Sales Development Leader - Midwest Region

Accountabilities

• Lead sales and business development activities across the Midwest/Central United States, with responsibility for driving sales growth, market share, and margin performance across key sheet product portfolios.

• Support distributor outside-sales teams through technical assistance, product expertise, commercial guidance, joint customer calls, and new account development.

• Drive core sheet volume growth by participating in distributor training, joint sales calls, product launches, and new product implementation initiatives.

• Build and maintain strong relationships with distributor leadership, conversion and fabrication partners, OEMs, and other stakeholders across the value chain.

• Identify, develop, and manage high-value new business opportunities, including opportunities exceeding $5 million in annual potential, through new customer acquisition and competitive share shifts.

• Create and execute account and branch-level growth plans designed to increase product adoption, sales volume, market penetration, and customer value.

• Organize product-focused initiatives such as product blitzes, branch training, application development sessions, and product knowledge programs.

• Conduct regular business reviews with channel partners, assessing performance, new product introduction results, application opportunities, competitive activity, and future growth potential.

• Collect and analyze account, market, customer, and competitive data to identify opportunities, regional preferences, market changes, and potential risks.

• Develop competitive strategies for the Midwest market and communicate actionable recommendations to leadership.

• Implement product and channel strategies with distributor partners in alignment with commercial objectives, volume targets, and margin expectations.

• Partner with Inside Sales, Customer Service, Pricing, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, and other internal functions to ensure effective customer support and commercial execution.

• Drive continuous commercial process improvements throughout the value chain, from manufacturing and supply through distribution and the ultimate customer.

• Evaluate fulfillment and supply chain requirements to optimize service levels and minimize transportation and logistics costs.

• Establish pricing and price points, implement customer price lists, and use appropriate pricing tools to support profitable growth.

• Determine which distributor partners are best positioned to serve key OEM and fabrication customers based on product, service, geographic, and commercial requirements.

• Manage the profitability of multiple distributor accounts and focus on contribution-margin growth in addition to top-line sales performance.

• Address moderately complex commercial and market challenges independently, developing practical and innovative solutions.

• Coordinate across multiple customer interfaces, including management, outside sales, inside sales, and other commercial stakeholders.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Business or a related field required; MBA preferred, or an equivalent combination of education and professional experience.

• Approximately 10 years of sales and/or distribution management experience, preferably in a technical product, manufacturing, industrial, or channel-driven environment.

• Strong sales and business development background with a demonstrated ability to identify, develop, and close growth opportunities.

• Extensive knowledge of relevant markets, products, applications, distribution channels, and competitive dynamics.

• Strong account management and relationship-building capabilities, particularly with complex distributor and customer organizations.

• Excellent interpersonal, communication, influencing, and negotiation skills.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities, with the ability to turn market and customer information into actionable commercial strategies.

• Demonstrated leadership skills and the ability to influence cross-functional and external teams without relying solely on direct authority.

• Strong commercial judgment and understanding of pricing, profitability, contribution margin, and supply chain considerations.

• Ability to manage multiple complex accounts and stakeholders while maintaining focus on growth and customer needs.

• Ability to provide technical and product guidance to sales teams and customers and translate product capabilities into customer applications.

• Willingness and ability to travel regularly throughout the Midwest/Central region for customer visits, distributor meetings, training, and business reviews.

• Candidates based in major cities with convenient access to an airport are preferred.

• Ability to maintain regular, predictable attendance and work Monday through Friday during assigned operating hours, along with additional hours when business needs require.

Benefits

• Full-time remote position covering the Midwest/Central United States.

• Competitive compensation and benefits package.

• Opportunities to work with established, high-profile product portfolios across diverse industrial and commercial markets.

• Comprehensive learning and professional development programs designed to support long-term career growth.

• Opportunities to collaborate with sales, manufacturing, supply chain, pricing, customer service, and other cross-functional teams.

• Significant regional responsibility and autonomy in developing customer, distributor, and market strategies.

• Opportunity to influence sales growth, market share, customer development, and profitability across a broad territory.

• Inclusive workplace culture built around respect, collaboration, and equal opportunity.

• Regular exposure to senior distributor and customer leadership.

• Opportunities to develop expertise across sales, product applications, channel management, pricing, and commercial strategy.