, or similarly complex B2B environment. Demonstrated ability to coach experienced salespeople, establish accountability, and improve sales execution without creating unnecessary bureaucracy. Experience developing sales strategy, territory plans, account-growth initiatives, and new-business approaches. Technical familiarity across engineered industrial systems and markets such as motion control, automation, pneumatics, mechanical systems, hydraulics, or closely related technologies. Ability to understand complex customer applications and work effectively with engineers and other technical specialists. Experience building and maintaining senior-level customer and supplier relationships. Commercial and financial acumen involving pricing, margins, forecasting, revenue performance, and business-growth decisions. A collaborative leadership style with the confidence to introduce better processes while respecting a highly tenured organization and established customer relationships. Bachelor's degree in business, engineering, or a related discipline. Interest in a long-term leadership opportunity with the capability and ambition to take on broader organizational responsibility as the business evolves. Why This Opportunity This is an opportunity to step into a meaningful leadership seat rather than simply manage a sales number. The organization combines the relationships and close-knit environment of an established regional business with access to significantly broader technical resources, capabilities, and career opportunities. For a leader with the right performance, fit, and long-term potential, this position could create a path toward broader executive responsibility as future leadership needs develop. Location This role is based in the Greater Milwaukee Area of Wisconsin . The company prefers someone already within the market or with meaningful ties to the region, although relocation may be considered for the right candidate. Travel Most field activity is within Wisconsin and the Upper Midwest and consists of customer visits, ride-alongs, supplier meetings, and day trips by vehicle. Approximately 25-30% overnight travel should be expected, with most overnight trips occurring within the regional territory. Competitive base plus an annual bonus opportunity. Final compensation will reflect the candidate's relevant leadership experience, technical depth, and overall fit for the role. The organization also provides comprehensive employee benefits and a company vehicle. #J-18808-Ljbffr