Automation Sales Specialist

About the role

Crawford Electric Supply is a company committed to building a relationship with its employees, encouraging fun at work, and being powered by difference. Known for being a great place to work and build a career, Crawford prides itself on being a business partner rather than just an electrical supplier to its customers. The company has a culture of growth, opportunity, innovative thinking, and stability for its employees.

Responsibilities

• OEM Account Development & Growth: Develop and expand relationships with OEM customers by identifying design-in opportunities, platform standardization initiatives, and long-term automation strategies.
• Solution-Based Sales Leadership: Lead the commercial sales process for automation opportunities, coordinating technical support from Automation Application Engineers while maintaining ownership of opportunity strategy, pricing, and closure.
• Platform Positioning & Design-In: Position industrial controls and automation solutions—including PLCs, HMIs, drives, motion, safety, and industrial networking—within OEM machine architectures to support scalable and repeatable designs.
• Sales Team Partnership & OEM Support: Partner with existing sales team members to support established OEM customers by providing automation expertise, assisting with design-in efforts, and identifying expansion opportunities while respecting existing account ownership.
• Market & Competitive Awareness: Maintain awareness of OEM market trends, machine standards, and competitive automation platforms to strengthen solution positioning and customer value.

Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in engineering, Business, or related field (or equivalent relevant experience)
• Experience: 5+ years in industrial automation sales, OEM business development, or technical sales. Experience working with machine builders or OEM customers preferred.
• Technical Knowledge: Working knowledge of industrial automation technologies including PLCs, HMIs, VFDs, motion control, and industrial communications. Familiarity with leading automation platforms and competitive solutions.
• Professional Skills: Strong consultative selling and relationship-building skills with the ability to manage long sales cycles and influence early design decisions. Effective communication with both technical and commercial stakeholders.