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About the Company
Our Client is a group of complementary businesses using compounding technology and engineering expertise to create value for its customers, through the design, development, manufacture and sale of rubber products to industrial, automotive, defense, first response and healthcare markets. The firm is among the largest in its industry.
Our client is Canadian and publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX).
Scope of Position
Our client is currently seeking a Vice-President Engineering and Sales who will be responsible for the sales, marketing, business development and application engineering functions across all customer, geographic and product segments. Reporting to the Divisional President, the Vice-President will define and execute sales and business development strategies to expand the company’s markets, market share and improve the overall profitability of the organization. The Vice-President will drive all top line results, acting as the company’s senior sales executive, and have significant input on the direction of future growth for the business. Directly managing a diverse internal team, the Vice-President will also be responsible for the continual development, as well as the performance management of the sales, customer acquisition, market competitiveness, pricing, program and product management and applications engineering functions.
This position will be based at the division’s headquarters in Michigan.
This is an outstanding opportunity that features:
- Market Leading positioning
- Large opportunity for growth
- Committed and well-funded organization
- Highly entrepreneurial corporate culture
- An opportunity to make a real difference
Functional Tasks
- Lead and control the sales and business development activities of the division, driving results to meet and exceed business plans to achieve profitable growth by delivering on customer commitments, meeting budgeted sales commitments and overcoming obstacles.
- Create strategies and defining critical opportunity points for team to grow revenue through exploiting our differentiation
- Lead and develop field sales and applications focusing on: – sustaining growth in existing customer segments; – substantially growing sales in new channels and markets; – expanding into new product segments.
- Provide input to all strategic product roadmaps and all new product development projects
- Develop and implement effective pricing strategies
- Establish metrics for the measurement of business development strategy effectiveness
- Assist in assessing strategic acquisitions
- Lead sales support functions, such as Customer Service, Technical Support, Sales Analysis and Reporting, CRM, Trade Show Management, Website and e-Marketing
- Monitor customer, market and competitor activity and their impact on sales strategies.
- Manage customer relationships and expectations to ensure a high level of satisfaction and effective supplier partner relationships are established and maintained.
- Provide detailed and accurate forecasting to drive and guide sales activities.
- Coach and engage the sales team to achieve defined business objectives.
- Member of the divisional Senior Leadership team that develops, plans, and directs strategies for the direction and administration of the Vibration Control Division business activities.
- Remain abreast of the industry, competitors and trends with a view to ensuring that all alliance, acquisition and investment opportunities are considered and the most attractive pursued.
- Promote organization in industry, manufacturing or trade associations
- Provide the most reliable projections on future performance that can be developed, as well as reliable reports of current performance.
- Drive applications related technical projects and providing leadership in an innovative and fast-paced environment.
- Advance the culture and the systems that allows for best in class product architectures and KPIs
- Aid in recruiting industry leading engineering staff
- Oversee all Applications Engineering activities in the business
- Direct &manage team responsible for the development of products from concept to compliance on-time to demanding schedules
- Ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations
Key Performance Indicators
In light of the identified responsibilities, the following are specific deliverables that the position is designed to achieve.
- Specific measures of performance relating to growth, profitability, quality, customer satisfaction, etc. will be discussed and agreed upon with the successful candidate.
Competency Profile
The following competencies listed below define the role of Vice-President Engineering and Sales at our client
Results Orientation
Focuses strongly on achieving agreed upon outcomes and ensures that key objectives are met. Conveys a sense of urgency and drives issues to closure. Aims to improve upon past performance. Establishes aggressive personal targets and strives to achieve them.
Strategic Approach
Develops a strategic plan to realize the vision. Revises strategy in light of changing circumstances. Takes a long-term view of organizational success. Works to clarify long term organizational goals. Able to stand back from immediate problems in order to focus on more far reaching ideas.
People Management
Establishes and communicates clear priorities and sense of direction. Clarifies roles and responsibilities. Adapts management style to achieve optimum results.
Impact
Makes an immediate positive impression upon others. Has presence and commands respect. Comes across with force and quickly establishes credibility. Accurately predicts the effects of own words and actions. Makes an immediate positive impression upon others.
Leading Change
Recognizes when change is necessary. Challenges the status quo and champions new initiatives. Acts as a catalyst to change and stimulates others to change. Develops an effective action plan to implement change and monitors results.
Customer/Client Orientation
Strives to provide customers/clients with personalized and efficient service. Anticipates customers’/clients’ needs. Quickly follows up on customer/client contacts and complaints. Monitors and acts on measures of customer/client satisfaction.
Commercial Acumen
Applies appropriate commercial and financial principles. Understands situations in terms of costs, profits, added-value and return on investment. Appreciates the commercial impact of own work on the organization’s total expenses and revenues.
Industry & Market Awareness
Seeks to anticipate and respond to industry and market changes/challenges by understanding key characteristics, issues and the factors driving them. Aware of competitor’s products, services and position.
Preferred Experience / Education
The following indicates specific industry, academic and functional experience/qualifications that are important to the successful achievement of the identified responsibilities and performance deliverables.
- Minimum of 7-10 years of experience in senior leadership capacity and at least five years in a senior role with specific revenue growth achievements.
- Bachelor’s degree from four-year college or university in Engineering, Operations Management, or Business Administration
- 10-15 years of experience in technical sales, sales management, sales strategy design and implementation, project leadership, and OEM sales.
- Experience in the anti-vibration sector with a preference for rubber
- Extensive knowledge of the market landscape and experience within the customers in the market.
- Proven ability to establish a strong internal and external network to achieve deliverables, both through direct accountability and cross-organizational influence.
- Demonstrated understanding of the key drivers that affect sales through direct and indirect channels and how to use those levers to achieve desired outcomes.
- Proven track record of achieving sales, retaining customers and generating profitable growth.
- Strong communication skills (verbal, written, persuasion and presentation).
- Previous experience in sales and/or engineering anti-vibration/anti-noise systems
Remuneration & Benefits
- Highly competitive compensation package tailored to the successful candidate.