Chemical Sales Rep - Chemistry Degree Required

Job Title: Chemical Sales Representative (Industrial Specialty Chemicals)

Reports to: Commercial Manager

Location: Weekly requirement to be in the office together with our commercial team in Chicago, Bedford Park and Darien Illinois.

Travel: 30–60% (as required to support customers, distributors, and trade events)

Role Summary

The Chemical Sales Representative is responsible for profitable revenue growth by developing and managing customer accounts across an assigned territory. Reporting to the Commercial Manager, this role drives new business development, expands share-of-wallet within existing accounts, and collaborates cross-functionally with Innovation team, Product Managers and Customer Service to deliver differentiated solutions and strong customer experience.

Key Responsibilities

Sales & Business Development

• Own and execute the territory/account plan to meet or exceed revenue, margin, and volume targets.
• Identify and qualify new opportunities (applications, customers, channels, and geographies) and advance leads through the sales funnel.
• Conduct customer needs analysis, recommend products/solutions, and articulate value propositions tied to performance.
• Prepare and deliver technical sales presentations, product training, and commercial proposals.
• Generate and maintain an active and accurate sales pipeline and reporting in CRM.

Account Management

• Build strong relationships at customers with procurement, operations, and R&D.
• Negotiate commercial terms based on product manager guidance, including pricing, contracts, and supply agreements.
• Partner with internal teams to resolve issues related to quality, supply chain, and pricing.
• Develop annual forecasting, demand planning inputs, and account growth strategies.

Market & Competitive Intelligence

• Track market trends, competitor activity, and customer initiatives; translate insights into actionable commercial plans.
• Support development of pricing strategy, value-based selling tools, and product positioning.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Coordinate technical support for trials, evaluations, and scale-up activities with Product management and Innovation team.
• Align with Supply Chain/Operations on availability, lead times, and customer requirements.
• Ensure adherence to regulatory, EHS, and product stewardship policies.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or a closely related scientific/technical field.
• Minimum 5 years of B2B sales experience, preferably in specialty chemicals, ingredients, or industrial materials.
• Demonstrated success meeting sales targets and building/expanding customer relationships.
• Strong capability in value-based selling, negotiation, and pipeline management.
• Proficiency in CRM tools and MS Office (Excel, PowerPoint).
• Willingness to travel as needed to support customer-facing responsibilities.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience selling into one or more of the following: elastomers, thermoplastics, coatings, adhesives, coatings, lubricants, or specialty industrial markets.
• Knowledge of distribution/channel management and contract structures.
• Comfort in technical discussions (specifications, formulation considerations, regulatory constraints).
• Experience working in a global or multi-site manufacturing environment.