Sales Area Manager

Job Description

Grace is seeking a Sales Area Manager to join our Material Technologies Business Division. This role reports to the Sr. Sales Director Americas and will be located in the US remotely, or preferably in the Houston, TX area near our office in downtown with up to 40% travel.

This position will manage an approximately $20M portfolio of US and Canadian customers of the Material Technologies ongoing sales and approximately $40M in potential sales with a focus on Grace's strategic segments such as: Process Adsorbents (natural gas / ethanol), Plastics and Food and Beverage. This role will be responsible for developing and driving sales across the full range of the Material Technologies Product Portfolio in the assigned Sales Area through a professional approach, high-level business acumen, and developing strong business relationships with customers, prospects, and industry influencers. Sales Area Managers are expected to establish and maintain the image of Grace as a preferred supplier of products and services at the customer/market interface.

Responsibilities

• Meets assigned targets for profitable sales volume, gross margin, and strategic objectives in assigned accounts.
• Proactively evaluates, clarifies, and validates customer needs on an ongoing basis.
• Building relationships at all levels within the customer hierarchy (develop to “trusted advisor” status).
• Developing, preparing, and presenting proposals that clearly illustrate customer value propositions and capture portion for Grace.
• Manage multiple North America customer accounts including Global accounts with multiple locations across regions.
• Proactively leads a strategic account planning process that develops performance objectives, financial targets, and critical milestones in the selling process related to each target account.
• Be the key point of contact for customer for all accounts and corporate sites in portfolio and the link for “Customer Driven Innovation” via understanding and communicating current and future needs and value.
• Be the key point of contact with third part distributor
• Coordinate with Grace internal resources to assure that all logistical, financial/marketing, and legal requirements for each territory’s sales are properly executed and completed to meet the customer requirements.
• Responsible for updating weekly forecast, jeopardy, opportunities, and key account data with Salesforce.com. In addition, responsible for leading Pre-Call Plans and issuing Call Reports from critical customer meetings.
• Market Development, identify and acquire new customers, build strong opportunity pipeline.
• Implement price increase as needed.
• Understand industry trends and competitive landscape in the context of meeting customer’s current and future needs and potential value. Participate in key internal processes to provide feedback on current and potential customer needs.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, Business, Engineering, or related field.
• Minimum of 3 years’ selling experience in the commercial & technical specialty chemicals industry or related.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team in a remote work environment to accomplish goals with the ability to travel normally around 25% and occasionally up to 40%.
• IT business skills are essential with a focus on Salesforce.com and Excel for proper analytical information, reporting and compliance.
• The candidate must be fluent in English.

Preferred Qualifications

• Clear understanding of Grace's strategic segments / Customers organizational designs and how decisions are made regarding value at the customer. Experience navigating customer’s political structures to successfully sell products.
• Excellent organizational, communication and presentation skills. Ability to adapt communication for either internal or external needs. Ability to collaborate to accomplish work goals and to lead team of diverse support groups to support both customer and business needs.
• Knowledge of customers operations, and economics with a working knowledge of how to develop value propositions and convey these to customers through excellent communication and presentation skills.

Benefits

• Medical, Dental, Vision Insurance
• Life Insurance and Disability
• Grace Wellness Program
• Flexible Workplace
• Retirement Plans 
• 401(k) Company Match – Dollar to dollar up to the first 6%
• Paid Vacation and Holidays
• Parental Leave (salaried only)
• Tuition Reimbursement

U.S. Employee Benefits Summary (grace.com)